title: Sequence characterization of the 5' noncoding region of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus.
abstract: The nucleotide sequences of the 5' noncoding region of the GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV) were determined in 18 isolates from the United States. Two genotypes have been classified based on the sequence heterogeneity within the 5' noncoding region of GBV-C/HGV. The most distantly related isolates between the two genotypes were 84.6% identical. Sequence identity of the isolates within a genotype was 95-99%. The 5' noncoding region of this virus contains four highly conserved domains. These conserved elements would facilitate the selection of optimal primers for the sensitive detection of GBV-C/HGV RNA by PCR. In addition, they suggest a crucial role for this region in viral replication and/or gene expression. Detection of genotypic variation among GBV-C/HGV infected individuals may provide further insight into the possible pathogenicity and into the transmission of the virus.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Hepatitis, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. Ding@a1.cber.fda.gov
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yuwen
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Biswas
authors.forename: O K
authors.initials: OK
authors.lastname: Ndimbie
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farshid
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012367:RNA, Viral