Shope papilloma virus



The Shope papillomavirus or cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV) is a type I virus under the Baltimore scheme, possessing a nonsegmented dsDNA genome. It infects rabbits, causing keratinous carcinomas, typically on or near the animal’s head. These tumors can become large enough that they interfere with the host’s ability to eat, eventually causing starvation.

Shope papillomavirus provided the first mammalian model of a cancer caused by a virus. It takes its name from Dr. Richard E. Shope, who discovered it in the 1930s. Shope was able to isolate virus particles from tumors on captured animals and use these to inoculate domestic rabbits, which then developed similar tumors. The virus was sequenced in 1984, showing substantial sequence similarities to HPV1a. It has been used as a model for human papillomaviruses both before and after this discovery. The most visible example of this role is the HPV vaccine, which was developed based on and incorporating research done using the virus as a model. Similarly, it has been used to investigate antiviral therapies.

The virus is also a possible source of myths about the jackalope, a rabbit with the antlers of an antelope. Stories and illustrations of horned rabbits appear in scientific treatises dating back many years, such as the Tableau Encyclopedique et Methodique, from 1789.