Oral Presentation Australasian Extracellular Vesicles Conference 2020

Extracellular vesicle mediated regulation of antigen presentation by human papillomavirus type 16 (#24)

Merilyn H Hibma 1
  1. University of Otago, Dunedin, OTAGO, New Zealand

Human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 infections are typically cleared within two years of infection, however some lesions persist and may progress to cervical cancer. Antigen presenting cells (APCs) initiate a protective adaptive immune response, but the importance of skin and lymph node APC populations in the response to HPV and how the virus regulates their function is not well understood.  Here we report the effects of extracellular vesicles from HPV E7-expressing cells on APC activation and function in a mouse model.  From these studies we conclude that extracellular vesicles from E7-expressing cells suppress T cell responses at least in part by impairing dendritic cell activation and cytokine secretion.  These data support blocking suppression of APCs as a novel immunotherapeutic strategy for persistent HPV infection.