TGF-β-induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition drives proteoglycan binding specificity of HPV-based drug conjugates for cancer cells

Background

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) utilize specifically modified proteoglycans (PGs) within the basement membrane as attachment factors prior to cell entry and infection. Similarly modified PGs are also found on cancer cells, which enables HPV with tumor-selective binding properties and highlights the potential development of HPV capsid-based anti-cancer therapies. In this study, we sought to investigate cancer-specific gene signatures and genetic factors that give rise to selective binding by HPV capsids.