RESEARCH ARTICLE


Detection of Human Polyomavirus DNA Using the Genome Profiling Method



Yuka Tanaka, Rieko Hirata, Kyohei Mashita, Stuart Mclean, Hiroshi Ikegaya*
Department of Forensic Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 465 Kajii-cho Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan

Article Information


Identifiers and Pagination:

Year: 2015
Volume: 9
First Page: 29
Last Page: 37
Publisher Id: TOVJ-9-29
DOI: 10.2174/1874357901509010029

Article History:

Received Date: 24/6/2015
Revision Received Date: 28/10/2015
Acceptance Date: 28/10/2015
Electronic publication date: 24/11/2015
Collection year: 2015

© Tanaka et al.; Licensee Bentham Open.

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode), which permits unrestricted, noncommercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine 465 Kajiicho, Kamigyo, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan; E-mails: ikegaya-tky@umin.ac.jp, ikegaya@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp


Abstract

Background

In the field of forensic medicine, it is very difficult to know prior to autopsy what kind of virus has infected a body.

Objective

We assessed the potential of the genome profiling (GP) method, which was developed in the field of bioengineering, to identify viruses belonging to one species.

Method

Two species in the same family, JC and BK viruses, were used in this study. Using plasmid samples, we compared the findings of molecular phylogenetic analysis using conventional genome sequencing with the results of cluster analysis using the random PCR-based GP method and discussed whether the GP method can be used to determine viral species.

Results

It was possible to distinguish these two different viral species. In addition to this, in our trial we could also detect the JC virus from a clinical sample.

Conclusion

This method does not require special reagent sets for each viral species. Though our findings are still in the trial period, the GP method may be a simple, easy, and economical tool to detect viral species in the near future.

Keywords: Genome profiling method, JC virus, BK virus, urine, temperature gradient gel electrophoresis, random PCR.