Figure 1: The HPV oncoprotein E6 disrupts the p53 pathway and mediates its degradation thereby effectively silencing the action of TP53 tumor suppressor gene. This results in loss of control over the cell cycle at the G1/S and G2/M checkpoints making the cell susceptible to defective repair capacity as well as uncontrolled growth. The E7 oncoprotein is involved in the inactivation retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene product pRb which results in cell immortalization & carcinogenesis.