Demonstration of HPV-16 genomes in the nuclei of cervix carcinoma cells.

Specimens of 4 different cervical cancers, 1 flat condyloma of the cervix, 1 condyloma acuminatum, 1 morbus Bowen of the skin and 1 skin wart were subjected to in situ hybridization using human papilloma virus type 16 (HPV-16) DNA nick translated with 3H-TTP as a probe. Within each cervical cancer biopsy we found a certain number of tumor cell clusters with clearly labelled nuclei, while sections of the other skin lesions did not reveal any accumulation of grains within their nuclei. Southern blot hybridization of the DNA extracted from the 4 cervical carcinomas with 32p-labelled HPV-16 DNA gave a positive reaction in 3 tumors. Non-reactivity in the 4th biopsy might be due to a low concentration of HPV-genomes within the total extracted DNA of this tissue part.