Comparative Nucleotide and Amino Acid Sequences of the Envelope Protein of Five Hepatitis C Viral cDNA Clones Isolated from HCV Infected Patients in Nagasaki Prefecture

Abstract: cDNA fragments covering the whole envelope (E) protein region of hepatitis C virus (HCV) have been molecularly cloned by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techni-que from the serum of five HCV infected patients in Nagasaki Prefecture. Their nucleotide and encoded amino acid sequences were determined and compared with other HCV cDNA clones isolated in Japan and the United States. The result showed that HCV cDNA isolates compared in this study were roughly divided into two subgroups; Japanese subgroup and USA subgroup. All HCV cDNA isolates in Nagasaki Prefecture were included in the former subgroup. Amino acid homology analysis showed that conformation of the E protein was relatively conserved among all compared HCV cDNA isolates, indicating that the E protein may be under structural or functional constraint