Peopling of Japan as Revealed by Genotyping of Urinary JC Virus DNA

Tadaichi Kitamura; Chie Sugimoto; Hideki Ebihara; Atsushi Kato; Jing Guo; Fumiaki Taguchi; Takashi Tominaga; Yoshihide Ogawa; Nobutaka Ohta; Norihisa Kizu; Ken-ichi Imamura; Hiroyoshi Funaki; Takashi Kurosawa; Shin-ichi Ichikawa; Toshimitsu Suzuki; Kiyohiko Chiba; Kazuo Nagashima; Shin-ichiro Yasumoto; Yoshiaki Yogo

doi:10.1537/ase.106.311

Tadaichi Kitamura, Chie Sugimoto, Hideki Ebihara, Atsushi Kato, Jing Guo, Fumiaki Taguchi, Takashi Tominaga, Yoshihide Ogawa, Nobutaka Ohta, Norihisa Kizu, Ken-ichi Imamura, Hiroyoshi Funaki, Takashi Kurosawa, Shin-ichi Ichikawa, Toshimitsu Suzuki, Kiyohiko Chiba, Kazuo Nagashima, Shin-ichiro Yasumoto, Yoshiaki Yogo

Author information

Tadaichi Kitamura
Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, the University of Tokyo
Chie Sugimoto
Department of Viral Infection, the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo
Hideki Ebihara
Department of Microbiology, School of Allied Health Sciences, Kitasato University
Atsushi Kato
Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, the University of Tokyo
Jing Guo
Department of Viral Infection, the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo
Fumiaki Taguchi
Department of Microbiology, School of Allied Health Sciences, Kitasato University
Takashi Tominaga
Department of Urology, Mitsui Memorial Hospital
Yoshihide Ogawa
Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Ryukyu University
Nobutaka Ohta
Department of Urology, Yaizu Municipal Hospital
Norihisa Kizu
Department of Urology, Akita Kumiai Hospital
Ken-ichi Imamura
Imamura Clinic
Hiroyoshi Funaki
Department of Urology, Kazuno Kumiai Hospital
Takashi Kurosawa
Department of Urology, Kazuno Kumiai Hospital
Shin-ichi Ichikawa
Department of Urology, Senpoku Kumiai Hospital
Toshimitsu Suzuki
Koromogawa Clinic
Kiyohiko Chiba
Watanabe Surgery
Kazuo Nagashima
Department of Pathology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine
Shin-ichiro Yasumoto
Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, the Kyushu University
Yoshiaki Yogo
Department of Viral Infection, the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo

Keywords: JC virus genotype, phylogenetic tree, origin of modern Japanese, Caucasian lineage

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

1998 Volume 106 Issue 4 Pages 311-325

DOI https://doi.org/10.1537/ase.106.311

Details

Abstract

It has been shown that the typing of urinary JC polyomavirus (JCV) DNA offers a novel means of tracing human migrations. We used this approach to elucidate the colonization of the Japanese Archipelago. Approximately 1, 000 JCV DNA-positive urine samples were collected throughout the Japanese Archipelago, and used to amplify a 610-base-pair JCV DNA region (IG region). We determined about 100 IG sequences, from which a phylogenetic tree was constructed to classify them into distinct genotypes. The rest of the amplified fragments were classified into genotypes on the basis of the results of a restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Two major (CY and MY) and three minor JCV genotypes (SC, B1-a, and EU) were identified. There was marked variation in the frequency of these JCV genotypes among the sites of sample collection. For example, MY was more frequently detected in northeastern areas and CY was predominant in southwestern areas. The possibility that the detection of EU in Japan is a result of recent Caucasian immigration was excluded by a phylogenetic comparison of Japanese and European EU isolates. These findings suggest that not only two major groups carrying CY or MY but also three minor groups carrying SC, B1-a or EU migrated to the Japanese Archipelago and that all contributed to founding modern Japan.

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