Lack of anti-GOR antibody among subjects with GB virus C/hepatitis G virus RNA

• Published in: Journal of medical virology Vol. 55; no. 2; pp. 129 - 133
• Main Authors: Nakano, Tatsunori, Mizokami, Masashi, Cao, Kun, Noguchi, Seiji, Sata, Michio, Park, Young-Min, Kim, Boo-Sung, Oyunsuren, Tsendsuren, Pereira, Leila Beltrao, Ruzibakiev, Ruslan, Gurtsevitch, Vladimir, Hayami, Masanori
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.06.1998
• Subjects: Adult; Amino Acid Sequence; anti-GOR; Autoantibodies - blood; Autoantibodies - chemistry; Autoantibodies - immunology; Epitopes - immunology; Female; Flaviviridae - genetics; GB virus C/hepatitis G virus; GOR epitope; Hepatitis C - complications; Hepatitis C - immunology; Hepatitis C - virology; Hepatitis C Antibodies - blood; Hepatitis C Antibodies - immunology; Hepatitis C Antigens - chemistry; Hepatitis C Antigens - immunology; hepatitis C virus; Hepatitis, Viral, Human - epidemiology; Hepatitis, Viral, Human - immunology; Hepatitis, Viral, Human - virology; Humans; Incidence; Liver Diseases - epidemiology; Liver Diseases - immunology; Liver Diseases - virology; liver/kidney microsome-1 epitope; Male; Molecular Sequence Data; Proteins - chemistry; Proteins - immunology; RNA, Viral - analysis; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
• ISSN: 0146-6615; 1096-9071
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1096-9071(199806)55:2<129::AID-JMV8>3.0.CO;2-4

Homologies were sought between the putative amino acid sequences of GB virus C/hepatitis G virus (GBV‐C/HGV) and the GOR epitope or the liver/kidney microsome‐1 (LKM‐1) epitope, which share partial sequence identity with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) polyprotein. Anti‐GOR antibody (anti‐GOR) was assayed among 100 subjects with GBV‐C/HGV RNA. Twenty‐one and 25 subjects were coinfected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or HCV, respectively. Homologies were found between the NS5 or E2 polyproteins of GBV‐C/HGV and the GOR epitope or the LKM‐1 epitope, respectively. These segments of GBV‐C/HGV polyproteins sharing identity with the GOR or the LKM‐1 epitope were well conserved among three genotypes of GBV‐C/HGV. However, only 1 of 55 subjects (1.8%) with GBV‐C/HGV RNA, but not with HBV or HCV, was positive for anti‐GOR. The positivity for anti‐GOR among the group with GBV‐C/HGV RNA alone was significantly lower than that among the groups with HCV RNA (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively). Only 2 of 55 subjects (3.6%) with GBV‐C/HGV RNA alone exhibited elevation of alanine aminotransferase. The incidence of liver dysfunction among the group with GBV‐C/HGV RNA alone was significantly lower than the incidence among the groups with GBV‐C/HGV RNA and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or HCV RNA (P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively). These data indicate that 1) there is no association between GBV‐C/HGV infection and the presence of anti‐GOR, and 2) GBV‐C/HGV infection is not related to chronic liver dysfunction. J. Med. Virol. 55:129–133, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.