Presumably acquired through close contact during early childhood, JC polyomavirus (JCV) is sufficiently prevalent in even remote populations to serve as a convenient biological marker for tracing human migrations. Several geographic-specific genetic subtypes of JCV have previously been identified, including type 1 in Europeans, type 2 in Asians and type 3 in Africans. While considerable data are available on the distribution of JCV subtypes in ethnic groups in most geographic regions, limited data are available for Pacific Island communities. Recently, we demonstrated that the JCV type 2 strains among the indigenous people (Chamorro) of Guam were distinct from those of Native Americans (and East Asians) at position 1805 of the VP1 gene. In extending this work, we have now amplified and sequenced the 610-bp VT-intergenic (IG) region of JCV, which encompasses the 3’ termini of the T antigen and VP1 genes, from urine samples collected from individuals of Hawaiian, Samoan, Filipino and Chuukese ancestry. Alignment and comparison of the IG nucleotide sequences revealed a high degree of similarity with consensus type 2 sequences. In phylogenetic analysis, using the neighbor-joining and maximum parsimony methods, JCV strains from individuals of Hawaiian, Filipino and Samoan descent shared a common ancestry with the Chamorro JCV strain and other strains from Southeast Asia, including PH-2 and PH-5 from the Philippine Islands.

As recently as four years ago, virtually no data existed on the genetic diversity of JCV in the Pacific. Significant inroads have now been made into the molecular phylogeny of JCV in Pacific Islander populations, largely through investigations spear-headed by members of the RRL, in collaboration with Dr. Gerald Stoner of NINDS. Considerable information is now available about the molecular phylogeny of JCV among various Pacific Islander groups, including Micronesians (Chamorros from Guam, and Chuukese from Chuuk), Polynesians (from Hawaii, Samoa and Tonga) and Melanesians (from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia). Very recent data from highlander and coastal populations in Papua New Guinea indicate yet other previously unknown genetic variants of JCV. Additional important insights are being gained from the analysis of nearly 300 urine samples collected from representatives of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Kiribati, Wallis and Fatuna, and Tonga, participating in the XIth South Pacific Games held in Guam on May 29 to June 12, 1999. The rapid response by RRL investigators to take advantage of this unique situation, namely the opportunity to access in one place at one time native residents of Pacific Islands nations which are separated by hundreds or thousands of miles, can be attributed largely to their familiarity with these cultures and their long-term regional contacts who provided immediate and valuable logistical support.

Presumably acquired through close contact during early childhood, JC polyomavirus (JCV) is sufficiently prevalent in even remote populations to serve as a convenient biological marker for tracing human migrations. Several geographic-specific genetic subtypes of JCV have previously been identified, including type 1 in Europeans, type 2 in Asians and type 3 in Africans. While considerable data are available on the distribution of JCV subtypes in ethnic groups in most geographic regions, limited data are available for Pacific Island communities. Recently, we demonstrated that the JCV type 2 strains among the indigenous people (Chamorro) of Guam were distinct from those of Native Americans (and East Asians) at position 1805 of the VP1 gene. In extending this work, we have now amplified and sequenced the 610-bp VT-intergenic (IG) region of JCV, which encompasses the 3’ termini of the T antigen and VP1 genes, from urine samples collected from individuals of Hawaiian, Samoan, Filipino and Chuukese ancestry. Alignment and comparison of the IG nucleotide sequences revealed a high degree of similarity with consensus type 2 sequences. In phylogenetic analysis, using the neighbor-joining and maximum parsimony methods, JCV strains from individuals of Hawaiian, Filipino and Samoan descent shared a common ancestry with the Chamorro JCV strain and other strains from Southeast Asia, including PH-2 and PH-5 from the Philippine Islands. Further studies on the molecular phylogeny of JCV among other Polynesian populations, as well as those from Micronesia and Melanesia, may provide additional insights into the peopling of the Pacific. In particular, phylogenetic studies of JCV among inhabitants of the Polynesian outliers within Melanesia and among Australian Aboriginals will help to address if JCV has co-evolved with humankind. Additional important insights are anticipated from the analysis of nearly 300 urine samples recently collected from inhabitants of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Kiribati, Wallis and Fatuna, and Tonga, participating in the XIth South Pacific Games held in Guam on May 29 to June 12, 1999. The rapid response by RRL investigators to take advantage of this unique situation, namely the opportunity to access in one place at one time native residents of Pacific Islands nations which are separated by hundreds or thousands of miles, can be attributed largely to their familiarity with these cultures and their long-term regional contacts who provided immediate and valuable logistical support.

Ablan, S., Nerurkar, V.R., Provido, B., Bulacan, A., Jobes, D.V., Stoner, G.L., and Yanagihara, R.: JC polyoma virus in Pacific Islander communities : A biological marker for tracing human migration. Journal of General Virology (in preparation).