Genotype C of hepatitis B virus can be classified into at least two subgroups

A genomic characterization of hepatitis B virus (HBV) was done for 56 pre-S1/pre-S2 genes and 10 full-length HBV genotype C isolates from five Asian countries. Phylogenetic analysis of the pre-S1/pre-S2 genes revealed two major groups within genotype C: one for isolates from southeast Asia including Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand (named HBV/C1) and the other for isolates from Far East Asia including Japan, Korea and China (named HBV/C2). This finding was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis based on the full-length sequence of 32 HBV genotype C isolates, including 22 from database entries. Two isolates from Okinawa, the island off the southern end of Japan, formed a different branch. Specific amino acid sequence changes were identified in the large S protein (amino acids 51, 54, 60, 62 and 73) and P protein (amino acids 231, 233, 236, 248, 252 and 304). Our results indicate that genotype C of HBV can be classified into at least two subgroups.