Characterization of human aortic smooth muscle cells expressing HPV16 E6 and E7 open reading frames.

A comparative study of human papillomavirus type 16 E6E7-transfected and normal human aortic smooth muscle cells by morphological, electron microscopic, immunofluorescent, and biochemical analyses demonstrated that the E6E7-expressing cells retained much of the phenotype of normal aortic smooth muscle cells, including expression of smooth muscle markers and appropriate growth responses to PDGF and heparin. These cells differed from normal vascular smooth muscle cells in that they had slightly altered morphology and a higher growth rate that was not due to an autocrine response to secreted PDGF, and they contained more polyribosomes than normal smooth muscle cells.