title: Genomic mutations of viral protein 1 and BK virus nephropathy in kidney transplant recipients.
abstract: Genomic variability in the viral protein 1 region of BK polyomavirus (BKV) may change the ability of the virus to replicate. The significance of such changes was studied in clinical samples taken from kidney transplant patients with and without BKV nephropathy. A 94 base-pair fragment of viral protein 1 was amplified from 68 urine, 28 blood, and 12 renal biopsy samples from eight patients with BKV nephropathy, and from 100 urine samples, 17 blood and three renal biopsy samples from 41 of 218 controls. The DNA was sequenced and the amino acid changes were predicted by the Expert Protein Analysis System program (ExPASy, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Geneva, Switzerland). Single base-pair mutations were detected more frequently in the samples from the BKV nephropathy patients than in the controls, and this was the only statistically significant finding of the study (P < 0.05), thus suggesting a greater genetic instability in BKV nephropathy associated strains. The amino acid changes were distributed at random in both BKV nephropathy patients and controls. However, one aspartic acid-to-asparagine substitution at residue 75 was detected in all samples of the one patient with BKV-associated nephropathy, who developed disease progression confirmed by histology, and not in any of the other patient or control samples. Whether this specific amino acid change plays a role in disease deserves further study.
authors: Department of Medical Sciences, University Amedeo Avogadro of East Piedmont, Novara, Italy. renzo.boldorini@med.unipmn.it
authors: Renzo
authors: R
authors: Boldorini
authors: Sara
authors: S
authors: Allegrini
authors: Umberto
authors: U
authors: Miglio
authors: Alessia
authors: A
authors: Paganotti
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Veggiani
authors: Monica
authors: M
authors: Mischitelli
authors: Guido
authors: G
authors: Monga
authors: Valeria
authors: V
authors: Pietropaolo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution / Q000235:genetics; D001739:BK Virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D027601:Polyomavirus Infections / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013557:Switzerland; D014180:Transplantation; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000821:virology*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins