Genetic characteristics of the complete feline kobuvirus genome

We sequenced the complete genome of a feline kobuvirus and determined relationships with other kobuviruses. This kobuvirus has an 8,269-nucleotide-long RNA genome, excluding the poly(A) tail. The genome contains a 7,311-bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a putative polyprotein precursor of 2,437 amino acids, a 717-bp 5′-untranslated region (UTR), and a 241-bp 3′-UTR. The L protein sequence was found to be the most variable region in the feline kobuvirus genome. Interestingly, the 5′-UTR B and C stem-loops were conserved as observed with other kobuviruses; however, a secondary structure corresponding to stem-loop A was not found in the full length 5′-UTR sequence. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that kobuviruses can be divided into 3 main groups. The feline kobuvirus belongs to the Aichivirus A species containing Aichivirus, mouse kobuvirus, and canine kobuvirus.