title: Rare subtypes of BK virus are viable and frequently detected in renal transplant recipients with BK virus-associated nephropathy.
abstract: BK virus-associated nephropathy (BKVN) occurs in up to 5% of kidney transplants and is a significant cause of graft loss. Four major subtypes of BKV have been described, with the vast majority of individuals persistently infected with BKV Type I (>80% of the population). Sequencing of BKV isolates subcloned from BKVN patients revealed a high percentage of variants in the urine (40%) in the VP1 subtyping region. In vitro analysis of several viral variants revealed that all variants recovered from the urine of BKVN patients produced infectious viral particles and were replication competent in cell culture while some of the variants induced cytopathic changes in infected cells when compared to the major BKV subtype, VP1 Type I. These results suggest that rare BKV VP1 variants are more frequently associated with disease and that some variants could be more cytopathic than others in renal transplant recipients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Center for Neurovirology, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tremolada
authors.forename: Selma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akan
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Otte
authors.forename: Kamel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Khalili
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferrante
authors.forename: Prabir Roy
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Chaudhury
authors.forename: E Steve
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Woodle
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Trofe-Clark
authors.forename: Martyn K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gordon
mesh_terms: D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D000818:Animals; D001739:BK Virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019556:COS Cells; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D027601:Polyomavirus Infections / Q000821:virology*; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000821:virology*; D014556:Urine / Q000821:virology; D014709:Vero Cells; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins