The measles virus-specific protein synthesis of persistently and lytically infected cells studied in vivo and in vitro.

Abstract

The virus-specific protein synthesis of the hamster brain cells persistently infected with a wild-type measles virus (M-MB/MVB) was investigated in vivo and in vitro and compared to the protein synthesis of the Vero-cells lytically infected with the wild-type measles virus and the SSPE-measles virus strain LEC. The virus-specific protein synthesis in the M-HB/MVB-cells in vivo was weak. Only two virus-specific polypeptides, corresponding to polypeptide G and nucleocapsid polypeptide NP, were detected. On the other hand, the in vitro translation products, coded by the RNA extracted from the actinomycin D-treated M-HB/MVB-cells, were similar compared to those products coded by the RNAs from the lytically infected Vero-cells. The polypeptides with MWs of 75 000, 61 000, 40 000, 37 000 and 18 000 were coded with all three RNA-extracts. So the similar mRNAs were induced in the actinomycin D-treated M-HB/MVB-cells, but their translation in vivo was limited. In addition to those polypeptides mentioned above the polypeptide with a MW of 42 000 was detected among the in vitro translation products of the M-HB/MVB-cells.