title: Molecular cloning of cDNA of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome from a healthy carrier in an aboriginal community in Taiwan with high prevalence of HCV infection.
abstract: We analyzed hepatitis C virus (HCV) obtained from a healthy HCV carrier in an aboriginal community with high prevalence of HCV infection. By use of random primers and specific oligonucleotide primers, a cDNA fragment of putative non-structural 3 (NS3) region of the HCV genome was cloned by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using RNA extracted from a serum sample of a healthy HCV carrier in Taur-Yuan village. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences from the 583 nucleotides long cDNA were compared with those of equivalent region of HCV of other previously reported clones: [J1, HCV-J (regarded as major type of HCV in Japan) and US prototype]. They had 93.7% (546/583), 93.1% (543/583) and 80.4% (469/583) homology at the nucleotide level and 96.9% (188/194), 96.9% (188/194) and 91.8% (178/194) homology at the amino acid level, respectively. These results showed that HCV prevalent in an aboriginal community in Taiwan is more similar to Japanese type than to the US prototype.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Preventive Medicine, Department of Health, Taipei City, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sheu
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Sheu
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyamura
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002353:Carrier State / Q000382:microbiology*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral