title: [Characterization of capsid protein VP3-VP1 genes of hepatitis A virus prevalent strains circulated in China].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse the genetic characteristics of the capsid protein VP3-VP1 region of hepatitis A virus strains circulated in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  The nucleotide sequences of VP3-VP1-2A region of 42 HAV IgM positive serum samples were sequenced and analysed for nucleotide and amino acid identities and genetic characteristics of the VP3-VP1 region.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The nucleotide and amino acid identities in the VP1-2A junction region among the 42 strains were 89.1% - 100% and 97.3% - 100%; while in the complete VP3-VP1 region, the identities were 87.6%-100% and 98.8%-100%. Strains with identical nucleotide sequences in the VP1-2A junction region had 98.4%-100% nucleotide identity in the complete VP3-VP1 region and 0-2 amino acid differences in this region. There were no amino acid changes at neutralizing antigenetic sites of VP3-VP1 region within the 42 HAV strains.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All the 42 HAV strains belonged to genotype I, with 40 strains clustering to sub-genotype IA and 2 to sub-genotype IB. Different HAV strains analysed in this paper differed in the nucleotide sequences of the VP3-VP1 region, but the amino acid sequences were highly conserved with no changes at neutralizing antigenetic sites. Both the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the strains with the same VP1-2A junction region were identical or closely related when compared in the complete VP3-VP1 region.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC, Beijing 102206, China.
authors.forename: Hui-hui
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Jing-yuan
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Sheng-li
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Bi
mesh_terms: D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D006506:Hepatitis A / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D030041:Hepatitis A virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins