Sequence and genomic organization of GBV-C: A novel member of the flaviviridae associated with human non-A-E hepatitis

TLDR

Sequences of a novel virus, GBV‑C, were found in serum from patients with cryptogenic hepatitis. The study extended the GBV‑C nucleotide sequence to near‑genome length and identified a single large polyprotein with structural proteins at the N‑terminus and nonstructural proteins at the C‑terminus. Amino‑acid analysis revealed protease, helicase, and replicase motifs, and phylogenetic comparison placed GBV‑C within the Flaviviridae, most closely related to GBV‑A.

Abstract

Recently, sequences from a novel virus, termed GB virus C (GBV-C), were identified in serum from several patients with cryptogenic hepatitis. In the present study, the nucleotide sequence of this virus has been extended to near-genome length. GBV-C encodes a putative single large polyprotein in which the structural proteins are positioned at the N-terminal end, with the nonstructural proteins located at the C-terminal end. Amino acid sequence analysis of this large polyprotein reveals the presence of protease, helicase, and replicase motifs. Sequence alignments of the polyprotein followed by phylogenetic analyses suggest that GBV-C is a member of the Flaviviridae, most closely related to the recently described GB virus A. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.