New Approaches to Antiviral Agents

Abstract

We are interested in two approaches to antiviral action. One of them is the antiviral activity of interferon and thus our studies on the molecular mechanism of action of human interferon on HeLa cells are described here. Furthermore we describe our work concerning the antiviral action of certain compounds which selectively enter virus-infected cells. Indeed the infection of animal cells by viruses leads to an increased membrane permeability in virus-infected cells. This increase in membrane permeability has allowed us to use selective inhibitors of virus-infected cells. Antibiotics like hygromycin B and-anthelmycin that do not cross the cell membrane of normal cells, are able to penetrate into virus-infected animal cells, thereby inhibiting protein, synthesis. The modification of membrane permeability is apparently rather non specific, since molecules with very different chemical structures cross the membrane after viral infection. Even macromolecules, such as alpha-sarcin, do also pass through the membrane of virus-infected cells. The modification of membrane permeability is brought about by a virion component, since it occurs very early during viral absorption to the cell, and is not blocked by inhibitors of gene expression.