title: Conservation in China of a novel group of HCV variants dating to six centuries ago.
abstract: We characterized a novel group of HCV variants that are genetically related but distinct from each other belonging to genotype 6 (HCV-6). From 26 infected Austronesian-descended aborigines on Hainan Island, China, HCV sequences were determined followed by genetic analyses. Six nearly full-length genomes and 20 E1 sequences of HCV were obtained, which differ from each other and from all known HCV lineages by nucleotides above the intra-subtype level of 13%. Together with subtypes 6g and 6w, they constitute a phylogenetic group sharing a common ancestor dating from the end of the 12th century.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate the maintenance of an isolated HCV-6 indigenous circulation on Hainan Island at least for six centuries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Liver Transplantation, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510630, China.
authors.forename: Yuling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: An
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, China; Department of Infectious Disease, Hainan General Hospital, Haikou, Hainan 570311, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510095, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Liver Transplantation, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510630, China; Center for Viral Oncology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA. Electronic address: llu@kumc.edu.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Center for Viral Oncology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
authors.forename: Chunhua
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510515, China.
authors.forename: Yuanpin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510095, China.
authors.forename: Yongshui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Department of Liver Transplantation, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510630, China.
authors.forename: Guihua
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016679:Genome, Viral; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny
keywords: Austronesian aborigines; China; Evolution; HCV genotype 6; Hainan Island