An in vitro model and the underlying pathways of sinonasal inverted papilloma development.

Recently, the specific association between Sinonasal inverted papilloma (SIP) and EGFR exon 20 mutations has been reported. To investigate the link between specific EGFR mutations and SIP development, we established organotypic raft culture system using nasal polyp-derived immortalized NP2 (iNP2) cells expressing EGFR exon 20 mutants or an exon 19 mutant, and SIP-derived iIP4 cells harboring P772_H773insPYNP mutation. In the raft culture, iIP4 cells showed the inverted growth pattern characteristic to SIP. Interestingly, iNP2 cells expressing EGFR exon 20 duplication mutants, S768_D770dup and N771_H773dup, but not of EGFR exon 19 mutant, E746_A750del, showed the inverted growth pattern. Enhanced activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway was observed in iNP2_S768_D770dup and iIP4 cells, while increased MAPK signaling was found in iNP2_N771_H773dup. Increased cell migration and invasion were found in all cells carrying EGFR mutations when compared to iNP2 cells, and this effect was inhibited by either PI3K or MEK inhibitor. Notably, iNP2 cells expressing the N771_H773dup mutant showed the highest migration and invasion abilities. These results suggest that specific mutations in EGFR exon 20 play a crucial role in SIP development, partially though hyper-activation of the PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling pathways. This study presents the first in vitro model for SIP development, which could facilitate further investigations into SIP pathogenesis and preclinical studies for new therapeutic agents.

An in vitro carcinogenesis model for cervical cancer harboring episomal form of HPV16.

Deregulated expression of viral E6 and E7 genes often caused by viral genome integration of high-risk human papillomaviruses (HR-HPVs) into host DNA and additional host genetic alterations are thought to be required for the development of cervical cancer. However, approximately 15% of invasive cervical cancer specimens contain only episomal HPV genomes. In this study, we investigated the tumorigenic potential of human cervical keratinocytes harboring only the episomal form of HPV16 (HCK1T/16epi). We found that the HPV16 episomal form is sufficient for promoting cell proliferation and colony formation of parental HCK1T cells. Ectopic expression of host oncogenes, MYC and PIK3CAE545K, enhanced clonogenic growth of both early- and late-passage HCK1T/16epi cells, but conferred tumor-initiating ability only to late-passage HCK1T/16epi cells. Interestingly, the expression levels of E6 and E7 were rather lower in late-passage than in early-passage cells. Moreover, additional introduction of a constitutively active MEK1 (MEK1DD) and/or KRASG12V into HCK1T/16epi cells resulted in generation of highly potent tumor-initiating cells. Thus an in vitro model for progression of cervical neoplasia with episomal HPV16 was established. In the model, constitutively active mutation of PIK3CA, PIK3CAE545K, and overexpression of MYC, in the cells with episomal HPV16 genome were not sufficient, but an additional event such as activation of the RAS-MEK pathway was required for progression to tumorigenicity.

Development of an in vitro carcinogenesis model of human papillomavirus-induced cervical adenocarcinoma.

Cervical adenocarcinoma (ADC) is the second most common pathological subtype of cervical cancer after squamous cell carcinoma. It accounts for approximately 20% of cervical cancers, and the incidence has increased in the past few decades, particularly among young patients. The persistent infection of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for most cervical ADC. However, almost all available in vitro models are designed to study the carcinogenesis of cervical squamous cell carcinoma. To gain better insights into molecular background of ADC, we aimed to establish an in vitro carcinogenesis model of ADC. We previously reported the establishment of an in vitro model for cervical squamous cell carcinoma by introducing defined viral and cellular oncogenes, HPV16 E6 and E7, c-MYC, and activated RAS to human cervical keratinocytes. In this study, the expression of potential lineage-specifying factors and/or SMAD4 reduction was introduced in addition to the defined four oncogenes to direct carcinogenesis toward ADC. The cell properties associated with the cell lineage were analyzed in monolayer and organoid cultures and the tumors in mouse xenografts. In the cells expressing Forkhead box A2 (FOXA2), apparent changes in cell properties were observed, such as elevated expression of columnar cell markers and decreased expression of squamous cell markers. Strikingly, the histopathology of tumors expressing FOXA2 resembled cervical ADC, proposing that FOXA2 plays a vital role in dictating the histopathology of cervical cancers.

