Inhibition of synthesis of ribosomal proteins and of ribosome assembly after infection of L cells with vesicular stomatitis virus

Abstract

The effect of infection of mouse L cells by vesicular stomatitis virus on the synthesis of ribosomal proteins was investigated using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to analyze the ribosomal proteins. It was found that the synthesis of nearly all of the cytoplasmic ribosomal proteins examined was inhibited by infection and mostly to the same extent. Analysis of the ribosomal proteins extracted from intact ribosomes indicated that infection also reduces the incorporation of all the ribosomal proteins tested into assembled ribosomes. The inhibition of ribosome assembly was greater than the inhibition of synthesis of ribosomal proteins, suggesting that some other factor was also limiting the assembly of ribosomes. As shown in this report, infection also inhibits ribosomal RNA production. Thus, the decreased assembly of ribosomes in infected cells probably results from the inhibition of synthesis of both ribosomal proteins and ribosomal RNA.