Viral proteins of bovine papillomavirus type 4 during the development of alimentary canal tumours

In cattle infection of the upper alimentary canal mucosa by bovine papillomavirus type 4 (BPV-4) results in the development of papillomas which can progress to cancer in animals fed on bracken fern. This paper describes a study of the cellular and subcellular distribution of a number of different BPV-4 products in experimentally-induced BPV-4 tumours. E8 and E4 proteins were detected solely as cytoplasmic antigens in the undifferentiated and differentiated layers of the papilloma, respectively; L2 was detected solely as a nuclear antigen in the differentiated layers, whereas E7 was present in either the nucleus or the cytoplasm depending on the differentiation stage of the keratinocyte. Replicative forms of viral DNA were detected from the spinous to the squamous layers. Viral antigens were not detected during papilloma regression or in carcinomas. E8 was most prominent in early developmental stages, while E4 and L2 were most abundant in mature papillomas, E7 was present in large amounts in both early and mature stages, declining at later stages. These results suggest a temporal and spatial requirement for the expression and function of the viral proteins.