Glutamatergic and GABAergic metabolite levels in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: a meta-analysis of 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies.

BACKGROUND: The glutamate (Glu) and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) hypotheses of schizophrenia were proposed in the 1980s. However, current findings on those metabolite levels in schizophrenia have been inconsistent, and the relationship between their abnormalities and the pathophysiology of schizophrenia remains unclear. To summarize the nature of the alterations of glutamatergic and GABAergic systems in schizophrenia, we conducted meta-analyses of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) studies examining these metabolite levels. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted using Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, and PubMed. Original studies that compared four metabolite levels (Glu, glutamine [Gln], Glx [Glu+Gln], and GABA), as measured by 1H-MRS, between individuals at high risk for psychosis, patients with first-episode psychosis, or patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls (HC) were included. A random-effects model was used to calculate the effect sizes for group differences in these metabolite levels of 18 regions of interest between the whole group or schizophrenia group and HC. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were performed based on the status of antipsychotic treatment, illness stage, treatment resistance, and magnetic field strength. RESULTS: One-hundred-thirty-four studies met the eligibility criteria, totaling 7993 participants with SZ-spectrum disorders and 8744 HC. 14 out of 18 ROIs had enough numbers of studies to examine the group difference in the metabolite levels. In the whole group, Glx levels in the basal ganglia (g = 0.32; 95% CIs: 0.18-0.45) were elevated. Subgroup analyses showed elevated Glx levels in the hippocampus (g = 0.47; 95% CIs: 0.21-0.73) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (g = 0.25; 95% CIs: 0.05-0.44) in unmedicated patients than HC. GABA levels in the MCC were decreased in the first-episode psychosis group compared with HC (g = -0.40; 95% CIs: -0.62 to -0.17). Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) group had elevated Glx and Glu levels in the MCC (Glx: g = 0.7; 95% CIs: 0.38-1.01; Glu: g = 0.63; 95% CIs: 0.31-0.94) while MCC Glu levels were decreased in the patient group except TRS (g = -0.17; 95% CIs: -0.33 to -0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Increased glutamatergic metabolite levels and reduced GABA levels indicate that the disruption of excitatory/inhibitory balance may be related to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

Distribution of genetic alterations in high-risk early-stage cervical cancer patients treated with postoperative radiation therapy.

Somatic genetic alteration analysis was performed for post-hysterectomy high-risk early-stage uterine cervical cancer patients who underwent post-operative radiation therapy. Post-operative radiation therapy was performed for patients with pathological features of pelvic lymph node metastasis, parametrium invasion, or positive vaginal margin, which corresponded to the post-operative high-risk category. DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded surgical specimens, and 50 somatic hotspot genetic alternations were detected using Ion AmpliSeq Cancer Hotspot Panel. The existence of actionable mutation was assessed based on OncoKB evidence level > 3A. Between January 2008 and November 2019, 89 patients who underwent abdominal radical hysterectomy followed by post-operative radiation therapy were identified. The follow-up period for living patients was 82.3 months (range 9.3-153.9), and the 5-year relapse-free survival and overall survival rates were 72.6% and 85.9%, respectively. The most frequently detected somatic mutation was PIK3CA (26 [29.2%] patients); however, no prognostic somatic genetic alterations were identified. Actionable mutations were detected in 30 (33.7%) patients. Actionable mutations were detected in approximately one-third of patients, suggesting that precision medicine can be offered to patients with post-operative high-risk uterine cervical cancer in the near future.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation neurophysiology of patients with major depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a mental illness with high socio-economic burden, but its pathophysiology has not been fully elucidated. Recently, the cortical excitatory and inhibitory imbalance hypothesis and neuroplasticity hypothesis have been proposed for MDD. Although several studies have examined the neurophysiological profiles in MDD using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a meta-analysis of TMS neurophysiology has not been performed. The objective of this study was to compare TMS-electromyogram (TMS-EMG) findings between patients with MDD and healthy controls (HCs). To this end, we examined whether patients with MDD have lower short-interval cortical inhibition (SICI) which reflects gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor-mediated activity, lower cortical silent period (CSP) which represents GABAB receptor-mediated activity, higher intracortical facilitation (ICF) which reflects glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated activity, and the lower result of paired associative stimulation (PAS) paradigm which shows the level of neuroplasticity in comparison with HC. Further, we explored the effect of clinical and demographic factors that may influence TMS neurophysiological indices. We first searched and identified research articles that conducted single- or paired-pulse TMS-EMG on patients with MDD and HC. Subsequently, we extracted the data from the included studies and meta-analyzed the data with the comprehensive meta-analysis software. Patients with MDD were associated with lower SICI, lower CSP, potentially higher ICF, and lower PAS compared with HC. Our results confirmed the proposed hypotheses, suggesting the usefulness of TMS neurophysiology as potential diagnostic markers of MDD.

