The use of sodium dodecyl sulfate in studies on the interaction of poliovirus and HeLa cells

Abstract

Poliovirus (type 1) is inactivated by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) only at pH's below 4.7. When virus adsorbs to cells at 2°, only about 2% of the cell-associated virus can be recovered by freezing and thawing the infected cells. However, at least 50% is recovered by lysing the cells with SDS. If the debris derived from the freeze-thaw-disrupted cells is treated with SDS, the titer of infectious virus increases to the same level obtained by direct SDS treatment. At 37° the amount of cell-associated virus that can be recovered with SDS decreases to about 30% of the total in 2–3 hours. Variations in multiplicity of infection affect neither the amount of virus that becomes irrecoverable (possibly because of true eclipsing) nor the earliest time at which newly synthesized virus can be detected.