Molecular Classification of Coxsackie A Viruses on the Basis of the 5'-UTR: Structural and Evolutionary Aspects

The sequences from a large part of the 5'-UTR of 21 coxsackie A virus (CAV) reference strains for which such data did not exist in the past were obtained. Those sequences, along with the respective available sequences from the rest of the CAV reference strains and many other enteroviruses, were compared. According to the results of this comparison, enteroviruses are classified into two genetic clusters on the basis of 5'-UTR, and CAVs are divided into these two clusters. Specifically, it was found that CAV1, -11, -13, -15, -17 to -22, and -24 are classified together with polioviruses and enterovirus 70, whereas the rest of the CAVs are classified along with coxsackie B viruses, echoviruses, and the rest of the other enteroviruses. No correlation between overall 5'-UTR identity and the currently recognized human enterovirus species was found. The phenomenon of "covariance" in the 5'-UTR was followed for the prediction of the possible secondary structure of the 5'-UTR of the CAVs sequenced in the present study.