title: Distribution of plural HCV types in Japan.
abstract: A detection system was developed to distinguish the four different HCV genomes [HCV-J, HCV-US, HCV-K2 and group II HCV (HCV-GII)], involving reverse transcription followed by a nested polymerase chain reaction using specific primers for each HCV type. The putative non-structural (NS) 5 regions of HCV-J, HCV-US and HCV-K2 and the putative NS3 region of HCV-GII were amplified. Of 95 specimens from patients with acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma, 67 specimens were positive for HCV-J, 2 for HCV-US, 23 for HCV-K2 and 11 for HCV-GII. About half the specimens that were positive for HCV-K2 or HCV-GII were coinfected with HCV-J and all those that were positive for HCV-GII were also positive for HCV-K2. Nucleotide sequence analysis of several amplified cDNA products revealed that HCV-K2 and HCV-GII could each be classified into two groups, and the pattern of classification of HCV-K2 was identical with that of HCV-GII. Therefore, our results strongly suggest that HCV-K2 is the same as HCV-GII.
authors.affiliation: Virology Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ootsuyama
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohkoshi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakazawa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hijikata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimotohno
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular / Q000379:methods; D016679:Genome, Viral; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase