title: Complexity and diversity of hepatitis C virus RNA in african americans and whites: analysis of the envelope-coding domain.
abstract: African Americans infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) are less responsive than whites to interferon-based therapy. HCV quasi species have been implicated. Quasi-species complexity and diversity were evaluated in matched African American and white individuals. Complexity and diversity in the first hypervariable region were similar in the 2 groups. Both the frequency of nonsynonymous amino acid substitutions and the mean ratio of nonsynonymous mutations to synonymous mutations were greater in clones derived from white patients. Racial differences in amino acid usage at otherwise conserved positions were observed. Differences in amino acid representation at key positions are suggestive of immunologic and functional selection along racial lines.
authors.affiliation: Division of Digestive Diseases, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0595, USA.
authors.forename: Erica D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Keenan
authors.forename: Susan D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Rouster
authors.forename: Norah J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Shire
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Horn
authors.forename: Kenneth E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Sherman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D044383:Black People; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins