title: A host restriction-based selection system for influenza haemagglutinin transfectant viruses.
abstract: During the 1996 influenza epidemic in Vienna we obtained influenza A virus specimens (Vienna/47/96, Vienna/81/96) which grow efficiently in African green monkey kidney (Vero) cells but not in embryonated chicken eggs. Amplification of the specimens in Vero cells resulted in progeny that agglutinated human but not chicken erythrocytes. Reassortment analysis suggested that the haemagglutinin (HA) might be responsible for the host restriction. Vero cells were infected with the Vienna/47/96 virus and then transfected with reconstituted ribonucleoprotein complexes containing HA genes from egg-adapted strains. Subsequent selective passages in embryonated chicken eggs resulted in selection of transfectant viruses, growing in eggs and containing the transfected HAs. The results demonstrate that host restriction of the Vero-adapted Vienna/47/96 virus is due to its HA. Moreover, the experiments showed that the Vienna/47/96 strain can be used as helper virus for reverse genetics experiments.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Microbiology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grassauer
authors.forename: A Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Egorov
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ferko
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Romanova
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Katinger
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muster
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D002642:Chick Embryo; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004279:DNA, Viral; D004285:Dogs; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014162:Transfection; D014709:Vero Cells
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus