Summary
The invention describes the complete nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the envelope 1 (E1) gene of 51 hepatitis C virus (HCV) isolates from around the world and the grouping of these isolates into twelve distinct HCV genotypes. More specifically, this invention relates to the oligonucleotides, peptides and recombinant proteins derived from the envelope 1 gene sequences of these isolates and to diagnostic methods and vaccines that employ these reagents.