Development and public release of a comprehensive hepatitis virus database

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Bioinformatics
• Genomics

Background:

• The International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC) contains a rapidly growing number of hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis E virus (HEV) sequences.
• However, the INSDC is not specialized for hepatitis viruses, making it challenging to retrieve specific virological or clinical information.
• This necessitates the creation of a dedicated, accessible database for hepatitis virus sequences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a specialized, WWW-based database for hepatitis virus sequences.
• To organize and provide easy access to all available HCV, HBV, and HEV sequences from the INSDC.
• To facilitate research by enabling efficient retrieval and analysis of viral genetic data.

Main Methods:

• Developed the Hepatitis Virus Database (HVDB), a web-based resource.
• Integrated all available HCV, HBV, and HEV sequences from the INSDC.
• Arranged sequences by viral genome and included phylogenetic relationships for each locus.

Main Results:

• The HVDB allows users to retrieve specific viral genotypes by referencing phylogenetic data.
• Users can access sequences for specific loci using genome map information.
• The database includes a tool for phylogenetic analysis, integrated with data retrieval functions.

Conclusions:

• The HVDB provides a valuable resource for researchers studying hepatitis viruses.
• The database enhances the ability to retrieve and analyze viral sequence data.
• The latest version of the HVDB is publicly accessible online.