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Defective interfering particles (DIPs) are virus-like particles that arise during virus growth, fail to grow in the absence of virus, and replicate at the expense of virus during co-infections. The inhibitory effects of DIPs on virus growth are well established, but little is known about how DIPs influence their own growth. Here vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and its DIPs were used to co-infect BHK cells, and the effect of DIP dose on virus and DIP production was measured using a yield-reduction assay. The resulting dose-response data were used to fit and evaluate mathematical models that employed different assumptions. Our analysis supports a multiple-hit process where DIPs inhibit or promote virus and DIP production, depending on dose. Specifically, three regimes of co-infection were apparent: (i) low DIP - where both virus and DIPs are amplified, (ii) medium DIP - where amplification of both virus and DIPs is inhibited, and (iii) high DIP - with limited recovery of virus production and further inhibition of DIP growth. In addition, serial-passage infections enabled us to estimate the frequency of de novo DIP generation during virus amplification. Our combined experiments and models provide a means to understand better how DIPs quantitatively impact the growth of viruses and the spread of their infections.

Influenza C virus contains two envelope glycoproteins: CM2, a putative ion channel protein; and HEF, a unique multifunctional protein that performs receptor-binding, receptor-destroying and fusion activities. Here, it is demonstrated that expression of HEF is sufficient to pseudotype replication-incompetent vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) that lacks the VSV glycoprotein (G) gene. The pseudotyped virus showed characteristic features of influenza C virus with respect to proteolytic activation, receptor usage and cell tropism. Chimeric glycoproteins composed of HEF ectodomain and VSV-G C-terminal domains were efficiently incorporated into VSV particles and showed receptor-binding and receptor-destroying activities but, unlike authentic HEF, did not mediate efficient infection, probably because of impaired fusion activity. HEF-pseudotyped VSV efficiently infected polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney cells via the apical plasma membrane, whereas entry of VSV-G-complemented virus was restricted to the basolateral membrane. These findings suggest that pseudotyping of viral vectors with HEF might be useful for efficient apical gene transfer into polarized epithelial cells and for targeting cells that express 9-O-acetylated sialic acids.

Due to their extremely high genetic diversity, which is a direct consequence of high mutation rates, RNA viruses are often described as molecular quasispecies. According to this theory, RNA virus populations cannot be understood in terms of individual viral clones, as they are clouds of interconnected mutants, but this prediction has not yet been demonstrated experimentally. The goal of this study was to determine the fitness of individual clones sampled from a given RNA virus population, a necessary previous step to test the above prediction. To do so, limiting dilutions of a vesicular stomatitis virus population were employed to isolate single viral clones and their initial growth dynamics were followed, corresponding to the release of the first few hundred viral particles. This technique is useful for estimating basic fitness parameters, such as intracellular growth rate, viral yield per cell, rate at which cells are infected and time spent in cell-to-cell transmission. A combination of these parameters allows estimation of the fitness of individual clones, which seems to be determined mainly by their ability to complete infection cycles more quickly. Interestingly, fitness was systematically higher for initial clones than for their derived populations. In addition to environmental changes, such as cellular defence mechanisms, these differences are attributable to high RNA virus mutation rates.

Previously, it has been shown that 1-cinnamoyl-3,11-dihydroxymeliacarpin (CDM), a natural compound isolated from leaf extracts of Melia azedarach L., inhibits the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) multiplication cycle when added before or after infection. Here, we have established that the lack of VSV protein synthesis in CDM pre-treated Vero cells is ascribed to the inhibition of an initial step during virus multiplication, although indirect immunofluorescence (IFI) studies confirmed that the binding and uptake of [(35)S]methionine-labelled VSV was not affected by CDM pre-treatment. Instead, our findings revealed that this compound impedes the uncoating of VSV nucleocapsids in pre-treated Vero cells, since the antiviral action of CDM was partially reversed by inducing VSV direct fusion at the plasma membrane, and VSV M protein fluorescence was confined to the endosomes, even 2 h post-internalization. Furthermore, CDM induced cytoplasmic alkalinization, as shown by acridine orange staining, consistent with the inhibition of virus uncoating. Although VSV proteins are synthesized when CDM is added after infection, IFI studies revealed that G protein was absent from the surface of infected cells and co-localized with a Golgi marker. Therefore, CDM inhibits the transport of G protein to the plasma membrane. Taken together, these findings indicate that CDM exerts its antiviral action on the endocytic and exocytic pathways of VSV by pre- or post-treatment, respectively.

TsW16B is a temperature-sensitive mutant of vesicular stomatitis virus. Others have shown that it is temperature-sensitive for replication in vivo and for transcription in vitro and that these phenotypes are probably due to mutation of the N (nucleocapsid) gene. Five independent revertants were isolated from tsW16B based on their ability to grow at 39 degrees C. The thermosensitivity of in vitro transcription by these revertants was similar to that of the wild-type virus [wt(HR)] from which tsW16B was derived. Fractionation-reconstitution studies of two revertants indicated that the reversion was in the N or P (phosphoprotein) gene. The N and P genes of wt(HR), tsW16B, and these two revertants were sequenced. There were no differences between the P genes. Comparison of the predicted N protein sequences of wt(HR), tsW16B and the two revertants indicated that the growth and in vitro transcription phenotypes of tsW16B were due to a change of amino acid residue 238 from threonine to isoleucine. The amino acid at position 238 in the other three revertants also showed an exact reversion to threonine. Amino acid residue 238 lies in a domain of the N protein which is highly conserved among vesiculoviruses.

