Characterization of adenovirus DNA in KB cells infected with adenovirus type 12

Abstract

In KB cells infected with adenovirus type 12, the newly synthesized viral DNA contains molecules of different sizes. Sedimentation studies show that fragments of about 0.5, 0.25 and 0.1 of the whole genome are formed, besides molecules of normal length. The fragments have the same average base composition and hybridization characteristics as parental DNA, which suggest that they represent the whole genome. The degree of degradation of type 12 parental and progeny DNA is not influenced by the multiplicity of infection ranging from 1000 to 5000 physical particles per cell. Coinfection of cells with adenovirus types 5 and 12 reveals that, in contrast to in vitro experiments, type 5 DNA is not affected by type 12 endonuclease. These results indicate that the structural viral components do not freely interact during uncoating and fragmentation.