Heterogeneity of vesicular stomatitis virus particles: implications for virion assembly.
Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) particles formed at early times after infection contain only one-third the amount of viral glycoportein (G protein), relative to the major internal structural proteins M and N, as is found in particles released later. These "early" particles also have a lower density in equilibrium sucrose gradients than do those formed later; however, the sedimentation velocity and specific infectivity of these two classes of particles are the same. VSV-infected cells also release virus-like particles which sediment considerably faster than authentic virions and contain a higher-than-normal proportion of the VSV G protein relative to internal VSV proteins. These particles have a reduced specific infectivity but a normal density in sucrose gradients. All classes of VSV virions contain a constant proportion of M and N polypeptides. The ratio of G protein to M or N protein, in contrast, can vary over a sixfold range; this implies that an interaction between a precise number of surface G proteins with either of the underlying M and N proteins is not a prerequisite for budding of infectious viral particles from the cell surface.
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis*; D000882:Haplorhini; D007668:Kidney; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / Q000032:analysis* / Q000254:growth & development; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D014771:Virion / Q000032:analysis*; D014779:Virus Replication
D006023:Glycoproteins; D014764:Viral Proteins