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) fails to replicate in mouse T lymphocytes unless the cells have been mitogenically stimulated with concanavalin A (Con A). We have examined the possibility that the failure of VSV to replicate in unstimulated T lymphocytes can be attributed to a deficiency in a host protein kinase which activates the viral P protein by phosphorylation, thus rendering it transcriptionally competent. Soluble extracts were prepared from purified mouse T lymphocytes, with or without prior treatment with Con A. The ability of these extracts to phosphorylate bacterially synthesized P protein of two VSV serotypes was measured in vitro. Activity of the protein kinase on the P proteins of the Indiana or New Jersey serotypes of VSV increased, on average 2.4- and 2.1-fold respectively, after treatment of the cells with 3 micrograms/ml Con A. Higher concentrations of Con A induced proportional increases (up to 10-fold) in the activity of the host protein kinase. Activities of the kinase phosphorylating the P protein in separate populations of CD4- and CD8-containing murine T lymphocytes increased similarly on mitogenic activation. No biochemical or immunological differences were observed between the T cell protein kinase and the previously characterized protein kinase (casein kinase II) from BHK-21 cells. The activity of the kinase that phosphorylates the P protein did not vary in CV-1 cells on treatment with alpha- or gamma-interferon, both of which inhibited VSV replication. Similarly, casein kinase II activities in Raji and SIRC cells, which do not normally support VSV growth, were the same as in BHK-21 cells. Thus restriction of VSV replication in these cells, in contrast to T lymphocytes, was not associated with a deficiency in the host casein kinase II activity.

In this study, we have analysed the effects of cAMP inducers on the multiplication of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in mouse macrophage-like cells. The addition of dibutyryl cAMP (dB-cAMP) or cholera toxin to resting peritoneal macrophages aged in vitro or P388D1 cells resulted in a 10- to 100-fold reduction of VSV yield compared to control cultures. In contrast, no cAMP-dependent inhibition was found in VSV-infected L929 cells. In macrophage-like cells, the dB-cAMP-induced antiviral state was not inhibited by antibodies to interferon (IFN)-alpha/beta and did not correlate with any increase in the intracellular levels of 2-5 oligo(A) synthetase. Dibutyryl cAMP did not inhibit virus yields in mouse macrophages infected with encephalomyocarditis virus. In P388D1 cells, the addition of dB-cAMP resulted in an approximately 10-fold inhibition of HSV-1 replication with respect to control cultures, as evaluated both by TCID50 and plaque assays on Vero cells. Dibutyryl cAMP did not affect VSV binding or entry into mouse macrophages and the cAMP-mediated anti-VSV state was significantly reduced by inhibitors of protein kinase C (i.e. staurosporine and H7). These data suggest that macrophages may acquire resistance to infection by VSV and HSV-1 after treatment with cAMP inducers. This cAMP-mediated antiviral activity does not depend on the modulation of the endogenous IFN system, suggesting that macrophages exhibit multiple resistance mechanisms (i.e. IFN-dependent and IFN-independent) to maintain their intrinsic antiviral activity.

The interferon receptors of C3H/10T1/2 mouse cells respond differently to alpha and beta interferons under certain conditions. If C3H/10T1/2 cells which have been maintained in logarithmic growth phase are exposed to trypsin or Pronase immediately before they are treated with mouse interferons, they evince an antiviral response to alpha interferon but not to beta interferon. In contrast, contact-inhibited C3H/10T1/2 cells, L-929 mouse cells or human HEL cells lost the ability to respond to both alpha and beta interferons after treatment with trypsin or Pronase. When L-929 cells are incubated at 37 degrees C following exposure to these proteolytic enzymes, they completely regain their ability to respond to mouse beta interferon within 2 h. These observations suggest that the receptors for alpha and beta interferons are different in their topographical distribution in C3H/10T1/2 cells.

A persistent infection of the human MCF-7 cell line (MCF-7RV) was established with the DBS strain of rubella virus at a low multiplicity of infections. Fluorescent antibody staining revealed that 100% of the cells were positive for rubella antigens. The infected cells were refractory to superinfection with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) but were susceptible to herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). No interferon could be detected in infected cell culture fluid, and continuous passage in the presence of antibody did not lead to a decrease in the percentage of infected cells. Virus production in the persistently infected cells represented a 5- to 10-fold increase over primary infection. Plaque assays at 30 and 39 degree C of the virus produced at 37 degree C revealed the presence of temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants. If MCF-7RV cells were maintained at 30 degree C, significant increases in virus production were observed, leading to cytopathic effect and destruction of the monolayer. If maintained at 39 degree C, MCF-7RV cells produced less virus and demonstrated normal morphology. These data suggest that the naturally selected population of ts mutants being produced by these cells represents the mechanism by which persistence is maintained.

