Genetic Variability of Human Papillomavirus Types 52, 58, and 16 Based on L1 Genes in Central China

ABSTRACT Persistent exposure to high‐risk human papillomavirus (HR‐HPV) is a major contributing factor to cervical cancer. HPV‐52, ‐58, and ‐16 are the top three prevalent HR‐HPV types in Jingzhou. In this study, samples monoinfected with HPV‐52 ( n = 96), ‐58 ( n = 98), and ‐16 ( n = 100) were collected between August 2022 and October 2023. The L1 genes were sequenced and analyzed to characterize genetic diversity. After constructing phylogenetic trees, secondary structure analysis and B‐cell epitope prediction were conducted. The HPV‐52 L1 sequences contained 35 single‐nucleotide variations in total. Six of them were recently figured out, while 29 were synonymous and 6 were nonsynonymous. Of the 44 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) found for HPV‐58 L1, 10 were newly discovered. For HPV‑16 L1, 29 SNPs, one deletion and one insertion were identified, with four newly detected variants. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all HPV‐52 L1 sequences were clustered within sublineage B2, whereas 58.33% of the variations in HPV‐58 L1 sequences were distributed in sublineage A1, and the majority of the variations in HPV‐16 L1 sequences were located in sublineage A4 (55/70). No positively selected site was detected in the HPV‐52, ‐58, and ‐16 L1 sequences. The predicted B‐cell epitopes may be impacted by the nonconservative substitutions K200R and E468D in HPV‐52 L1; L150F, I325M, K523T, K523N, K524R, and K524Q in HPV‐58 L1; and N16D in HPV‐16 L1. This study establishes a foundational data set on L1 genetic diversity of HPV‐52, ‐58, and ‐16 prevalent in Central China and offers valuable insights for the development of region‐specific prophylactic vaccines.