Abstract
Fusion of virus particles with the cell plasma membrane is a prerequisite for cell-cell fusion. The ability of the Sendai virus envelope to fuse with the cell membrane is a specialized property of the virus and involves a cell-mediated reorganization of viral envelope structure to produce linear regions of membrane devoid of membrane proteins which can interact and fuse with the cell plasma membrane. Viral envelope reorganization and fusion involves a functional F spike. A mechanism of Sendai virus-induced cell fusion based on cell-virus envelope-cell birdging fusion to form a cytoplasmic bridge followed by virus-induced cell swelling to expand the cytoplasmic bridge to form a sherical fused cell is proposed. Morphological evidence for cell-virus bridging fusion is presented; virus-induced cell swelling appears to be due to fusion of virus particles having ‘permeable’ envelopes with the cell membrane. This mechanism can account for the morphological observations of cell-cell fusion including those frequently used to support the alternative cell-cell bridge mechanism of cell fusion.
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