title: Identification of a novel sequence at the 3' end of the GB virus B genome.
abstract: GB virus B (GBV-B) is a virus of the family Flaviviridae that infects small primates (Saguinus sp. [tamarins]) and shows similarities to hepatitis C virus (HCV) in genome organization, protein function, tissue tropism, and pathogenicity. This suggests the possibility of using tamarins infected by GBV-B or GBV-B/HCV chimeric viruses as a surrogate animal model of HCV infection. To achieve the construction of such chimeric viruses, it is essential to produce a complete and infectious GBV-B genomic RNA. We have identified a novel sequence at the 3' end of the GBV-B genome and show that it can be arranged in a secondary structure resembling that of the 3' end of the HCV genome, which is known to be essential for infectivity.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare P. Angeletti, 00040 Pomezia, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sbardellati
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scarselli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tomei
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kekulé
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Traboni
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D016679:Genome, Viral; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D012452:Saguinus
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral