Ann Lab Med.  2021 Mar;41(2):181-189. 10.3343/alm.2021.41.2.181.

Relationship Between Rotavirus P[6] Infection in Korean Neonates and Histo-Blood Group Antigen: a Single-Center Study

• Lee SK
• Oh SJ
• Choi S
• Choi SH
• Shin SH
• Lee EJ
• Cho EJ
• Hyun J
• Kim HS

• KMID: 2512682
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3343/alm.2021.41.2.181

Abstract

Background
Rotaviruses are a major cause of pediatric gastroenteritis. The rotavirus P[6] genotype is the most prevalent genotype isolated from Korean neonates but has rarely been reported in other countries. Histo-blood group antigen (HBGA) is known to play an important role in rotavirus infection. We investigated the relationship between rotavirus genotype and HBGA-Lewis blood type in Korean children and explored the reasons for the predominance of rotavirus P[6] strain in Korean neonates.
Methods
Blood and stool samples were collected from 16 rotavirus-infected patients. Rotavirus G (VP7) and P (VP4) genotyping was performed using reverse transcription-PCR and sequencing. Lewis antigen phenotypes (Le^a /Le^b ) were tested, and HBGA-Lewis genotype was determined by sequencing the secretor (FUT2) and Lewis (FUT3) genes. Deduced amino acid sequences and three-dimensional structures of the VP8* portion of the rotavirus VP4 protein were analyzed.
Results
All P[6] rotaviruses were isolated from neonates under one month of age, who were negative or weakly positive for the Le^b antigen. However, 10 of the 11 non-P[6] rotaviruses were isolated from older children who were Le^b antigen-positive. The VP8* amino acid sequences differed among P[6], P[4], and P[8] genotypes. Korean P[6] strains showed a unique VP8^* sequence with amino acid substitutions, including Y169 > L169, which differed from the sequences of P[6] strains from other countries.
Conclusions
The predominance of the rotavirus P[6] genotype in Korean neonates may be related to the interaction between HBGA-Lewis antigen and the VP8^* portion of the VP4 protein, and this information will be helpful in future neonatal vaccine development.

Keyword

Rotavirus; Neonate; Genotype; Lewis; Histo-blood group antigen; Korean; VP4 protein

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Superposition of P[6] VP8*, P[4] VP8*, and P[8] VP8* structures deduced from the VP4 nucleotide sequences. Sky blue, P[6]; gold, P[8]; and pink, P[4].

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