title: Sequence variation of EBNA2 of Epstein-Barr virus isolates from Korea.
abstract: To reveal sequence variations in the Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA2) genes of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) strains circulating in the Korean population, the EBNA2 divergent region was amplified and sequenced from 13 EBV-1 isolates, 2 EBNA2 type 1 intertypic EBV isolates, and two EBV-2 isolates, all derived from Korean cancer patients. Comparative sequence analysis revealed that type 1 and type 2 EBNA2 divergent regions of Korean EBV isolates were almost identical to the respective regions of the B95-8 EBV-1 and AG876 EBV-2 strains. Two of the nucleotide changes found in the type 1 divergent regions of all Korean isolates, G-to-T and C-to-A at B95-8 EBV positions 48,991 and 48,998, respectively, are also present in all EBV-1 strains of non-Asian origins, indicating that these two sites might be mutational hot sites. Besides these two mutations, EBV-1 strains from Papua New Guinea or European Caucasians and Africa show unique patterns of identical sequence variations from B95-8, which were not found in type 1 isolates from Korea, suggesting that Korean type 1 are evolving as a lineage distinct from isolates from Papua New Guinea or European Caucasian and Africa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Science, Myong Ji University, Yongin, Korea.
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D005060:Europe; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005814:Genes, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D010219:Papua New Guinea; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins