Incubation Of Virus Research Articles

Mutagenesis at putative apurinic sites in alkylated single-stranded DNA of parvovirus H-1 propagated in human cells

The treatment of parvovirus H-1, a single-stranded DNA virus, with ethylnitrosourea immediately prior to infection of human cells, resulted in both virus mutagenesis and lethality (immediate hits). The incubation of treated virus, prior to inoculation, under conditions promoting the release of alkylated bases, slightly reduced the mutagenicity of ethylnitrosourea but significantly increased its killing effect (delayed hits). In untreated cells, the appearance of one apurinic/apyrimidinic site in viral DNA correlated with the formation of approximately one delayed lethal hit per virus. Cells which had been sublethally UV irradiated prior to infection, were able to overcome about 20% of the delayed lethal hits inflicted to ehthylnitrosourea-treated H-1. This UV-enhanced reactivation was accompanied by viral mutagenesis and was not observed for immediate lethal hits. Therefore, UV irradiation of human cells appears to trigger a conditioned recovery response which might alleviate a block to the replication of single-stranded DNA containing apurinic sites, allowing these noncoding lesions to direct mutagenesis. UV-irradiated cells also displayed a mutator phenotype towards untreated parvovirus H-1. In contrast, ethylnitrosourea failed to induce human cells to cause mutagenesis of undamaged viral DNA, although it enhanced their ability to reactivate damaged virus.

Specific in vitro adenylylation of the simian virus 40 large tumor antigen.

Incubation of the simian virus 40 (SV40) large tumor antigen (T) from either transformed or lytically infected cells with adenosine [8-3H]-, [alpha-32P]-, or [alpha-[35S]thio]-triphosphate in the presence of Mg2+ resulted in its labeling as defined by the appearance of an intact, appropriately immunoreactive band in NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gels. Radioactivity remained associated with the protein after boiling in buffer containing 3% NaDodSO4, and 2-mercaptoethanol as well as after heating in 0.1 M HCl, 0.1 M NH4OH, or hydroxylamine, but it was dissociated after incubation in 0.1 M NaOH at 37 degrees C. After limited boiling of gel-purified [alpha-32P] ATP + T complex in 5.6 M HCl, o-[32P]phosphoserine was released, and snake venom phosphodiesterase or 0.5 M piperidine treatment of such a complex resulted in the liberation of [alpha-32P]AMP. The reaction proceeded when either purified, soluble T or insoluble, specifically immunoprecipitated antigen was used as substrate. ATP and dATP were the preferred nucleotide substrates by comparison with the other six standard ribonucleoside or deoxynucleoside triphosphates. Partial tryptic digests of T + [alpha-32P]ATP complexes revealed the presence of a single labeled peptide of Mr approximately equal to 12 - 14 X 10(3), and after exhaustive digestion, there was a single radioactive spot in the fingerprint. These data indicate that T can be adenylylated at a specific seryl residue(s) in a limited portion of the protein surface. Furthermore, adenylylation appears to be reversible and to proceed by a pyrophosphorylytic mechanism, since the nucleotide was released from the protein following incubation of adenylylated T with Mg2+, sodium pyrophosphate, and poly(dT).

Monoclonal anti-hemagglutinin antibodies detect irreversible antigenic alterations that coincide with the acid activation of influenza virus A/PR/834-mediated hemolysis.

Exposure of influenza virus to an acidic environment, which is known to be required for viral fusion and hemolysis, has recently been shown to induce a conformational change in the hemagglutinin molecule. In the present study, we examined the effects of acid incubation on the antigenicity, biological activity, and morphology of influenza virus A/PR/8/34 (H1N1). Incubation of PR8 virus at pH 5 in the absence of erythrocytes resulted in a rapid and irreversible loss of viral hemolytic activity and infectivity. Apart from a less distinct appearance of the viral surface projections and slight damage to the envelope structure, acid incubation did not result in gross morphological changes in the viral architecture. The acid-induced change could be detected in the form of greatly increased or decreased binding of many monoclonal antibodies directed to each of the four major antigenic regions of the hemagglutinin. Triggering of viral hemolytic activity and antigenic alterations was similarly pH dependent. In addition, the different pH dependencies of egg-grown and trypsin-treated MDCK-grown viruses coincided with an analogous pH dependence of the antigenic alterations that were observed with these viruses. These observations are compatible with the idea that some of the anti-hemagglutinin antibodies detect conformational changes in the hemagglutinin which are required for the initiation of fusion and hemolysis.

Physical modification of purified rous sarcoma virus pp60 v- src protein after incubation with ATP/Mg 2+

Using partially purified enzyme preparations, we show that incubation of the Rous sarcoma virus transforming protein kinase, pp60 v- src , with Mg 2+ and ATP at concentrations near or above the enzyme's K m for ATP resulted in a physical modification of the pp60 v- src polypeptide. Under such conditions, a portion of pp60 v- src was converted to a form that migrated more slowly in SDS-polyacrylamide gels than enzyme incubated without ATP or with low concentrations of ATP. Comparative tryptic peptide mapping of pp60 v- src incubated with low and high levels of ATP revealed that more extensive tyrosine phosphorylation of the pp60 v- src polypeptide occurred at the higher concentrations of ATP. This more extensive phosphorylation was characterized by the appearance of several new phosphorylated tyrosine residues on both the amino-terminal and carboxy-terminal portions of the pp60 v- src molecule. The possible consequences of these modifications on the protein kinase activity of pp60 v- src , and the functional regulation of retrovirus transforming proteins in general, are discussed.

Radioimmunofocus assay for quantitation of hepatitis A virus in cell cultures.

A new method is described for the quantitation of hepatitis A virus in cell cultures, based on the immune autoradiographic detection of foci of infected cells (radioimmunofoci) developing beneath an agarose overlay 14 days after the inoculation of petri dish cultures of continuous African green monkey kidney cells (BS-C-1). The number of foci developing in each culture was linearly related to the dose of hepatitis A virus (either HM-175 or PA-21 strain) inoculated. Focus development was prevented by prior incubation of virus with specific antisera, and the specificity of the radiolabeled antibody reaction was confirmed in competitive blocking experiments. This new assay method retains many of the advantages of conventional plaque assays for virus. Compared with existing end-dilution methods for the quantitation of hepatitis A virus, the radioimmunofocus assay offers greatly improved accuracy and comparable sensitivity, yet is relatively rapid and highly conservative of reagents.

Binding of influenza virus to a reconstituted receptor complex containing glycophorin.

Membrane particles possessing receptor activity for influenza virions have been reconstituted following solubilization of human erythrocyte membranes with octylglucoside (OG) and fractionation on a DEAE-cellulose column. Fractions that eluted with 1.5 M NaCl yielded, after removal of OG, reconstituted membrane particles (RMP) which could bind virus and inhibit hemagglutination. RMP contained essentially two membrane proteins (glycophorin and a nonglycosylated protein of molecular weight 29,000), two phospholipids (sphingomyelin and phosphatidylcholine), cholesterol, and gangliosides. Incubation of influenza virus with RMP at 4 degrees resulted in the formation of a virus-RMP complex (liposomes). The specificity of the receptor was demonstrated by inhibition of viral attachment when RMP were treated with neuraminidase or preincubated with rabbit anti-M or anti-N antiserum, suggesting that both the carbohydrates and peptide moiety may play a role in attachment. Calculations suggest that there are 6 X 10(3) N-acetyl neuraminic acid residues per attached virion. This system provides a simple and gentle means of reconstituting membrane components to study receptor activity.

Inhibition of herpes simplex virus replication by succinyl concanavalin A

Incubation of herpes simplex virus type 1-infected cells with succinyl-concanavalin A, a derivative of the jack bean lectin concanavalin A, resulted in the decreased production of virus. The mode of inhibition by the lectin was unclear. No effect was apparent on the level of viral DNA synthesis. However, incubation of infected cells with increasing concentrations of the lectin appeared to result in a decrease in the quantity of viral protein produced within the cell. A reduction in the virus titer of 57 to 64% was observed upon direct incubation of extracellular virus in the presence of 50 to 100 micrograms of succinyl-concanavalin A per ml.

Structure of and alterations to defective murine sarcoma virus particles lacking envelope proteins and core polyprotein cleavage.

HTG2 hamster cells produce a defective murine sarcoma virus lacking gp70 and, consequently, viral surface projections (knobs), but the lack of knobs appears to have no effect on intramembrane particle distribution. In addition, it has been noted that the core of the virus remains in the "immature" form as a result of the failure of the polyprotein precursor (p65) to undergo cleavage. However, incubation of HTG2 virus with avian myoblastosis virus was found to yield specific cleavage products of p65.

Abrogation of radiation leukemia virus-induced lymphomagenesis by antisera to thymotropic but not to ecotropic or dual-tropic viruses.

Leukemia induction by culture-grown thymotropic radiation leukemia virus or by tumor-derived virus present in cell-free tumor extracts was abrogated by incubation of either virus with anti-thymotropoc virus serum, but not by antiserum raised against ecotropic or dual-tropic (mink cell focus-inducing type) viruses that were isolated from radiation leukemia virus-induced thymic leukemias. Thus, virus similar or identical to the cultured thymotropic leukemogenic species may also be the major biologically active principle in tumor-derived extracts, even though the latter also contain viruses of the dual-tropic, mink cell focus-inducing type class.

Depression of bovine monocyte chemotactic responses by bovine viral diarrhea virus

Incubation of bovine peripheral blood monocytes with bovine viral diarrhea virus (either Singer or NY-1 strain) caused a consistent, statistically significant decrease in their random locomotion (no chemoattractant) and chemotaxis towards a chemotactic lymphokine. Chemotaxis was determined by a modification of the Boyden method. Incubation of bovine viral diarrhea virus with mononuclear cells depressed chemotaxis by a mean of 56% (P less than 0.0005). Heat-killed virus had no effect on monocyte motility. Data suggest that bovine viral diarrhea virus can rapidly suppress monocyte functions in vitro, but by unknown mechanisms, not by killing cells.

Effects of cell culture and laboratory conditions on type 2 dengue virus infectivity.

The stability of type 2 dengue virus to exposure to a variety of laboratory conditions was determined. Suckling mouse brain passage virus was adapted for growth in BHK-21 cells, and plaque assays were performed using a tragacanth gum overlay. A three- to fourfold increase in plaque size could be obtained if monolayers were subconfluent at time of inoculation. Incubation of virus for 24 h at 37 degrees C, pH 6.5, or in buffer containing 1 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetate considerably reduced virus infectivity as compared with virus incubated for the same period at 4 degrees C, pH 8.0, or in buffer with or without 1 mM CaCl2 and 1 mM MgCl2. Multiple freezing and thawing of virus tissue culture medium containing 10% fetal calf serum did not reduce virus infectivity.

Protein kinase activity associated with simian virus 40 T antigen.

Incubation of simian virus 40 (SV40) tumor (T) antigen-containing immunoprecipitates with [gamma-32P]ATP results in the incorporation of radioactive phosphate into large T antigen. Highly purified preparations of large T antigen from a SV40-transformed cell line, SV80, are able to catalyze the phosphorylation of a known phosphate acceptor, casein. The kinase activity migrates with large T antigen through multiple purification steps. Sedimentation analysis under non-T-antigen-aggregating conditions reveals that kinase activity and the immunoreactive protein comigrate as a 6S structure. The kinase activity of purified preparations of large T antigen can be specifically adsorbed to solid-phase anti-T IgG, and partially purified T antigen from a SV40 tsA transformation is thermolabile in its ability to phosphorylate casein when compared to comparably purified wild-type T antigen. These observations indicate that the SV40 large T antigen is closely associated with protein kinase (ATP:protein phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.37) activity.

Infection of Turnip Leaf Protoplasts with Turnip Rosette Virus

SUMMARY The optimum conditions for infection of turnip protoplasts with turnip rosette virus (TRosV) were 0.2 to 2 × 105 protoplasts/ml, 5 to 10 µg virus/ml, 1 µg poly-l-ornithine/ml in 0.6 m-mannitol, buffered with 5 to 10 mm-tris at pH 7.0 to 8.6. Under these conditions, 70% of protoplasts became infected, as indicated by staining with fluorescent antibody. The proportion of protoplasts infected was determined by factors such as pH and buffer ions and by the concentrations of protoplasts, virus and poly-l-ornithine during inoculation. The period of pre-inoculation incubation of virus and poly-l-ornithine was also critical, but mannitol concentration and the inoculation period and temperature had little effect on percentage protoplasts infected. Time course studies showed a single step multiplication of TRosV; the virus was detected on sucrose gradients at 24 h after inoculation and at 60 h reached its maximum concentration, 3 × 106 virions per infected protoplast.

