The 5′ untranslated region of GB virus B shows functional similarity to the internal ribosome entry site of hepatitis C virus

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Abstract
Since its characterization in 1995, there has been increasing interest in the significance of GB virus B (GBV-B) due to its close phylogenetic relationship to hepatitis C virus (HCV). The genome of GBV-B is similar in length and organization to that of HCV and the two viruses share sequence similarity in their 5′ untranslated regions (5′UTR). A secondary structure model of the GBV-B 5′UTR has been proposed by comparative sequence analysis with HCV. The highly conserved secondary structure, present in HCV and the pestiviruses, is also present in the 5′UTR of GBV-B. Translation of the HCV polyprotein initiates via an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) and it is proposed that the GBV-B UTR may function in a similar manner. Dicistronic reporter constructs were made to investigate the function of the GBV-B 5′UTR. Mutational analysis and in vitro translation experiments demonstrate that GBV-B initiates translation via an IRES.