Conditionally defective helper adenoviruses and satellite virus replication.

Abstract

ADENO-ASSOCIATED satellite viruses (ASV) are extremely defective in that they need a helper adenovirus to complete their replication cycle in susceptible cells1–3. Although the helper virus is usually not defective there have been reports of systems which are at least conditionally defective. Smith and Gehle4 found that a canine adenovirus, ICH, which did not seem to replicate in human amnion cells (essentially a non-permissive system) could be used to pass the satellite serially in these cells if the passage was reinfected each time with helper virus. Ito et al.5 reported that a temperature-sensitive mutant of human adenovirus type 31, ts 13, defective in viral DNA synthesis, could complement a cycle of satellite virus replication at the non-permissive temperature.