We have used the yeast two-hybrid system to screen a cDNA library prepared from normal human epidermal keratinocytes and identified protein partners for human papilloma virus (HPV) E6 proteins. A clone that encoded Gps2 interacted with E6 proteins from HPVs of high and low oncogenic risk. The specificity of these reactions was verified and the regions of E6 that were required for interaction were mapped. Steady-state and pulse-chase analyses of cells cotransfected with DNAs expressing E6 from either HPV6 or HPV18 and Gps2 demonstrated that the E6 proteins induced the degradation of Gps2 in vivo but not in vitro. Gps2 exhibited transcriptional activation activity, and high-risk E6 suppressed this activity.Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are small DNA tumor viruses. Over 90 different HPVs have been identified. These viruses are classified into subtypes based on their ability to infect cutaneous or mucosal epithelia (81). Mucosal HPVs are further divided into two subgroups. The low-risk HPVs, including types 6 and 11, are associated with benign lesions such as condyloma acuminata (22), whereas the high-risk HPVs, such as types 16 and 18, are associated with lesions that can progress to cancer (80). High-risk HPVs are the causative agent of at least 90% of cervical cancers (6, 80). In vitro experiments support the association of the high-risk HPVs with malignant tumors, as DNA from these viruses can immortalize human keratinocytes and transform rodent cell lines (36,46,55,62,77,78). Even though both high-risk and low-risk HPVs cause cellular proliferation in cervical mucosa, low-risk HPVs have limited transforming activity (52, 62). However, in rare cases, HPV6 and HPV11 can transform primary rodent cells (68). Although HPV6 is rarely found in cervical tumors, tumors at other sites have been reported to harbor HPV6 more frequently (5). These observations suggest that HPV6, and possibly HPV11, also possesses some oncogenic potential.E6 and E7 are the major transforming proteins of HPVs (74). Differences in the transforming potential between highand low-risk HPVs are reflected in the intrinsic differences between their respective E6 and E7 proteins (4). High-but not low-risk E6 can cooperate with high-risk E7 to immortalize human keratinocytes (4,26,27,47). However, the E6 proteins from both high-and low-risk HPVs can immortalize human mammary epithelial cells (3). In one instance, weak immortalization activity of E6 genes from low-risk HPV types was reported when they were inserted in human epithelial cells in conjunction with E7 from high-risk types (25).The transforming properties of HPV E6 and E7 result in part from their ability to complex with and modulate the action of critical host proteins that regulate cell growth and differentiation. Both E6 and E7 from high-risk HPV types have been found to interact with important cell cycle regulators. High-risk E7 proteins interact with the Rb family of proteins, which are negative cell cycle regulators involved in the control of the G 1 /S check point (14, 48). High-risk ...