The APOBEC3 genes and their role in cancer: insights from human papillomavirus

The interaction between human papillomaviruses (HPV) and the apolipoprotein B mRNA editing catalytic polypeptide-like (APOBEC)3 (A3) genes has garnered increasing attention in recent years, with considerable efforts focused on understanding their apparent roles in both viral editing and in HPV-driven carcinogenesis. Here we review these developments and highlight several outstanding questions in the field. We consider whether editing of the virus and mutagenesis of the host are linked, or whether both are essentially separate events, coincidentally mediated by a common, or distinct A3 enzymes. We discuss the viral mechanisms and cellular signalling pathways implicated in A3 induction in virally-infected cells, examine which of the A3 enzymes might play the major role in HPV-associated carcinogenesis and in the development of therapeutic resistance. We consider the parallels between A3 induction in HPV-infected cells and what might be causing aberrant A3 activity in HPV-independent cancers such as those arising in the bladder, lung and breast. Finally, we discuss the implications of ongoing A3 activity in tumours under treatment and the therapeutic opportunities that this may present.