Homologous interference between a temperature-sensitive small plaque mutant (HVJ-pB) derived from an HVJ (haemagglutinating virus of Japan - the Sendai strain of parainfluenza I virus) carrier culture of BHK cells and the original wild-type virus (HVJ-W) has been investigated. Prior infection of LLCMK2, HeLa, BHK or mouse L cells with HVJ-pB, both at permissive and non-permissive temperatures, for 24 h resulted in a reduced yield of superinfecting HVJ-W, reflecting a smaller number of cells capable of producing the superinfecting virus. However, HVJ-pB did not interfere with the replication of vesicular stomatitis virus, Sindbis virus or Newcastle disease virus. Interference in this system seems to be due to inhibition of the attachment of superinfecting HVJ-W as a result of intracellular mechanisms operating at a late stage in the replication of the interfering virus. There is also blocking or destruction of cellular receptors by extra-cellular particles of the interfering virus. Protein synthesis coded for by the complete virus genome is required to establish and maintain the interference, and treatment with actinomycin D has no effect on the interference phenomenon.

A human endometrial cancer cell line, HEC-1, was found to be resistant to the antiviral and anticellular action of interferon. However, HEC-1 cells were susceptible to the cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells, and interferon enhanced such NK activity. When HEC-1 cells were treated with interferon, sensitivity of HEC cells to the cytotoxicity of NK cells was not suppressed.

In vivo preinfection of chicks with rabies virus (RV) or vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) ts 1026 inhibits tumour formation after superinfection with Rous sarcoma virus (RSV). The degree of inhibition depends on the titre of the infecting viruses and the interval between rhabdovirus and RSV infection. In vitro, cells preinfected with VSV ts 1026 under non-permissive conditions and superinfected with RSV, are not transformed as judged by cell morphology, serum requirement for growth or the capacity to form colonies in soft agar, all these being the same as in uninfected cells. Doubly infected cells take up less deoxyglucose than cells infected with RSV only and more than cells infected with VSV only. RSV multiplication in inhibited in doubly infected cells: the supernatant fluid of these cells contains fewer focus-forming units and less reverse transcriptase activity than that of cells infected with RSV only. Doubly infected cells contain both VSV and RSV internal antigens 15 days after infection. The supernatant fluid of cells infected with VSV and maintained under non-permissive conditions inhibits transformation by RSV and multiplication of RSV, but not of VSV. Under non-permissive conditions, the rhabdoviruses undergo at least part of the infectious cycle, but no infectious virus is produced. RV antigen can be detected in the brain of parenterally infected chicks and VSV antigen in cells infected 15 days previously. We conclude that the inhibition of RSV multiplication and expression is probably due to one or more processes linked to the persistence of rhabdovirus components and that it cannot be attributed exclusively to interferon.

The growth and release of several alphaviruses, including several strains of Sindbis virus (the wild-type strain, the large plaque and small plaque variants of the HR strain, and the HR mutant ts103), Semliki Forest virus(SFV) and Middelburg virus, and of the unrelated rhabdovirus, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), have been compared in chick cells and in BHK-21 cells as a function of the culture conditions for the host cell and the ionic strength of the medium. The small plaque strain of Sindbis HR, as well as SFV, grew better in BHK cells, whereas the large plaque strain of Sindbis HR showed a preference for chick cells. Wild-type Sindbis and VSV grew equally well in either cell. The optimum ionic strength for virus production as well as inhibition of virus release into the medium at low ionic strength depended upon both the virus and the host cell. Thus, VSV grown in medium of low ionic strength gave no additional release of virus on incubation with hypertonic medium (minimum effect), whereas ts103 released very little virus without exposure to hypertonic conditions (maximum effect). The viruses could be ordered as follows: minimum effect = vesicular stomatitis virus < Middelburg virus < Semliki Forest virus < Sindbis wt < Sindbis HR (large plaque) < Sindbis HR (small plaque) < Sindbis ts103 = maximum effect. After several passages in culture, chick cells required hypertonic conditions for optimum production and release of Sindbis virus. Furthermore, BHK cells cultured in different media responded differently to ionic strength for virus production and release. These results suggest that there is a charge-dependent stop in the maturation of alpha-viruses, possibly a configurational rearrangement of glycoprotein E2 upon its formation from the precursor PE2, which is sensitive to the ionic strength of the medium, to the composition of the host plasmalemma and to differences in the virus glycoproteins.

Multiply cloned variants of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) were found to generate/amplify defective interfering (DI) particles at a rate greatly exceeding the rates normally observed for wild-type VSV (or for other mutants of VSV). A single undiluted passage of the first clonal pool of this variant virus produced concentrated visible bands of DI particles on sucrose gradients whereas wild-type and other mutant strains of VSV required from three to six or more serial undiluted passages. Since DI particle amplification by wild-type VSV at each undiluted passage can exceed 10,000-fold enrichment, these variant virus clones were generating/amplifying DI particles many millions of times more rapidly than were wild-type and other mutant strains of VSV. This rate of generation/amplification is so high that it was not feasible to obtain accurate estimates of the rates of generation (or amplification) of these DI particles.