Polyproteins related to the major core protein of mouse mammary tumor virus.

The mouse mammary tumor virus (MuMTV) contains several low-molecular-weight proteins which, together with the genomic RNA, constitute the core structure of the virion. The most abundant protein in the core is the 27,000-dalton protein (p27), and, by analogy to the type C viruses, this protein probably forms the core shell. In mouse mammary tumor cell lines (GR and Mm5MT) producing MuMTV the major p57 antigenic specificity resides in a large protein, which migrates in polyacrylamide gels as a doublet of 77,000 and 75,000 daltons (p 77/75). A series of lower-molecular-weight proteins, p61, p48, p38, and p34, is also present in small amounts and is probably derived by proteolytic cleavage of the p 77/75. These proteins have been identified by immunoprecipitation with monospecific antiserum, and their sequence relatedness to p27 has been determined by an analysis of the peptides after trypsin digestion. After a 15-min pulse with [35S]-methionine, all of the p27-related proteins in these cell lines were labelled and, during a subsequent chase, progressively disappeared. The p27 was labeled poorly during the pulse, but the amount of label in this protein increased during the chase. A quantitation of these experiments suggested that the majority of the p27-related proteins were quite rapidly turned over in these cell lines. Hence, if p27 is derived by a progressive proteolytic cleavage mechanism, then the process is inefficient in the GR cells and only moderately efficient in the Mm5MT cells. When MuMTV was isolated from the culture medium of these cells harvested at 5-min intervals, the major p27-related protein was p34. The p27 accounted for only 29% of the anti-p27 serum immunoprecipitable proteins compared to 95% in virus isolated from an 18-h harvest. Incubation of the rapid-harvest virus at 37 degrees C for 2 h resulted in some conversion of p34 to p27. These results suggest that some of the p27 in MuMTV is formed in the virions by proteolytic cleavage of p34.

Abrogation of Fv-1b restriction with murine leukemia viruses inactivated by heat or by gamma irradiation.

Fv-1b restriction in BALB/3T3 cells is temporarily abrogated following infection with N-tropic murine leukemia virus. The mechanism of this phenomenon was investigated by comparing the inactivation rates for viral infectivity and for the ability of the same virus to abrogate Fv-1 restriction. Inactivation of the abrogating ability of N-tropic murine leukemia virus following graduated doses of gamma radiation proceeded at half the rate of that for viral infectivity. This result indicates that viral RNA must function in abrogating Fv-1b restriction but that only a portion of the viral genome is required. The inactivation kinetics of N-tropic murine leukemia virus were also determined following incubation of virus at 43 degrees C. Abrogating ability of N-tropic murine leukemia virus was found to be about six times as stable under these conditions as was viral infectivity. Interestingly, virion-associated reverse transcriptase activity was inactivated at the same rate as was viral infectivity, indicating that this enzyme may not need to function during abrogation. Virus heated at 43 degrees C was used to study the kinetics of the abrogation phenomenon itself. Abrogation was shown to be transient, requiring 6 to 9 h after virus infection to become maximally effective and beginning to disappear after about 18 h. The data reported here confirm the idea that abrogation of Fv-1 restriction can be separated experimentally from virus replication, and they raise the possibility that a separate biochemical pathway exists for incoming viral RNA in Fv-1 restrictive cells.

Recovery of tobacco mosaic virus RNA Replication after incubation at 40 degrees.

Incubation of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)-infected tissue at 40 degrees for 12 h destroyed the capacity for TMV RNA replication. Upon shift of the tissue from 40 to 25 degrees, synthesis of TMV RNA did not resume. Incubation at 40 degrees for 1 h did not destory the TMV RNA replicase, because viral RNA synthesis resumed upon return to 25 degrees. However, upon further incubation at 25 degrees, the synthesis rate of TMV RNA gradually declined. Upon still further incubation at 25 degrees (16-20 h), the synthesis of TMV RNA in tissue incubated at 40 degrees for either 1 or 12 h recovered. This recovery was inhibited by cycloheximide but not by 2-thiouracil.

