Whole Genome Sequences of the Wildtype AU-1 Rotavirus A Strain: The Prototype of the AU-1-like Genotype Constellation
Chantal Ama Agbemabiese,
Francis Ekow Dennis,
Belinda Larteley Lartey,
Susan Afua Damanka,
Toyoko Nakagomi,
Osamu Nakagomi,
George Enyimah Armah
Affiliations
Chantal Ama Agbemabiese
Department of Electron Microscopy and Histopathology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon P.O. Box LG581, Ghana
Francis Ekow Dennis
Department of Electron Microscopy and Histopathology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon P.O. Box LG581, Ghana
Belinda Larteley Lartey
Department of Electron Microscopy and Histopathology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon P.O. Box LG581, Ghana
Susan Afua Damanka
Department of Electron Microscopy and Histopathology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon P.O. Box LG581, Ghana
Toyoko Nakagomi
Department of Hygiene and Molecular Epidemiology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
Osamu Nakagomi
Department of Hygiene and Molecular Epidemiology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan
George Enyimah Armah
Department of Electron Microscopy and Histopathology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon P.O. Box LG581, Ghana
Most human rotaviruses belong to the Wa-like, DS-1-like, or AU-1-like genotype constellation. The AU-1-like constellation, albeit minor, captured attention because its prototype strain AU-1 originated from feline rotavirus, leading to the concept of interspecies transmission of rotavirus. The AU-1 genome sequence determined by various laboratories over the years has documented two conflicting VP7 sequences in the GenBank. As culture-adaptation may introduce changes in the viral genome, the original fecal (wild-type) and the seed stock of culture-adapted AU-1 genomes were sequenced using the Illumina’s MiSeq platform to determine the authentic AU-1 sequence and to identify what mutational changes were selected during cell-culture adaptation. The wild-type and culture-adapted AU-1 genomes were identical except for one VP4-P475L substitution. Their VP7 gene was 99.9% identical to the previously reported AU-1 VP7 under accession number AB792641 but only 92.5% to that under accession number D86271. Thus, the wild-type sequences determined in this study (accession numbers OR727616-OR727626) should be used as the reference. The VP4-P475L mutation was more likely incidental than inevitable during cell-culture adaptation. This was the first study in which the whole genomes of both wild-type and cultured RVA strains were simultaneously determined by deep sequencing.