The effect of interferon on the replication of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and type-C oncornavirus in two Balb/c mouse cell lines, JLS-V5 and JLS-V9R, infected with MuLV-R was examined. VSV replication was inhibited threefold (0-5 log10) in both cell lines by 10 to 20 units of interferon/ml. In JLS-V5 cells C-type virus yields, as measured by 3H-uridine incorporation and reverse transcriptase activity, were also reduced threefold by 10 to 20 units of interferon/ml. However, in JLS-V9R cells, C-type virus replication was refractory to interferon at concentrations up to 1 x 10(4) units/ml. Infectious C-type virus transmitted from JLS-V9R cells to Balb/3TS cells was as sensitive to interferon as virus transmitted from JLS-V5 cells, indicating that resistance of C-type virus in JLS-V9R cells is a feature of the cells rather than of the virus strain.

Four natural murine interferon-alpha genes (MuIFN-alpha 1, -alpha 2, -alpha 4 and -alpha 6) and four hybrid genes (alpha 1 alpha 4, alpha 2 alpha 4, alpha 4 alpha 1 and alpha 4 alpha 2) were transiently expressed in monkey COS cells under the transcriptional control of the simian virus 40 early promoter. The proteins were labelled with [35S]methionine during a 16 h incubation and proteins secreted by the cells during this period were separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and subsequently visualized by fluorography. Under the conditions used, the IFNs represented 5 to 10% of the total amount of secreted proteins. All genes were found to encode biologically active IFN subspecies, including alpha 4 which has a deletion of five amino acids. When the specific activities of the proteins were compared, it appeared that the specific antiviral activity of alpha 4 on mouse cells was three- to sixfold higher than the activities of the other natural IFN subspecies. The specific activities of the hybrid proteins were similar to those of the natural proteins, except for the alpha 2 alpha 4 hybrid which had a higher specific activity than the original proteins. The ability of the natural and hybrid subspecies to protect hamster cells against viral infection was determined using MuIFN-alpha 1 as a standard. Large differences in activity were found, with alpha 6 as the most and alpha 4 as the least active subspecies.

A measles virus (Halle SSPE isolate) induced ring plaque phenomenon (concentric rings of living and dead cells) has been shown to be associated with the temperature-dependent production of interfering particles. The interfering particles have been purified by potassium tartrate linear gradient centrifugation and have buoyant densities of 1.15 g/ml (M particle) and 1.06 g/ml (L particle) respectively. Both interfering particle population have been shown to decrease the yield of wild-type measles virus from infected cells by 50% when co-infection experiments were performed. Neither the M or L particle population interfered with the growth of VSV in the same host-cell system.

After an initial acute infection with cell killing, chicken or duck embryo fibroblasts infected in culture with reticuloendotheliosis viruses set up a chronic infection with no cell killing or morphological transformation. Essentially all of the chronically infected cells produced virus. The virus production was not sensitive to cytosine arabinoside or mitomycin C as was virus production in an acute infection. The chronically infected cells had a strong group-specific resistancto the c.p.e. of superinfecting reticuloendotheliosis viruses. However, they were sensitive to vesicular stomatitis virus and avian leukosis-sarcoma viruses. After double infection, single cells produced reticuloendotheliosis virus and avian leukosis-sarcoma virus.

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) was found to multiply efficiently in whole Peregrinus maidis (Ashm.). the leafhopper vector of maize mosaic virus (MMV), a plant rhabdovirus. Insects were inoculated with VSV by means of a microsyringe, collected at 1-day intervals and tested individually for the presence of virus. Exponential virus multiplication occurred within the first 4 days, reaching titres of 10(6) p.f.u. per insect in days 5 to 10 after inoculation. These observations show that a common host is avialable to study the multiplication of a plant and an animal rhabdovirus.

Five human interferon-alpha (leukocyte) subtypes derived from genes cloned in Escherichia coli have been compared for their ability to induce antiviral activity against vesicular stomatitis virus infection of various mammalian cell cultures. These interferons, designated LeIF-A (IFN-alpha 2), -B, -C, -D (IFN-alpha 1) and LeIF-F, show different relative activities when assayed on human, bovine, hamster, mouse, rabbit and monkey cell lines. As with a natural human buffy-coat interferon-alpha preparation, three subtypes (LeIF-B, -C and -D) showed considerable activity on RK-13 rabbit cells, but two (LeIF-D and -F) also showed some activity on mouse L-929 cells. Of the five interferon subtypes examined, LeIF-F demonstrated the highest degree of species specificity.

When transformed human embryonic cells, RSa and RSb, were treated for 48 h with both 10(-7) M-ouabain and 1000 units/ml of human leucocyte inteferon, there was an additive suppression of cell growth. In contrast, the antiviral action of the human interferon was inhibited by this concentration of ouabain. Similar effects of combined treatment with interferon and ouabain were found with IFr cells (which are relatively resistant to the anticellular effect of interferon), and with mouse cells of the K3b line.

