Sequence characterization of the 5' noncoding region of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus.
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.
Ding
M
M
Laboratory of Hepatitis, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. Ding@a1.cber.fda.gov
Yuwen
H
H
Mitchell
F
F
Biswas
R
R
Ndimbie
O K
OK
Farshid
M
M
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
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012367:RNA, Viral