Wada Yuji, Ishioka Ken, Suzutani Tatsuo
Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Japan.
Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Japan.
Virus Res. 2025 Mar;353:199540. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199540. Epub 2025 Feb 4.
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a member of the Herpesviridae family, is prevalent worldwide. HCMV is generally asymptomatic but causes severe disease in immunocompromised patients or infants who are congenitally infected. Recent advances in sequencing technology have led to the rapid expansion of the HCMV genetic database, providing a comprehensive resource for studying viral genetics. Although genetic investigations have been vigorously performed in European countries, information on the whole-genome sequence of HCMV in the East Asian region remains limited. In this study, we determined whole-genome sequences of two clinical isolates of HCMV circulating in Japan. Partial genome sequences of 26 genes in UL/b' region were also identified using additional seven clinical isolates. Phylogenetic analysis of the UL148 gene revealed a characteristic genetic clade predominantly constructed from HCMV isolates from Japan and China, suggesting a geographic gene structure in the East Asian region. We consider that this research will contribute to expanding the genetic database of HCMV and unveiling novel genetic characteristics of HCMV in Asia.
人巨细胞病毒（HCMV）是疱疹病毒科的成员之一，在全球范围内广泛流行。HCMV通常无症状，但会在免疫功能低下的患者或先天性感染的婴儿中引发严重疾病。测序技术的最新进展导致HCMV基因数据库迅速扩展，为研究病毒遗传学提供了全面的资源。尽管欧洲国家已经大力开展了基因研究，但东亚地区HCMV全基因组序列的信息仍然有限。在本研究中，我们测定了在日本流行的两株HCMV临床分离株的全基因组序列。还使用另外七株临床分离株鉴定了UL/b'区域中26个基因的部分基因组序列。对UL148基因的系统发育分析揭示了一个特征性的遗传分支，主要由来自日本和中国的HCMV分离株构成，这表明东亚地区存在地理基因结构。我们认为这项研究将有助于扩大HCMV的基因数据库，并揭示亚洲地区HCMV的新遗传特征。
