MDCK cell cultures supplemented with high concentrations of trypsin exhibit remarkable susceptibility to influenza C virus.
Multiplication of influenza C virus in MDCK cell cultures increased with increasing concentrations of trypsin up to 160 micrograms/ml, whereas maximum growth of influenza A virus in the same culture was observed at a concentration of 10 micrograms/ml. In the presence of 160 micrograms of trypsin per ml MDCK cells showed the same or even higher susceptibility to various strains of influenza C virus compared with HMV-II cells, a human melanoma cell line that has been reported to have high susceptibility to the virus. Complete cleavage of the HE precursor protein of MDCK-grown influenza C virus into HE1 and HE2 subunits was achieved by trypsin at a concentration of 160 micrograms/ml, whereas only partial cleavage was observed at 10 micrograms/ml. The present results thus demonstrate that MDCK cell cultures supplemented with trypsin at a concentration of 160 micrograms/ml become highly susceptible to influenza C virus.
Yamaoka
M
M
Division of Microbiology, Hyogo Prefectural Institute of Public Health, Japan.
Homma
M
M
Hotta
H
H
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004285:Dogs; D006801:Humans; D009982:Gammainfluenzavirus / Q000502:physiology*; D007668:Kidney / Q000821:virology; D008545:Melanoma / Q000821:virology; D014357:Trypsin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D014357:Trypsin