Neuroblastoma cell fusion by a temperature-sensitive mutant of vesicular stomatitis virus.
A temperature sensitive mutant of vesicular stomatitis virus which does not mature properly when grown at 39 degrees C promoted extensive fusion of murine neuroblastoma cells at this nonpermissive temperature. Polykaryocytes apparently formed as a result of fusion from within the cells that requires low doses of infectious virions for its promotion and is dependent on viral protein synthesis. Although 90% of infected N-18 neuroblastoma cells were fused by 15 h after infection, larger polykaryocytes continued to form, leading to an average of 28 nuclei per polykaryocyte as a result of polykaryocytes fusing to each other. Two neuroblastoma cell lines have been observed to undergo fusion, whereas three other cell lines (BHK-21, CHO, and 3T3) were incapable of forming polykaryocytes, suggesting that nervous system-derived cells are particularly susceptible to vesicular stomatitis virus-induced fusion. Although the normal assembly of the protein components of this virus is deficient at 39 degrees C, the G glycoprotein was inserted into the infected cell membranes at this temperature. Two lines of evidence suggest that the expression of G at the cell surface promotes this polykaryocyte formation: (i) inhibition of glycosylation, which may be involved in the migration of the G protein to the cellular plasma membranes, will inhibit the cell fusion reaction; (ii) addition of antiserum, directed toward the purified G glycoprotein, will also inhibit cell fusion.
D000818:Animals; D002459:Cell Fusion; D002460:Cell Line; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000473:pathology; D013696:Temperature; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014779:Virus Replication
D006023:Glycoproteins; D014764:Viral Proteins