Molecular analysis of human herpesvirus 8 by using single nucleotide polymorphisms in open reading frame 26.
Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) can be classified into distinct subtypes on the basis of sequence polymorphisms in several open reading frames (ORFs). We analyzed the subtypes of HHV-8 in 59 human immunodeficiency virus-infected Japanese patients by using polymorphisms in ORF26 and found that over two-thirds of the HHV-8 isolates fell into major subtype A. We also found that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at nucleotide positions 1032 (C-to-A substitution) and 1055 (G-to-T substitution) in HHV-8 ORF26 were correlated with increased susceptibility to Kaposi's sarcoma, compared to the results obtained with HHV-8 with wild-type nucleotides at these positions (P = 0.0106). This observation suggests that molecular heterogeneity of the HHV-8 genome affects the biological properties of HHV-8, resulting in different clinical phenotypes of HHV-8 infection. Since sensitive PCR of ORF26 allowed us to analyze the SNPs by using peripheral blood from HHV-8-infected patients, the ORF26 SNPs will be a potent tool for investigating the pathogenesis of HHV-8 infection.
Endo
Tokiomi
T
Division of Infectious Diseases, Advanced Clinical Research Center, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Miura
Toshiyuki
T
Koibuchi
Tomohiko
T
Nakamura
Hitomi
H
Takahashi
Takashi
T
Odawara
Takashi
T
Goto
Mieko
M
Ajisawa
Atsushi
A
Iwamoto
Aikichi
A
Nakamura
Tetsuya
T
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D004279:DNA, Viral