Recent advances in preclinical model systems for papillomaviruses

• Published in: Virus research 2017-03, Vol.231, p.108-118
• Main Authors: Christensen, Neil D., Budgeon, Lynn R., Cladel, Nancy M., Hu, Jiafen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal papillomavirus models; Animals; Bovine papillomavirus 1 - genetics; Bovine papillomavirus 1 - growth & development; Bovine papillomavirus 1 - immunology; Bovine papillomavirus 1 - pathogenicity; BPV; Cattle; Codon-modified viral genes; Cottontail rabbit papillomavirus - genetics; Cottontail rabbit papillomavirus - growth & development; Cottontail rabbit papillomavirus - immunology; Cottontail rabbit papillomavirus - pathogenicity; CPV; CRPV; Disease Models, Animal; Dogs; Female; Humans; in vivo PV viral function; Innate immune responses to PV infections; Lambdapapillomavirus - genetics; Lambdapapillomavirus - growth & development; Lambdapapillomavirus - immunology; Lambdapapillomavirus - pathogenicity; Mice; MmuPV1; Papillomaviridae - genetics; Papillomaviridae - growth & development; Papillomaviridae - immunology; Papillomaviridae - pathogenicity; Papillomavirus Infections - immunology; Papillomavirus Infections - pathology; Papillomavirus Infections - prevention & control; Papillomavirus Infections - virology; Papillomavirus Vaccines - administration & dosage; Papillomavirus Vaccines - biosynthesis; Primates - virology; Rabbits; Rats; Skin Neoplasms - immunology; Skin Neoplasms - pathology; Skin Neoplasms - prevention & control; Skin Neoplasms - virology; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - immunology; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - pathology; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - prevention & control; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms - virology; Vaccine and immunotherapeutics for PV infections
• ISSN: 0168-1702; 1872-7492
• DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2016.12.004

•Preclinical animal papillomavirus (PV) models have established key foundational observations on HPV biology, viral gene function and host-virus interactions.•Bovine, canine, rabbit, non-human primate and rodent PV models provide effective in vivo models to study HPV vaccine development and immunotherapeutic interventions.•New opportunities for improved understanding of host innate immune control of PV infections are now possible with the recent discovery of a novel mouse papillomavirus.•This review includes strengths and weaknesses of current animal PV models and new avenues of opportunity to better understand HPV biology and therapeutics. Preclinical model systems to study multiple features of the papillomavirus life cycle have greatly aided our understanding of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) biology, disease progression and treatments. The challenge to studying HPV in hosts is that HPV along with most PVs are both species and tissue restricted. Thus, fundamental properties of HPV viral proteins can be assessed in specialized cell culture systems but host responses that involve innate immunity and host restriction factors requires preclinical surrogate models. Fortunately, there are several well-characterized and new animal models of papillomavirus infections that are available to the PV research community. Old models that continue to have value include canine, bovine and rabbit PV models and new rodent models are in place to better assess host-virus interactions. Questions arise as to the strengths and weaknesses of animal PV models for HPV disease and how accurately these preclinical models predict malignant progression, vaccine efficacy and therapeutic control of HPV-associated disease. In this review, we examine current preclinical models and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the various models as well as provide an update on new opportunities to study the numerous unknowns that persist in the HPV research field.