title: Evidence of VP7 and VP4 intra-lineage diversification in G4P[8] Italian human rotaviruses.
abstract: Intragenotypic heterogeneity of co-circulating rotaviruses is remarkable. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses of the rotavirus VP7 and VP4 genes were performed on selected human G4P[8] strains identified in Parma, Northern Italy, during 2004-2005 and 2008-2012. All the strains clustered into lineages Ic (VP7) and P[8]-III (VP4) in different subclusters with a nucleotide sequence variation up to 4 %. VP7 and VP4 amino acid sequences of the Italian rotaviruses showed multiple changes with the corresponding reference strains as well as with vaccine viruses in the neutralizing epitopes. There is concern that the progressive intra-lineage diversification in the VP7 and VP4 through the accumulation of point mutations and amino acid differences between vaccine strains and currently circulating rotaviruses could generate, over the years, vaccine-resistant variants.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Microbiology and Virology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Parma, Viale Antonio Gramsci, 14, 43126, Parma, Italy, mariacristina.medici@unipr.it.
authors.forename: Maria Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Medici
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tummolo
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.forename: Maria Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Arcangeletti
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chezzi
authors.forename: Flora
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Conto
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calderaro
mesh_terms: D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; C060339:VP4 protein, Rotavirus; C050779:VP7 protein, Rotavirus