Genomic alterations in STK11 can predict clinical outcomes in cervical cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Asian women, due to its poor prognosis. This study aimed to decipher genomic alteration profiles of a cohort of Japanese cervical cancer patients to understand why certain patients benefited from molecular targeted therapies and their prognostic significance. METHODS: During 2008-2018, 154 cervical cancer patients underwent a potentially curative resection procedure at the National Cancer Center Hospital. Genomic DNA samples were analyzed using Ion AmpliSeq™ Cancer Hotspot Panel v2. Alterations in the copy number of PIK3CA, ERBB2, PTEN, and STK11 were detected using the TaqMan assay. HPV-positive results were confirmed by genomic testing and in situ hybridization assay. RESULTS: The frequency of genomic alterations in PIK3CA (36%), STK11 (16%), PTEN (11%), TP53 (11%), and KRAS (8%) was >5%. KRAS mutations were preferentially detected in patients with adenocarcinomas, and the frequency of PIK3CA mutations in patients with squamous cell carcinomas was higher than that in patients with other histological cancer types. HPV-positive results were observed in 139/154 (90.3%) patients, and TP53 mutants were detected in HPV-negative specimens. In this study, the overall survival of patients with genomic alterations in STK11 was worse than in patients with wild-type STK11 (hazard ratio = 10.6, P = 0.0079) and TCGA dataset (hazard ratio = 2.46, P = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: More than one-third of Japanese cervical cancer patients exhibit mutations targeted by molecular targeted therapies. We have proposed the prognostic value of STK11 genomic alterations.

An Ex-Vivo Culture System of Ovarian Cancer Faithfully Recapitulating the Pathological Features of Primary Tumors.

The success rate of establishing human cancer cell lines is not satisfactory and the established cell lines often do not preserve the molecular and histological features of the original tissues. In this study, we developed a novel culture method which can support proliferation of almost all primary epithelial ovarian cancer cells, as well as primary normal human oviductal epithelial cells. Cancer cells from fresh or frozen specimens were enriched by the anti-EpCAM antibody-conjugated magnetic beads, plated on Matrigel-coated plate and cultivated under the optimized culture conditions. Seventeen newly established ovarian cancer cell lines, which included all four major histotypes of ovarian cancer, were confirmed to express histotype-specific markers in vitro. Some of the cell lines from all the four histotypes, except mucinous type, generated tumors in immune-deficient mice and the xenograft tumor tissues recapitulated the corresponding original tissues faithfully. Furthermore, with poorly tumorigenic cell lines including mucinous type, we developed a novel xenograft model which could reconstruct the original tissue architecture through forced expression of a set of oncogenes followed by its silencing. With combination of the novel culture method and cell-derived xenograft system, virtually every epithelial ovarian cancer can be reconstituted in mice in a timely fashion.

Roles for E1-independent replication and E6-mediated p53 degradation during low-risk and high-risk human papillomavirus genome maintenance.

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) have genotype-specific disease associations, with high-risk alpha types causing at least 5% of all human cancers. Despite these conspicuous differences, our data show that high- and low- risk HPV types use similar approaches for genome maintenance and persistence. During the maintenance phase, viral episomes and the host cell genome are replicated synchronously, and for both the high- and low-risk HPV types, the E1 viral helicase is non-essential. During virus genome amplification, replication switches from an E1-independent to an E1-dependent mode, which can uncouple viral DNA replication from that of the host cell. It appears that the viral E2 protein, but not E6 and E7, is required for the synchronous maintenance-replication of both the high and the low-risk HPV types. Interestingly, the ability of the high-risk E6 protein to mediate the proteosomal degradation of p53 and to inhibit keratinocyte differentiation, was also seen with low-risk HPV E6, but in this case was regulated by cell density and the level of viral gene expression. This allows low-risk E6 to support genome amplification, while limiting the extent of E6-mediated cell proliferation during synchronous genome maintenance. Both high and low-risk E7s could facilitate cell cycle re-entry in differentiating cells and support E1-dependent replication. Despite the well-established differences in the viral pathogenesis and cancer risk, it appears that low- and high-risk HPV types use fundamentally similar molecular strategies to maintain their genomes, albeit with important differences in their regulatory control. Our results provide new insights into the regulation of high and low-risk HPV genome replication and persistence in the epithelial basal and parabasal cells layers. Understanding the minimum requirement for viral genome persistence will facilitate the development of therapeutic strategies for clearance.

Keratinocyte differentiation induces APOBEC3A, 3B, and mitochondrial DNA hypermutation.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are found in many types of cancers and suspected to be involved in carcinogenesis, although the mechanism has not been elucidated. In this study, we report that consecutive C-to-T mutations (hypermutations), a unique feature of mutations induced by APOBECs, are found in mtDNA from cervical dysplasia and oropharyngeal cancers. In vitro, we found that APOBEC3A (A3A) and 3B (A3B) expression, as well as mtDNA hypermutation, were induced in a cervical dysplastic cell line W12 when cultured in a differentiating condition. The ectopic expression of A3A or A3B was sufficient to hypermutate mtDNA. Fractionation of W12 cell lysates and immunocytochemical analysis revealed that A3A and A3B could be contained in mitochondrion. These results suggest that mtDNA hypermutation is induced upon keratinocyte differentiation, and shed light on its molecular mechanism, which involves A3s. The possible involvement of mtDNA hypermutations in carcinogenesis is also discussed.

Induction of non-apoptotic programmed cell death by oncogenic RAS in human epithelial cells and its suppression by MYC overexpression.

Oncogenic mutations of RAS genes, found in about 30% of human cancers, are considered to play important roles in cancer development. However, oncogenic RAS can also induce senescence in mouse and human normal fibroblasts. In some cell lines, oncogenic RAS has been reported to induce non-apoptotic programed cell death (PCD). Here, we investigated effects of oncogenic RAS expression in several types of normal human epithelial cells. Oncogenic RAS but not wild-type RAS stimulated macropinocytosis with accumulation of large-phase lucent vacuoles in the cytoplasm, subsequently leading to cell death which was indistinguishable from a recently proposed new type of PCD, methuosis. A RAC1 inhibitor suppressed accumulation of macropinosomes and overexpression of MYC attenuated oncogenic RAS-induced such accumulation, cell cycle arrest and cell death. MYC suppression or rapamycin treatment in some cancer cell lines harbouring oncogenic mutations in RAS genes induced cell death with accumulation of macropinosomes. These results suggest that this type of non-apoptotic PCD is a tumour-suppressing mechanism acting against oncogenic RAS mutations in normal human epithelial cells, which can be overcome by MYC overexpression, raising the possibility that its induction might be a novel approach to treatment of RAS-mutated human cancers.

Roles of the PDZ-binding motif of HPV 16 E6 protein in oncogenic transformation of human cervical keratinocytes.

The high-risk human papillomavirus E6 proteins have been shown to interact with and lead to degradation of PDZ-domain-containing proteins through its carboxy-terminal motif. This PDZ-binding motif plays important roles in transformation of cultured cells and carcinogenesis of E6-transgenic mice. However, its biological effects on the natural host cells have not been elucidated. We have examined its roles in an in vitro carcinogenesis model for cervical cancer, in which E6 and E7 together with activated HRAS (HRASG12V ) can induce tumorigenic transformation of normal human cervical keratinocytes. In this model, E6Δ151 mutant, which is defective in binding to PDZ domains, almost lost tumorigenic ability, whereas E6SAT mutant, which is defective in p53 degradation showed activity close to wild-type E6. Interestingly, we found decreased expression of PAR3 in E6-expressing cells independently of E6AP, which has not been previously recognized. Therefore, we knocked down several PDZ-domain containing proteins including PAR3 in human cervical keratinocytes expressing E7, HRASG12V and E6Δ151 to examine whether depletion of these proteins can restore the tumorigenic ability. Single knockdown of SCRIB, MAGI1 or PAR3 significantly but partially restored the tumorigenic ability. The combinatorial knockdown of SCRIB and MAGI1 cooperatively restored the tumorigenic ability, and additional depletion of PAR3 further enhanced the tumorigenic ability surpassing that induced by wild-type E6. These data highlight the importance of the carboxy-terminal motif of the E6 protein and downregulation of PAR3 in tumorigenic transformation of human cervical keratinocytes.

