Volume: 43 Issue: 1
Year: 2023, Page: 477-481, Doi: https://doi.org/10.51248/.v43i01.2023
Introduction and Aim: Beta-thalassemia patients develop chronic infections due to the hepatitis G virus (HGV), due to frequent blood transfusions. This study aimed to isolate these viruses from β-thalassemia Iraqi patients and investigate into the 5’UTR genomic region of the virus to investigate the prevalent genotypes in this region.
Materials and Methods: The study included 154 beta-thalassemia patients. Blood samples were collected from each individual participating in this study. Genomic RNA was isolated and subjected to cDNA synthesis. The 5′ untranslated region (5′ UTR) of the DNA was amplified by polymerase chain reaction using specific HGV primers and sent for sequencing. The sequences were genotyped using bioinformatics tools.
Results: The results showed hepatitis G virus infection to be prevalent in 18.2% of the beta-thalassemia patients. Sequencing and alignment of the HGV 5’UTR sequences showed several nucleotide variations. A phylogenetic analysis revealed the following HGV genotypes to infect beta-thalassemia patients genotype 4(58.3%), genotype 2b (33.3%) and genotype 1b (8.3%).
Conclusion: Genotyping of the 5’UTR region of the HGV gene showed the genotypes 1b, 2b and 4 to be prevalent among beta-thalassemia patients in Iraq.
Keywords: Beta-thalassemia; polymorphism; Hepatitis G virus; 5’UTR; genotypes
1. Weatherall, D.J., Clegg, J.B. Inherited hemoglobin disorders: an increasing global health problem, Bull. World Health Organ. 2001; 79: 704-712.
2. Weatherall, D.J., Clegg, J.B. The thalassemia syndromes. John Wiley & Sons. 2008.
3. Weatherall, D. The thalassemias: the role of molecular genetics in an evolving global health problem. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 2004; 74(3):385-392.
4. Azarkeivan, A., Ahmadi, M.H., Hajibeigi, B., Gharebaghian, A., ShabehPour, Z., Maghsoodlu, M. Evaluation of transfusion
reactions in thalassemic patients referred to the Tehran adult Thalassemia clinic. J Zanjan Fac Med. 2008; 1:35-41.
5. Ramia, S., Koussa, S., Taher, A., Haraki, S., Klayme, S., Sarkis, D., et al., Hepatitis-C-virus genotypes and hepatitis-G-virus infection in Lebanese thalassaemics. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology.2002: 96(2): 197-202.
6. Reshetnyak, V.I., Karlovich, T.I., Ilchenko, L. U. Hepatitis G virus. World J Gastroenterol. 2008; 14(30):4725-4734.
7. Kim, J.P, Fry, K.E. Molecular characterization of the hepatitis G virus. J Viral Hepat. 1997; 4:77-79.
8. Casteling. A., Song, E., Sim, J., Blaauw, D., Heyns, A., Schweizer, R., et al., GB virus C prevalence in blood donors and high-risk groups for parenterally transmitted agents from Gauteng, South Africa. J Med Virol 1998; 55:103-108.
9. Viazov, S., Riffelmann, M., Khoudyakov, Y., Fields, H., Varenholz, C., Roggendorf, M. Genetic heterogeneity of hepatitis G virus isolates from different parts of the world. J Gen Virol. 1997; 78(Pt 3): 577-581.
10. George, S.L., Xiang, J., Stapleton, J.T. Clinical isolates of GB virus type C vary in their ability to persist and replicate in peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures Virology, 2003; 316(2): 191-201.
11. Okamoto, H., Nakao, H., Inoue, T., Fukuda, M., Kishimoto, J., Iizuka, H., et al., The entire nucleotide sequences of two GB virus C/hepatitis G virus isolates of distinct genotypes from Japan. J Gen Virol 1997; 78(Pt 4):737-745.
