Fig. (1) Genomic organization of the HPV genome. Schematic representation of the HPV16 circular genome showing the location of the early (E) and late genes (L1 and L2), and of the long control region (LCR). The HPV genome encodes eight well-characterized proteins, whose functions are indicated. Among them are the viral replication proteins E1 and E2 (violet) and the viral oncogenes E6 and E7 (green), all of which have been validated as essential for viral pathogenesis and represent genuine targets for small molecule-based approaches for the treatment of HPV-associated diseases.