MOLECULAR AND COMPUTER ANALYSIS OF THE HEPATITIS B VIRUS GENOME

本项目的目的是通过计算机研究HBV基因组 和分子杂交分析。 我们的数据表明，HBV 和逆转录病毒是从一个共同的祖先进化而来的。 这是一 这是一个重要的发现，因为它证明了两个 不同的病毒家族 我们发现：（1）HBV和 逆转录病毒利用独特的基因组复制机制， RNA的逆转录;（2）HBV的高度保守区域 蛋白质与逆转录病毒核衣壳具有相当大的同源性， 蛋白酶和聚合酶蛋白;（3）HBV聚合酶共享 组织相似性与聚合酶基因序列的 逆转录病毒和逆转录病毒样遗传元件;（4）遗传 分析和低严格性印迹杂交表明，HBV DNA序列与MLV DNA序列关系最密切;（5） HBV具有两个以前未发现的开放阅读框架， 可能代表真正的基因序列 有趣的是， 新的开放阅读框位于 双链病毒基因组。 这似乎也是一个独特的 逆转录病毒编码蛋白质的特征 转录激活，因为我们发现了一个正链DNA ORF， 人类免疫缺陷病毒基因组，以及 人类和动物的相关逆转录病毒。 总的来说，HBV和 HIV病毒具有共同的基因组复制机制， 具有同源的核苷酸和氨基酸，并具有 有着相似的基因结构 因此， 这些病毒家族是从一个共同的祖先病毒进化而来的。

The purpose of this project is to study the HBV genome by computer and molecular hybridization analysis. Our data suggest that HBV and retroviruses evolved from a common ancestor. This is a significant finding because it demonstrates the relatedness of two diverse virus families. We find that: (1) both HBV and retroviruses utilize a unique mechanism of genome replication by reverse transcription of RNA; (2) highly conserved regions of HBV proteins share considerable homology with retrovirus nucleocapsid, protease, and polymerase proteins; (3) the HBV polymerase shares organizational similarities with the polymerase gene sequence of retroviruses and retrovirus-like genetic elements; (4) genetic analysis and low stringency blot hybridization indicates that HBV DNA sequences are most closely related to MLV DNA sequences; (5) HBV possesses two previously undiscovered open reading frames which may represent genuine gene sequences. Interestingly, one of the new open reading frames is located on the DNA plus strand of the double-stranded virus genome. This also appears to be a unique feature of retroviruses that encode proteins involved in transcription activation because we find a plus strand DNA ORF in the human immunodeficiency virus genome, and in the genomes of related retroviruses of humans and animals. Overall, HBV and retorviruses share a common mechanism of genome replication, possess homologous nucleotide and amino acid, and have genomes that share a similar organization of genes. Therefore, it is probable that these virus families evolved from a common ancestral virus.