Inactivation of African horse-sickness virus by betapropiolactone and by pH

The inactivation of several types of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) by pH and by betapropiolactone (BPL) was studied. At 19 degrees - 22 degrees C the virus was stable between pH 6.0 and 10.4, whether suspended in mouse brain or in serumfree buffer. Below pH 5.6 and above pH 10.9, more than 99 per cent of infectivity was inactivated within 15 minutes. The addition of 50 per cent serum did not influence pH stability. Disinfection in the presence of citric acid and caustic soda is briefly discussed. Inactivation by BPL was complete within 30 minutes at 37 degrees C, yet incomplete after 15 hours at 4 degrees C. Types 3 and 9 virus grown in suckling mouse brain and types 1, 3 and 9 produced in pig kidney cells were equally susceptible to 0.1 per cent BPL, more than 99.9 per cent being inactivated. The effectiveness of BPL was reduced at least 10-fold by the addition of 50 per cent serum. No infective virus was detected following incubation of either tissue culture virus with 0.2 per cent BPL or of mouse brain virus with 0.3 per cent BPL. Virus suspensions exposed to 0.3 per cent BPL required buffering with Tris of at least 0.05 molar strength in order to maintain the pH within an acceptable range. Inactivated antigens prepared with 0.4 per cent or lower concentrations of BPL were immunogenic in guinea pigs.

Observations concerning the sequence of two additional specifically encapsidated RNA fragments originating from the tobacco-mosaic-virus coat-protein cistron.

The incubation of 25-S tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) protein with a mixture of RNA fragments produced by partial T1 RNase digestion of TMV RNA results in the encapsidation of only a few species of RNA. In addition to the most predominant species, fragment 1, whose sequence has been described in the prededing paper, two other species, fragment 41 and fragment 21 are coated by the protein. These two RNA fragments were purified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and subjected to total digestion with pancreatic and T1 RNase. The oligonucleotides were separated by paper electrophoresis and characterized insofar as possible by digestion with the complementary ribonuclease. From the amino acid coding capacity of the oligonucleotides liberated from fragments 41 and 21 by T1 RNase digestion, it appears that these two fragments, like fragment 1, are derived from the coat protein cistron. They are situated immediately prior to fragment 1 and, together with this fragment, consitute a continuous stretch of 232 nucleotides of the cistron which codes for animo acids 53 to 130 of the coat protein. The order of the fragments in the sequence is 21-41-1. A possible model for the secondary structure of this portion of the sequence is proposed.

Enhancement of simian virus 40 infection in simian and human cells by permissive cell extracts.

SummaryThe sensitivity of semipermis-sive cell cultures to SV40 infection can be enhanced by a component of uninfected, simian cells (CV-1) that are permissive for SV40 infection. Enhancement is demonstrated by 10- to 40-fold higher plating efficiency in simian cells, 10- to 30-fold increase in virus production by human cells and 3-fold increase in frequency of transformation in a line of human diploid fibroblasts after inoculation of mixtures containing CV-1 extracts and virus. The enhancer is recovered from cultured cells by a mild extraction procedure and is not sedimented by centrifugation at 20,000g for 1 hr. The active component of the supernate appears to be protein. Incubation of virus with enhancer preparations for 20 min at 23° results in the formation of a complex that is not dissociated by dilution. Although these properties of the SV40 enhancer are similar to those described previously for an enhancer of an enterovirus, the SV40 enhancer differs from the enterovirus enhancer in its host and v...

Structure of the Mengo virion: II. Physicochemical and electron microscopic analysis of degraded virus

Incubation of Mengo encephalomyelitis virus at slightly acidic pH in the presence of chloride or bromide ions results in the dissociation of the viral capsid into uniform protein subunits (13.4 S) with the release of the intact viral genome (Mak et al., 1970). Electron microscopic studies have shown that the 13.4 S subunit has a well defined, slightly ellipsoidal shape, with surface dimensions of 16.8 ± 0.3 × 14.2 ± 0.2 nm. It is concluded from these studies that the virus capsid is composed of 12 of these subunits, arranged in icosahedral symmetry. The 13.4 S subunits can be further dissociated into 4.7 S fragments by incubation in 2 M urea. The 4.7 S fragment has an approximately spherical shape, with a diameter of 6.8 ± 0.3 nm; and has the same polypeptide composition as does the 13.4 S subunit. These observations suggest that there are 5 such fragments in each 13.4 S subunit, for a total of 60 in the complete virus capsid. A model is proposed for the architecture of the Mengo virus particle, based on the physicochemical and electron microscopic data obtained for the intact virion and its dissociation products.