Three mouse cell lines (L, 3T3, and SV 3T3) were studied with respect to the elevation of cellular cAMP levels following interferon treatment, and the effect of stimulators of cAMP levels on the antiviral activity of interferon. Interferon treatment resulted in increased cAMP levels in L and 3T3 cells but not in SV 3T3. The antiviral activity of interferon in cells treated with epinephrine and 1-methyl-3-isobutyl xanthine (stimulators of cAMP levels was potentiated in L cells, but not in 3T3 cells and was lost in SV 3T3 cells.

Synthesis of vesicular stomatitis virus RNA and protein is almost completely inhibited in HeLa cells treated with relatively high doses of human fibroblast interferon. With lower concentrations of interferon virus replication is inhibited, but near normal amounts of virus RNA are found in cells infected at a m.o.i. of 10. All the virus RNA species are found in these cells with the exception of genomic size RNA. In contrast, synthesis of all the virus proteins is equally inhibited in proportion to the interferon concentration used to treat the cells. This inhibition is due to a decline in the rate of protein synthesis, which occurs in interferon-treated cells sooner after infection than in untreated cells. The decreased rate of protein synthesis is accompanied by a change in the polysome pattern of infected cells, characterized by polysome run-off and increase in 80S ribosomes. At the same time, a larger proportion of the virus poly(A)-containing RNA is not associated with polysomes in interferon-treated cells than in control cells. The non-polysomal virus RNA has a sedimentation rate identical with that of polysomal virus RNA. Possible causes for the decline in the rate of protein synthesis observed in interferon-treated cells are discussed.

The heterobifunctional reagent N-succinilimidyl 3-(2-pyridylthio)propionate (SPDP) was used for the preparation of a disulphide-linked conjugate between Namalwa lymphoblastoid interferon and serum albumin. The linkage of interferon to albumin did not reduce the ability to protect MDBK cells against infection by vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). The conjugate did not dissociate into free interferon and albumin under conditions prevailing in the assay for interferon activity. The rate of clearance of the interferon-albumin conjugate from the mouse circulatory system was somewhat slower than that of free interferon.

The growth of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) can be inhibited by the antiviral compound tricyclo-decane-9-yl-xanthogenate (D609). On analysing the antiviral mechanism we found no effect on the primary transcription of infecting VSV genomes. In contrast, the processes of replication and transcription during late stages of infection were inhibited. Despite the synthesis of all five virus-coded proteins (41% to 56% of the uninhibited control), as shown by labelling with [35S]methionine, the phosphorylation of the non-structural (NS) protein was reduced in the presence of the xanthate by a factor of at least 17. The pattern of phosphorylation of the bulk of cellular proteins remained unaltered under the same conditions. A relation between a possible loss of biological activity of the NS protein owing to the lack of phosphorylation and the decreased VSV RNA synthesis is suggested.

Human FS-4 cells were exposed to human fibroblast interferon for various times and further incubated in the absence of interferon until challenged with vesicular stomatitis virus. Addition of antibody to fibroblast interferon at the time of removal of interferon did not alter the development of the antiviral state. If cells were exposed to interferon for 45 min at either 0 or 37 degrees C, they developed resistance upon subsequent incubation at 37 degrees C. However, less resistance developed if the cells were initially incubated at 0 degrees C. Our results indicate that a single interaction of fibroblast interferon with susceptible cells, either at 0 or 37 degrees C, is sufficient for the subsequent development of an antiviral state, at least in the short term experiment. The kinetics of development of the antiviral state were compared with fibroblast and leukocyte interferon. The rise in the degree of antiviral resistance was steeper and maximal levels of resistance were reached sooner when FS-4 cells were incubated with increasing concentrations of fibroblast interferon than with leukocyte interferon. This suggests a greater affinity of fibroblast interferon for these cells.

Resistance to superinfection with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) occurred in GL-V3 monkey kidney cells infected with the CVS-11, Pitman Moore, LEP Flury, but not the ERA strain of rabies virus. Specific immunofluorescent staining of intracellular rabies antigen showed that the number and size of fluorescent foci increased after the onset of interference, and that this was paralleled by increasing yields of infectious virus. Although CVS-11 and ERA differed in their ability to induce interference, the virus yields from monolayers infected with either strain were similar. Interference apparently had no effect on the replication or dissemination of the inducing virus, and seems unrelated to the long incubation period or aberrant forms of infection in vivo.

BHK 21 carrier cells persistently infected with VSV Indiana for over 2 years have been shedding generally very low levels of mature infectious virus or mature T particles (averaging less than one-hundredth p.f.u./cell/day) yet most cells are producing virus antigens and are resistant to homologous superinfection. However, large amounts of biologically active T particle RNP can be recovered from cytoplasmic extracts of these carrier cells even at times when they are shedding no detectable infectious virus. This recovered cytoplasmic RNP replicates (with helper B virions) to produce mature T particles, interferes strongly after DEAE dextran-facilitated uptake and, together with B virions, allows the establishment of a persistent carrier state in exposed cells. No 'provirus' DNA copies of the VSV RNA genome are detectable (less than 1/40 copy/cell or I copy per 40 cells) in carrier cells after more than 2 years of persistent infection, and all transfection attempts have failed using DNA from these VSV carriers or DNA from carrier cells persistently infected with some other negative strand RNA viruses (measles, mumps, LCM, influenza, rabies). Infectious viruses shed after more than I year from carrier cells originally infected with wild-type B virions are small plaque mutants showing a slight temperature sensitivity. Cured cell populations can be obtained from the long term VSV carrier culture by cloning in the presence or absence of antiviral antibody.

