Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) UL139 open reading frame: Sequence variants are clustered into three major genotypes.
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infects a number of organs and cell types, leading to the hypothesis that HCMV disease and tissue tropism may be related to specific sequence variability. This study examined the genomic variability of a new polymorphic locus in HCMV, UL139 open reading frame (ORF). Detailed analysis showed that a large number of nucleotide insertions and non-synonymous substitutions occurred in the UL139 ORF, particularly in the 5' half, using the Toledo strain as the reference sequence. The UL139 variants were not distributed randomly, but were clustered clearly into three major groups: G1 (G1a, G1b, and G1c), G2 (G2a, G2b), and G3. In this study, it was found that the predicted UL139 product shared sequence homology with human CD24, a signal transducer modulating B-cell activation responses, and the sequences in G1c contained a specific attachment site of prokaryotic membrane lipoprotein lipid. The precise definition of UL139 genotypes and its putative function would be helpful in understanding better HCMV.
Virus Laboratory, 2nd Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
Ying
Y
Qi
Zhi-Qin
ZQ
Mao
Qiang
Q
Ruan
Rong
R
He
Yan-Ping
YP
Ma
Zheng-Rong
ZR
Sun
Yao-Hua
YH
Ji
Yujing
Y
Huang
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000151:congenital / Q000821:virology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics
D014764:Viral Proteins