Abstract: A papillomavirus polyprotein construct comprises at least two amino acid sequences fused directly or indirectly together, each of the sequences being the sequence of an early ORF protein of papillomavirus or an immunogenic variant or fragment thereof, and at least one of said sequences being other than the E6 or E7 protein sequence or an immunogenic variant or fragment thereof. Nucleic acid molecules encoding the polyprotein construct, prophylactic or therapeutic compositions comprising the polyprotein construct or the nucleic acid molecule, and methods for eliciting an immune response against papillomavirus in a host animal are also provided.

Abstract: Peptides, antibodies and recombinant expression systems or cells that contain and express a DNA insert of HPV encoding a region of a papilloma induced or a papilloma protein, such as E6 or E7, are produced. Compositions containing these peptides, antibodies and/or recombinant cells are utilized as immunogenic compositions and in methods for inhibiting and treating HPV infection and tumor initiation and progression. Specific peptides and recombinant cells, such as vaccinia virus and tumor cells, that express epitopic regions of the HPV16 E6 or E7 nucleoprotein are particularly described.