Isolation and study of temperature-sensitive mutants of rabies virus.
One-hundred and seventeen temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants have been isolated from the challenge virus strain (CVS) of rabies virus (RV). The criterion used for this selection was the absence of plaque-forming units on CER cells under agarose medium at the non-permissive temperature (NPT) of 38.5 degrees C. Of these mutants, 102 were induced by 5-fluorouracil. This compound was much more effective as a mutagen than either nitrous acid or the alkylating agents ethyl methanesulphonate and methyl methanesulphonate. Seventy-six of the ts mutants exhibited residual multiplication at NPT which was less than 2% of that of the wild-type virus. Attempts to demonstrate complementation were unsuccessful, although three phenotypic groups have been established by biochemical and immunological tests. Possible reasons for the failure to obtain complementation are discussed.
D005020:Ethyl Methanesulfonate; D005472:Fluorouracil; D005814:Genes, Viral; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D009154:Mutation; D009608:Nitrous Acid; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013696:Temperature; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay
D005020:Ethyl Methanesulfonate; D009608:Nitrous Acid; D005472:Fluorouracil