title: Nucleotide sequence of the 5' noncoding region of hepatitis G virus isolated from Japanese patients: comparison with reported isolates.
abstract: The nucleotide sequences of the 5' noncoding region (NCR) of hepatitis G virus (HGV) from sera of Japanese patients were determined. Among these isolates, there was a high degree (> 96.9%) of sequence identity, whereas identity with previously reported GB virus-C or HGV strains was low (> 87.0%). Phylogenetic analyses showed that the HGV strains from Japanese patients clustered in groups distantly separated from previously reported strains. Among the Japanese HGV isolates, the genetic distances corresponded to subtype differences observed within hepatitis C virus (HCV) isolates, whereas the differences between the Japanese isolates and the prototypes corresponded to genetic distances observed between HCV genotypes. The Japanese HGV isolates found in this study should be placed in a new genotype distinct from previously described isolates.
authors.affiliation: Basic Research Division, BioMedical Laboratories, Inc., Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukushi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kurihara
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishiyama
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.forename: F B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Hoshino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oya
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Katayama
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D005838:Genotype; D006518:Hepatitis Viruses / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012367:RNA, Viral