Cloning the human betaretrovirus proviral genome from patients with primary biliary cirrhosis†

• DOI: 10.1002/hep.20024
• Publication Date: 2004-01-07T09:00:27Z
• Authors: Lizhe Xu; Michael Sakalian; Zhiwei Shen; George Loss; James Neuberger; Andrew Mason
• Keywords: Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

Patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) have both serologic and tissue evidence of infection. A recently identified human betaretrovirus was originally cloned from the epithelium cDNA library a patient PBC. By conducting BLASTN search, initial partial pol gene fragment found to 95% 97% nucleotide homology mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) retrovirus sequences derived breast cancer samples. Using an anti-p27 CA MMTV antibody, viral proteins were detected in perihepatic lymph nodes but not liver samples patients PBC, suggesting higher burden lymphoid tissue. Therefore, current study, we used node DNA clone proviral genome two PBC using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) walking methodology conserved primers complementary MMTV. The contains five potential open reading frames (ORF) for Gag, protease (Pro), (Pol), envelope (Env), superantigen (Sag) that are collinear their counterparts Alignment studies performed characterized amino acid revealed 93% 99% identity p27 capsid proteins, 76% 85% more variable proteins. Phylogenetic analysis known showed murine did cluster as distinct species. In conclusion, nucleic been They share marked cancer-derived sequences. (Hepatology 2004;39:151-156.)