The direct introduction with micropipettes of poly(rI).poly(rC) into the cytoplasm of several human cell lines inhibited the multiplication of vesicular stomatitis virus. This antiviral activity was at least partly due to interferon (IFN) production and secretion from the injected cells since it was species-specific, partly neutralized by IFN antibodies and was transmissible to non-adjacent cells. This suggests a mechanism of IFN induction involving the internalization of poly(rI).poly(rC) and its interaction with an intracellular target.

The phosphoproteins of vesicular stomatitis virus released from infected Drosophila melanogaster cells were examined. The membrane (M) protein was more phosphorylated than after multiplication in chicken embryo cells, even in Drosophila cell cytoplasm before its association with cellular membranes. Analysis of phosphopeptides generated after partial proteolysis and of phosphoamino acids obtained after complete acid hydrolysis showed that M phosphorylation was quantitatively and qualitatively changed, while NS protein phosphorylation was only slightly modified.

Infection of mouse L cells with VSV leads to the formation of polykaryocytes about 4 to 12 h p.i. When anti-VSV immune serum was added during the course of infection, progression of cell fusion was soon suppressed. Cycloheximide completely suppressed the cell fusion when the drug was added within 1 h p.i., while the cell fusion was not suppressed at all when the drug was added at and after 3 h. Early polykaryocyte formation, 'fusion from without', was observed only at a low level in cells infected at very high multiplicities. The development of cell fusion induced by VSV was found to be different in several cell types, although all these cells produced a rather high yield of virus: L and C-243-3 mouse cell lines showed a high level of polykaryocytosis (80 to 100%), BHK and RK-13 cells responded at low level, and PS and Vero cells showed no cell fusion in response to VSV infection. In PS cells, however, cell fusion occurred when VSV-infected L cells were co-cultivated. From these observations, the mechanism of cell fusion induced by VSV was discussed.

We have isolated and characterized the RNA of intracellular virus nucleocapsids recovered from a number of cell cultures persistently infected with rabies virus or vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). VSV persistent infections in BHK21, L cells and Aedes albopictus (mosquito) cells generally showed the presence of large amounts of defective-interfering (DI) nucleocapsid RNA and much smaller amounts of standard (B) nucleocapsid RNA. Persistent infections of BHK21 cells by two rabies virus strains, challenge virus standard (CVS-11) or HEP-Flury, were followed for several months during which time the ratio of DI to B nucleocapsid RNA cycled dramatically. We also observed coordinated fluctuations in the absolute amount of incorporation of [3H]uridine into virus nucleocapsid RNA. Total incorporation was generally highest following a decrease in the relative amount of DI nucleocapsid RNA synthesis. At no time were DI nucleocapsids absent in any of the persistently infected cultures.

In cultures of Ly cells treated with 10 or 30 reference units/ml of mouse interferon there was a 30 to 200 times reduction in the production of infectious vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV); virus particle production, as measured by VSV particle associated virus RNA, virus protein, and virus transcriptase, was inhibited by, at most, six times. These results suggested that interferon-treated cells produce VSV particles with low infectivity and resemble the findings in interferon-treated cells infected with murine leukaemia viruses.

A focus-forming assay for the quantification of defective interfering (DI) particles of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is described. This assay is based on the procedures described for lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM) virus by Popescu et al. (1976). Under appropriate conditions this focus-forming assay can quantify fewer than 100 DI particles/ml in a preparation containing a large number of infectious particles.

Initiation of treatment with potent interferon preparations (6-4 x 10-6 units per dose) 4 days after intranasal inoculation of VSV (at a time when virus has already multiplied in the brains of most mice) resulted in a marked increase in mouse survival. In a series of 6 experiments only 11 to 18% of control mice survived whereas 52% of interferon treated mice survival. These results suggest the usefulness of exogenous interferon even when treatment is begun late in the course of an acute virus disease.

Inoculation of wild-type (wt) VSV intracerebrally (i.c.) in Swiss weanling mice results in a rapidly fatal illness with death in two to three days. In contrast, i.c. inoculation of temperature-sensitive (ts) VSV mutants G3I and G22, but not ts GII or ts G4I, results in a more slowly progressive central nervous system (CNS) disease with distinct neurological signs. Studies undertaken to evaluate the neurovirulence of ts VSV mutants indicated that the ability of ts mutants to produce pathological changes in the CNS of mice appeared related to their ability to replicate to high titre in brain and spinal cord. However, replication of ts VSV mutants in brain alone was not sufficient to produce clinical illness. More importantly, the ability of ts VSV mutants to replicate at non-permissive temperatures in vitro did not appear to correlate with neurovirulence. VSV harvests from brains and spinal cords of mice infected with each of the ts mutants were temperature-insensitive. In spite of their temperature-insensitivity, the biological behaviour of viruses recovered from CNS tissues was, surprisingly, not that which was characteristic of revertant clones. Virus isolates recovered from infected CNS tissues, despite their temperature-insensitivity, behaved biologically like the orignal stocks of ts mutant virus. These data suggest that temperature-sensitivity is not directly correlated with the unique pathogenesis elicited by infection with ts VSV mutants.

