Figure 5. Human bocavirus forma head-to-tail sequences.

a. Agarose gel electrophoreses of head-to-tail PCR from different clinical HBoV-isolates. Arrows indicate that the corresponding band was gel-extracted and sequenced. Sequences are aligned in figure 3b. b. Alignment of Head-to-Tail PCR product from different isolates and cell culture of HBoV. All PCR products contained a sequence from the tail of several published clinical isolates that except single point mutations perfectly matches with the prototype sequence of the “Allander strain” DQ000496 (Tail), nt5254–nt5319. This region is followed by a so far unknown sequences, here referred to as linking sequence, which in turn is followed by head sequences conserved in several strains, again perfectly matching to the “Allander strain” DQ000496 (Head), nt3–nt219. The sequence of the PCR amplificates is highly compatible with a classical rolling circle replication (fig. 3c).