E6D25E, HPV16 Asian variant shows specific proteomic pattern correlating in cells transformation and suppressive innate immune response.

HPV16 Asian variant (HPV16As) containing E6D25E oncogene, is commonly associated with cervical cancers of Asian populations. To explore a mechanism of E6D25E oncoprotein in carcinogenesis, we compared protein profiles in human keratinocytes expressing E6D25E with E6 of HPV16 prototype (E6Pro). A human cervical keratinocyte cell line, HCK1T, was transduced with retroviruses containing E6D25E or E6Pro genes. Biological properties of E6D25E or E6Pro transduced HCK1T cells were characterized. Protein profiles of the transduced HCK1T cells were analyzed using 2D-PAGE and characterized by mass spectrometry and western blotting. Reactomes of modulated proteins were analyzed by using the Reactome Knowledgebase. The E6D25E and E6Pro oncoproteins were comparable for their abilities to degrade p53 and suppress the induction of p21, and induce cell proliferation. Interestingly, the protein profiles of the HCK1T cells transduced with E6D25E showed specific proteomic patterns different from those with E6Pro. Among altered proteins, more than 1.5-fold up- or down- regulation was observed in E6D25E-expressing cells for gp96 and keratin7 which involved in activation of TLR signaling and transformation of squamocolumnar junction cells, respectively. This report describes new cellular proteins specifically targeted by E6D25E oncoprotein that may contribute to impair immune response against viral infection and cell transformation associated with oncogenic property of HPV16As variant.

Activation of NF-κB by human papillomavirus 16 E1 limits E1-dependent viral replication through degradation of E1.

UNLABELLED: NF-κB is a family of transcription factors that regulate gene expression involved in many processes, such as the inflammatory response and cancer progression. Little is known about associations of NF-κB with the human papillomavirus (HPV) life cycle. We have developed a tissue culture system to conditionally induce E1-dependent replication of the human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) genome in human cervical keratinocytes and found that expression of HPV16 E1, a viral helicase, results in reduction of IκBα and subsequent activation of NF-κB in a manner dependent on helicase activity. Exogenous expression of a degradation-resistant mutant of IκBα, which inhibits the activation of NF-κB, enhanced E1-dependent replication of the viral genome. Wortmannin, a broad inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks), and, to a lesser extent, VE-822, an ATR kinase inhibitor, but not KU55933, an ATM kinase inhibitor, suppressed the activation of NF-κB and augmented E1-dependent replication of the HPV16 genome. Interestingly, the enhancement of E1-dependent replication of the viral genome was associated with increased stability of E1 in the presence of wortmannin as well as the IκBα mutant. Collectively, we propose that expression of E1 induces NF-κB activation at least in part through the ATR-dependent DNA damage response and that NF-κB in turn limits E1-dependent replication of HPV16 through degradation of E1, so that E1 and NF-κB may constitute a negative feedback loop. IMPORTANCE: A major risk factor in human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers is persistent infection with high-risk HPVs. To eradicate viruses from infected tissue, it is important to understand molecular mechanisms underlying the establishment and maintenance of persistent infection. In this study, we obtained evidence that human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) E1, a viral DNA helicase essential for amplification of the viral genomes, induces NF-κB activation and that this limits E1-dependent genome replication of HPV16. These results suggest that NF-κB mediates a negative feedback loop to regulate HPV replication and that this feedback loop could be associated with control of the viral copy numbers. We could thus show for the first time that NF-κB activity is involved in the establishment and maintenance of persistent HPV infection.

Draft Genome Sequences of Geomicrobium sp. Strains JCM 19037, JCM 19038, JCM 19039, and JCM 19055, Isolated from Aquatic Samples.

Haloalkaliphilic strains JCM 19037, JCM 19038, JCM 19039, and JCM 19055, closely related to Geomicrobium sediminis, were isolated from aquatic samples, and their draft genome sequences were determined. The genome information of these four strains will be useful for studies of their physiology and ecology.