Interferon, like cholera toxin, induces in mouse adrenal YI cells the production of delta 3(4) ketosteroids. In parallel, cyclic AMP (cAMP) is activated. At high concentrations, mouse but not human interferon induces a cell rounding effect, similar to that obtained with cholera toxin. In YI cells transformed by simian adenovirus 7, production of cAMP is still increased by that of steroids is blocked. The role if interferon in these cellular events is discussed.

The virulence of temperature-sensitive mutants of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) injected subcutaneously into newborn hamsters was positively correlated with their tendency to generate revertants and with their leakiness in cultured hamster embryo fibroblasts maintained at 37 degrees C, the measured body temperature of the animals under our experimental conditions. The complementation group of the mutants seemed important only in that it tended to determine reversion frequency and leakiness. One non-reverting group I mutant (T1026), however, was much less virulent than would be expected from its extreme leakiness at body temperature. The disease produced by the less virulent mutants was characterized by neurological symptoms and led to delayed death, unlike the rapid deatth produced by virulent mutants. Infectious virus could be found in higher titres in the brains than in peripheral organs of such animals (with ratios as high as 10(8)). This neurotropism was not correlated with the complementation group of the mutant but was shown to be the consequence of survival for more than 3 days after injection. Age was not responsible for the effect. Animals injected at birth with T1026 were completely resistant to subcutaneous superinfection with the highly virulent wildtype virus HR at 3 to 4 days, though non-T1026-protected animals were completely sensitive. When HR was injected intracerebrally at 3 to 4 days, the T1026-protected animals allowed replication to high titres in the brain but not in peripheral organs, whereas non-T1026-protected animals allowed replication to high titres in both brain and in peripheral organs. We suggest from these results that the observed neurotropism is produced by a resistance mechanism operative in peripheral organs but not in the brain; this resistance develops rapidly in newborn animals on exposure to virus and clears virus from the peripheral organs leaving it in the brain. It is possible that our effect represents a controlled and accelerated induction of the classical peripheral resistance of animals to various viruses which normally develops with age.

Human leucocyte interferon (HuLeIF) was purified by a series of techniques involving precipitation, gel filtration, Cu-chelate-, blue dextran- and antibody-affinity chromatography. The two major species of HuLeIF were identified in SDS-PAGE as two clearly separable and stainable proteins representing 85% of the biological activity. Three more species of HuLeIF representing 15% of the biological activity were also demonstrated. The specific activity of pure interferon proteins was approx. 10(9) IFU/mg protein. Recovery was about 50% and the purification factor exceeded 350000. All five species of HuLeIF had definite anticellular activities when tested with Daudi cells (inhibition of thymidine uptake).

The role of sialic acid in the infection of tissue culture cells and mice with vesicular stomatitis virus has been studied. No loss of infectivity of the Indiana serotype of the virus was detected by incubating with neuraminidase although the virus particles had lost sialic acid as judged by their ability to inhibit the agglutination of red blood cells by influenza virus. The results did not depend on the type of cell used for growth and assay of the virus since essentially similar findings were made in BHK cells, L cells or mice. Similar results were obtained with Brazil virus, a subtype of the Indiana serotype and with the New Jersey serotype. We consider that the sialic acid of the virus which is removed by neuraminidase does not play a major role in the infectivity of the virus.

Co-infection of cells with vesicular stomatitis viruses of the Indiana and New Jersey serotypes results in interference. Using specifically-labelled immunofluorescent antibodies, it was demonstrated that within any one co-infected cell, one virus serotype replicated to the relative exclusion of the other serotype. This result was further substantiated by an examination of the virus serotypes released by infectious centres co-infected with both viruses. Dominance of one serotype over the other was shown to be a function of the relative multiplicity of the two viruses. Superinfection by the second serotype at a higher multiplicity resulted in dominance by the second virus during the early period (up to 1-5 h) post-infection. After this time, the minority virus was able to overcome this dominance. Dominance of the majority virus was also abolished by u.v; inactivation. Cell protein synthesis appeared to be less affected in cells infected with both serotypes than when infection was with a single serotype.

Nude mice injected subcutaneously with normal uninfected BHK 21 cells or HeLa cells regularly develop large, rapidly-growing tumours at the subcutaneous site of inoculation. However, these same tumour cell lines when persistently infected with VSV or other enveloped RNA viruses are either rejected or form small nodules in nude mice. This rejection phenomenon probably involves some type of immunocyte since heavily-irradiated nude mice (500 rads) cannot reject persistently infected cells but develop large, rapidly-growing tumours which shed virus and defective interfering virus (DI) and which do not exhibit the lymphocytic infiltration observed in the nodules of unirradiated mice given persistently infected cells. Finally, it was possible to select a subline of BHK 21-VSV carrier cells which regularly produces large rapidly-growing tumours in normal unirradiated nude mice, although all these carrier cells express virus antigen and shed large amounts of mature infectious virus and DI both in vivo and in vitro.

