Figure 3.

Post-TGN mitotic trafficking of L2/vDNA complex. Upon entry into mitosis, L2/vDNA remains vesicle-bound but loses coincidence with TGN markers. These L2/vDNA-containing vesicles likely travel along astral microtubules in the minus-end direction towards the centrosome, where they accumulate during prometaphase. The vesicles likely switch polarity and travel along the spindle microtubules in the plus-end direction to reach the host chromosomes by metaphase. Chromosome-bound L2/vDNA partitions with host chromosomes, eventually localizing to PML bodies of the daughter cells. Chromosome binding of L2/vDNA is through the chromatin binding region (CBR) of L2 and mutation of this region causes a block in translocation, with vesicular L2/vDNA becoming reabsorbed back into the nascent Golgi after mitosis. Chromosome-bound L2/vDNA may be in a membrane-bound vesiclular state, or may have penetrated the limiting membrane upon chromosome binding, further work is needed to clarify this stage of the HPV life cycle.