Sequence variability of human cytomegalovirus UL144 open reading frame in low-passage clinical isolates.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the relationship between human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) UL144 sequence variability and clinical disease.


METHODS
HCMV UL144 open reading frame (ORF) was amplified by PCR assay in 72 low-passage isolates [65 congenitally infective children and 7 healthy children who were HCMV-DNA positive by quantitative PCR (qPCR)]. All positive PCR products were analyzed by heteroduplex mobility assay and single-stranded conformation polymorphism (HMA-SSCP) and 32 of them were sequenced.


RESULTS
Fifty-five patient isolates and five healthy children isolates were HCMV-UL144 positive by PCR. Sequencing and HMA-SSCP analysis showed that significant strain-specific variability was present in the UL144 ORF. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the nucleotide sequences could be separated into 3 major genotypes. Comparing between UL144 sequences and the corresponding symptoms showed that genotype 2 did not exist in megacolon isolates. And genotype 1 and 3 were the major types among microcephaly and jaundice isolates respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
HCMV-UL144 existed in most of low passage isolates and sequences were hypervariable. The UL144 ORF and its predicted product with the high level of sequence variability in different kinds of isolates suggest that UL144 ORF might play a role in HCMV infectivity and subsequent diseases.
He
Rong
R
Virus Laboratory, Second Clinical Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang 110004. keren_rong@yahoo.com.cn
Ruan
Qiang
Q
Xia
Chang
C
Liu
Lan-qing
LQ
Lü
Sheng-min
SM
Lu
Ying
Y
Qi
Ying
Y
Ma
Yan-ping
YP
Liu
Qing
Q
Ji
Yao-hua
YH
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007565:Jaundice / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D008531:Megacolon / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D008831:Microcephaly / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D004279:DNA, Viral