A temperature-sensitive mutant of adenovirus 31, defective in viral deoxyribonucleic acid replication

Abstract

A temperature-sensitive mutant ( ts 13) of adenovirus 31 was isolated. The analysis of the replication of the mutant in human embryonic kidney cells at the nonpermissive temperature (39.5°) revealed that the T antigen, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase, and thymidine kinase were induced, but viral DNA and capsid proteins were not synthesized. When the incubation temperature was shifted-down from 39.5° to 33.5° at 16 or 20 hr post infection, viral DNA synthesis was observed normally but shift-down at later time resulted in decrease of viral DNA synthesis. No DNA synthesis was observed when cycloheximide was added at the time of shift-down. When temperature was shifted-up during viral DNA replication, the rate of DNA synthesis was first accelerated for a short period, then followed by rapid decrease. The mutant produced tumors in hamsters and induced cellular DNA synthesis in nongrowing hamster cells at the nonpermissive temperature.