Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the major cause of cervical cancer and precancerous cervical lesions.1 Epidemiological and molecular studies have identified highrisk types of HPV, such as HPV-16 and HPV-18, which are present in Ͼ90% of high-grade cervical lesions and cervical cancers. In contrast, low-risk types of HPV such as HPV-6 and HPV-11 are found in genital warts and lowgrade cervical lesions but rarely in high-grade lesions or cancer. The difference between high-risk and low-risk HPV types is also apparent in cultured cells. The E6 and E7 oncogenes of high-risk HPV are sufficient to immortalize human foreskin keratinocytes and cervical epithelial cells in vitro. 2,3 In contrast, the E6 and E7 genes of low-risk HPV can prolong life span in culture but cannot immortalize cells. 4 This difference between viral types can be explained by the different interactions of high-risk and low-risk E6 and E7 with the key human cell-cycle regulatory proteins p53 and pRb. 5,6 Destabilization of p53 and pRb proteins by high-risk but not low-risk HPV oncogenes results in altered levels of other cell-cycle regulatory proteins. For example, levels of cyclin A, cyclin B, cyclin E, cdc2, cdk2, and cdk4 proteins are elevated in HPV-16 expressing keratinocytes 7,8 when compared to controls. Recent results from cDNA microarray experiments that surveyed several thousand genes indicate that mRNA levels of these cell cycle genes are also elevated in HPV-16 E6/E7 expressing keratinocytes. 9,10