Potential cross-reactivity between HPV16 L1 protein and sudden death-associated antigens.

In exploring the primary sequence of the human papilloma virus (HPV) 16 major capsid L1 protein for peptide sharing with human proteins, we find that 34 pentamers from the viral capsid protein are shared with human proteins that, when altered, have been linked to short QT syndrome, arrhythmogenic cardiac disorders, cardiovascular diseases and sudden death. In particular, nine out of the 34 viral pentamers are present in a human protein, titin, alterations of which have been linked to cardiac failure and sudden cardiac death. The present data may help evaluate the potential crossreactivity risks in anti-tumor vaccination protocols based on HPV16 L1 protein.