Effect of beta-decay of radionuclides incorporated into influenza virus RNA and proteins on the infectivity of the virus and antigenicity of its nucleoprotein.
The effect of beta-decay of radionuclides incorporated into influenza virus on the properties of the two closely adjacent structures--RNA and nucleoprotein (NP)--was studied. The long-term storage of 3H-uridine labelled influenza virus was shown to lead to the loss of infectivity. This effect may be explained by lethal intra-molecular modifications of viral RNA, caused by beta-decay of 3H incorporated into the molecule. There was an accompanying decrease of monoclonal antibody (MAB) binding activity, this also being a plausible result of beta-decay. The different rates of inactivation of MAB binding activity of different epitopes of NP of the 3H-labelled virus shown in our studies suggest that there are different types of structural organization or different location of these epitopes in the NP. The effect of 3H-decay on the intracellular RNA of reproducing virus lead to a decrease in virus yield; this may be due to radiation- and transmutation-induced damage of messenger and progeny RNA populations synthesized during the infection. The storage of influenza virus labelled with 14C-aminoacids lead to a decrease in MAB binding activity of the NP that was unaccompanied by a decrease in infectivity. Furthermore, 14C-decay in proteins of reproducing virus had no adverse effect.
D.I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology, Academy of Medical Sciences of the U.S.S.R., Moscow.
E N
EN
Prokudina
N P
NP
Semyonova
S S
SS
Yamnikova
V M
VM
Zhdanov
D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000528:radiation effects*; D009698:Nucleoproteins / Q000528:radiation effects*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000528:radiation effects*; D014316:Tritium; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000528:radiation effects*
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D009698:Nucleoproteins; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins; D014316:Tritium