Vero cells were persistently infected with canine distemper virus by continuous undiluted passage of virus harvests. The cells were refractory to superinfection by both measles virus and canine distemper virus. These persistently infected cells produced and released into the medium a labile component which had a potent and selective inhibitory effect on the replication of canine distemper and measles virus. The inhibitory agent was not inactivated by u.v.-irradiation or sedimented by ultracentrifugation. Antisera against canine distemper virus or SSPE sera were able to block this inhibitory effect. We propose that these persistently infected cells produce an excess of a virus-induced regulatory protein.

A local antiviral effect can be observed when (poly rI)-(poly rC), bound to Visking discs by u.v. irradiation, is incubated with monolayers of human foreskin fibroblast cells. Radioactive labelling of cytosine residues in (poly rI)-(poly rC) with -125I, has provided a much more sensitive method for determining the fate of the insoluble (poly rI)-(poly rC) than has been available hitherto. The antiviral effect is not related to the amount of (poly rI)-(POLY RC) present on the insoluble support but rather to the amount of polynucleotide lost from the support during incubation. Treatment of (poly rI)-(poly rC) which had been bound to cyanogen bromide-activated Sepharose with eigher dilute alkali or pancreatic ribonuclease released virtually all the polynucleotide. A small amount of (poly rI)-(poly rC) is released from the insoluble matrix in the presence of serum-free Minimum Eagle's Medium.

Infectious particle production by temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) was measured in a variety of different host cell types maintained in a state of quiescence or stimulated to proliferate. At permissive temperatures, all ts mutants and the wild-type virus replicated equally well and with the same kinetics in both quiescent and proliferating cells. At semi-permissive temperatures, however, Lts mutants, with temperature-sensitive virion polymerases, showed a delay of about 6 h in infectious particle production relative to wild-type virus in proliferating cells and greater than 16 h in quiescent cells. The effect was specific for the Lts class of mutants and was not seen for representative mutants in any of the four other complementation groups of VSV. Regarding cellular determinants, the effect was correlated only with the growth phase and not with the species of origin, interferon inducibility or with malignant transformation.

Kethoxal bis (thiosemicarbazone) (KTS) inhibited replication of, and plaque formation by, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) in chick embryo cells. No other thiosemicarbazones tested were effective. Virus-specific m-RNA and protein synthesis were inhibited by KTS. However, virion RNA-dependent RNA synthesis was not inhibited by the drug. Treatment of VSV virions directly with KTS produced enhancement, rather than inactivation, of plaque formation. KTS inhibited cellular DNA and RNA synthesis by 67 and 25% respectively. Since cellular DNA and RNA synthesis are not required for VSV replication, the inhibition of these processes is probably unrelated to the antivirial activity of KTS. Cellular protein synthesis was inhibited 24% by KTS. Unexpectedly, synthesis of four proteins was induced in KTS-treated uninfected cells.

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) induces polykaryocytes in rat embryonic fibroblasts transformed by the Prague strain of Rous sarcoma virus (XC cells). The cell fusion requires the uncoating of the virus in the cell, the synthesis of normally structured G and M proteins and their incorporation into the cell membrane. The synthesis of fully infectious virus is unnecessary. In addition to these antigens, a special yet undefined constitution of the host membrane is also important. With thermosensitive mutants non-defective for G and M antigens, cell fusion is much more extensive at the non-permissive temperature (39-6 degrees C) than at the permissive one (31 degrees C). The importance of these two antigens is also shown using rifampicin-sensitive mutants. We postulate that these two antigens induce in the cell membrane an imbalance in the distribution of phospholipids which then diffuse through membrane junctions to surrounding cells, provoking thereafter the cell fusion.

Simultaneous treatment of mouse cells with interferon and vitamin A (retinoic acid) resulted in an inhibition of interferon action. Increasing concentrations of calf serum decreased the inhibitory effect of retinoic acid on interferon action. Treatment of interferon with retinoic acid prior to the assay for interferon activity also resulted in a loss of interferon activity. Since the residual retinoic acid present after dilution of the interferon for assay was not sufficient to interfere with the assay, it is presumed that interferon and retinoic acid must interact in some fashion to inhibit interferon activity. Calf serum prevented the apparent interaction of retinoic acid and interferon. The loss of interferon activity which resulted from treatment of interferon with retinoic acid was dependent on temperature and time of incubation. Retinyl acetate (acetate ester of vitamin A) and retinal (vitamin A adehyde) only slightly inhibited interferon activity, while retinoic acid (vitamin A acid) and retinol (vitamin A alcohol) were similarly effective at inhibiting interferon activity. Another fat soluble vitamin, vitamin K1, did not inhibit interferon activity.