J Bacteriol Virol.  2011 Dec;41(4):287-293. 10.4167/jbv.2011.41.4.287.

Genetic Characterization of Norovirus GII.3 Circulating in Korea

• Kim J
• Park K

• KMID: 2168656
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4167/jbv.2011.41.4.287

Abstract

Noroviruses (NoV) are the major viral pathogen that causes epidemic acute gastroenteritis and outbreaks of food-borne illness. The major genotypes responsible for the epidemics of NoV are GII.4 and GII.3. However, most studies of NoV have been associated with GII.4 genotype and only few studies have been done with GII.3 genotype. Here, we selected 18 GII.3 strains, which recently circulated in Korea, and determined the partial sequences of the capsid gene. Phylogenetic analysis comparing these sequences with 29 reference strains from the GenBank database was performed using the MEGA program. All NoV GII.3 strains formed 2 distinct genetic lineages and variant groups. Lineage A showed 94.1~97.6%, 90.2~94.6% nucleotide identities from lineage B and variant group, respectively. Lineage B showed 90.2~94.6% nucleotide identities from variant group. These different genetic lineages based on the phylogenetic analysis of capsid sequences imply that the circulating Korean NoV GII.3 strains have potential antigenic variation.

Keyword

Gastroenteritis; Norovirus GII.3; Phylogenetic analysis; Sequence comparison

MeSH Terms

Antigenic Variation
Capsid
Databases, Nucleic Acid
Disease Outbreaks
Gastroenteritis
Genotype
Korea
Norovirus

Figure

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  Figure 1. Gel electrophoresis of PCR products of capsid region of 18 norovirus GII.3 isolates from patients with gastroenteritis; Lane M, 100 bp DNA ladder; Lane 1∼18, 18 norovirus GII.3 isolates; Lane 19, negative control; Lane 20, positive control.

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  Figure 2. Phylogenetic analysis based on a 205 bp sequence of the capsid region of Korean norovirus GII.3 strains and reference strains. Nucleotide sequences were analyzed using the neighbor-joining method.

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  Figure 3. Phylogenetic analysis of the capsid region of norovirus GII.3 lineages and Korea GII.4.

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  Figure 4. Comparison of norovirus GII.3 amino acid sequences and Korea GII.4 consensus sequence in the capsid region. The box is conserved mutation site.

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