Final answer:
HPV inhibits cellular proteins like p53 to avoid detection and destruction by the host's immune system, allowing for cell division with DNA damage and increasing the risk of cancerous transformations, particularly in cases of persistent infection.
Step-by-step explanation:
Human papillomavirus (HPV) avoids eliciting danger signals by neutralizing key cellular proteins like p53 that are crucial for the DNA damage response and cell cycle checkpoints. In high-risk forms of HPV, such as HPV 16 and HPV 18, viral proteins E6 and E7 bind and inactivate p53 and other regulatory proteins.
This interaction prevents apoptosis and allows the infected cell to continue dividing, even with DNA damage, ultimately leading to the accumulation of mutations and increasing the risk of cancer, particularly cervical cancer. HPV infections are mostly cleared by the immune system, but if the virus persists, it can cause cellular changes that may progress to cancer.