12. Mukaide, M., Mizokami, M., Orito, E., Ohba, K. I., Nakano, T., Ueda, R., et al., Three different GB virus C/hepatitis G virus genotypes. Phylogenetic analysis and a genotyping assay based on restriction fragment length polymorphism. FEBS Lett 1997; 407:51-58.
13. Mison, L., Hyland, C., Poidinger, M., Borthwick, I., Faoagali, J., Aeno, U., et al., Hepatitis G virus genotypes in Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands: a possible new Pacific type identified. J. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2000; 15(8): 952-956.
14. Naito, H., Win, K.M., Ab,e K. Identification of a novel genotype of hepatitis G virus in Southeast Asia. J Clin Microbiol 1999; 37:1217-1220.
15. Tucker, T.J., Smuts, H., Eickhaus, P., Robson, S.C., Kirsch, R.E., Molecular characterization of the 5’ non-coding region of South African GBV-C/HGV isolates: major deletion and evidence for a fourth genotype. J Med Virol 1999; 59:52-59.
16. Muerhoff, A.S., Dawson, G.J., Desai, S.M. A previously unrecognized sixth genotype of GB virus C revealed by analysis of 5’-untranslated region sequences. J Med Virol 2006; 78:105-111.
17. Caudai, C., Padula, M.G., Bettini, V., Valensin, P.E. Detection of HCV and GBV-C/HGV infection by multiplex PCR in plasma samples of transfused subjects. J Virol Methods. 1998; 70(1):79-83.
18. Abbas, M.S., Ahmed, A.G., Ali, S.Q., AL-Rubaii, B.A.L. Immunological inflammatory factors in patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Biomedicine, 2023; 43(Suppl.1):230-235.
19. Abdulrazaq, R.A., Mahmood, W. S., Alwan, B., Saleh, T. H., Hashim, S.T., Al-Rubaii, B.A.L. Biological study of protease produced by clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus. Res J Pharm Technol., 2022; 15(12):5415-5420.
20. Corpet, F. Multiple sequence alignment with hierarchical clustering. Nucleic Acids Res, 1988; 16: 10881-10890.
21. Kumar, S., Stecher, G., Li, M., Knyaz, C.,Tamura, K. MEGA X: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis across computing platforms. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2018; 35:1547-1549.
22. Naito, H., Win, K.M., Abe, K. Identification of a novel genotype of Hepatitis G Virus in Southeast Asia. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 1999; 37(4): 1217-1220.
23. El-Latif, M.A., Filon, D., Rund, D., Oppenheim, A., Kanaan, M. The beta+-IVS-I-6 (T→C) mutation accounts for half of the thalassemia chromosomes in the populations of the mountain regions, Hemoglobin .2002; 26(1): 33-40.
24. Darwish, H.M., El-Khatib, F.F., Ayesh, S. Spectrum of β-Globin gene mutations among thalassemia patients in the West Bank region of Palestine. Hemoglobin.2005; 29(2):119-132.
25. Thein, S.L. Is it dominantly inherited beta thalassemia or just a beta-chain variant that is highly unstable? Br J Haematol. 1999; 107 (1):12-21.
26. Sollaino, M.C., Paglietti, M.E., Perseu, L., Giagu, N., Loi, D., Galanello, R. Association of alpha globin gene quadruplication and heterozygous beta thalassemia in patients with thalassemia intermedia. Haematologica. 2009; 94(10):1445-1448.
27. Thein, S.L., Hesketh, C., Taylor, P., Temperley, I. J., Hutchinson, R. M., Old, J.M. et al., Molecular basis for dominantly inherited inclusion body beta-thalassemia. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 1990; 87(10):3924-3928
Maryam S. Ibrahim, Ghassan A. Fatal, Marrib N. Rasheed. Polymorphism within the 5’UTR genomic region of hepatitis G virus (HGV) isolated from beta-thalassemia population in Iraq. Biomedicine: 2023; 43(1): 477-481