Draft Genome Sequences of Vibrio sp. Strains Isolated from Tetrodotoxin-Bearing Scavenging Gastropod.

Vibrio sp. strains JCM 18905 and JCM 19053 were isolated from a tetrodotoxin (TTX)-bearing scavenging gastropod, and Vibrio sp. strain JCM 18904 was isolated from a sea cucumber. All these are closely related to Vibrio alginolyticus. Their comparative genome information is useful for studies of TTX production in bacteria.

Draft Genome Sequences of Psychrobacter Strains JCM 18900, JCM 18901, JCM 18902, and JCM 18903, Isolated Preferentially from Frozen Aquatic Organisms.

Four Psychrobacter strains, JCM 18900, JCM 18901, JCM 18902, and JCM 18903, related to either Psychrobacter nivimaris or Psychrobacter cibarius, were isolated from frozen marine animals. The genome information of these four strains will be useful for studies of their physiology and adaptation properties to frozen conditions.

Draft Genome Sequences of Cyclodextrin-Producing Alkaliphilic Bacillus Strains JCM 19045, JCM 19046, and JCM 19047.

Bacillus strains JCM 19045, JCM 19046, and JCM 19047 are alkaliphiles that produce ß-cyclodextrin from starch. They are related to Bacillus xiaoxiensis and Bacillus lehensis. The genome information for these three strains will be useful for studies of the physiological role of cyclodextrin and cyclodextrin production.

[Regulation of human papillomavirus (HPV) genome replication in the viral life cycle and its association with the viral persistence and cancer development].

High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infections account for more than 5% of all cancers (11% in women) such as cervical cancer worldwide. HPVs infect to basal cells of the stratified squamous epithelium and establish persistent infection within the basal compartment. HR-HPV infections can persist more than a decade, leading to development of cancers. The life cycle of HPVs is tightly associated with the differentiation processes of the stratified squamous epithelium; the replication of the viral genome and the expression of the viral genes are strictly regulated depending on differentiation of the host keratinocytes. The viral genome is transiently amplified immediately following infection and then maintained at constant copy numbers in the basal cells. In terminally differentiating keratinocytes, the viral genome is drastically amplified. However, molecular mechanisms underlying switching these three stages of viral genome replication in the viral life cycle are poorly understood. Recently, it has become evident that DNA damage response pathways are involved in the regulation of HPV genome replication. In this review, we would like to introduce recent findings describing the associations of DNA damage response with HPV genome replication.

Identification of TRAPPC8 as a host factor required for human papillomavirus cell entry.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a non-enveloped virus composed of a circular DNA genome and two capsid proteins, L1 and L2. Multiple interactions between its capsid proteins and host cellular proteins are required for infectious HPV entry, including cell attachment and internalization, intracellular trafficking and viral genome transfer into the nucleus. Using two variants of HPV type 51, the Ma and Nu strains, we have previously reported that MaL2 is required for efficient pseudovirus (PsV) transduction. However, the cellular factors that confer this L2 dependency have not yet been identified. Here we report that the transport protein particle complex subunit 8 (TRAPPC8) specifically interacts with MaL2. TRAPPC8 knockdown in HeLa cells yielded reduced levels of reporter gene expression when inoculated with HPV51Ma, HPV16, and HPV31 PsVs. TRAPPC8 knockdown in HaCaT cells also showed reduced susceptibility to infection with authentic HPV31 virions, indicating that TRAPPC8 plays a crucial role in native HPV infection. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that the central region of TRAPPC8 was exposed on the cell surface and colocalized with inoculated PsVs. The entry of Ma, Nu, and L2-lacking PsVs into cells was equally impaired in TRAPPC8 knockdown HeLa cells, suggesting that TRAPPC8-dependent endocytosis plays an important role in HPV entry that is independent of L2 interaction. Finally, expression of GFP-fused L2 that can also interact with TRAPPC8 induced dispersal of the Golgi stack structure in HeLa cells, a phenotype also observed by TRAPPC8 knockdown. These results suggest that during viral intracellular trafficking, binding of L2 to TRAPPC8 inhibits its function resulting in Golgi destabilization, a process that may assist HPV genome escape from the trans-Golgi network.