title: Vesicular stomatitis virus induces apoptosis at early stages in the viral cycle and does not depend on virus replication.
abstract: We detected apoptosis induction in the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infected mammalian cell lines Vero-76, Cos-7, and BHK-21. Cell lines were analyzed by chromosomal DNA fragmentation and nuclear morphology. In order to determine the step in the viral cycle at which apoptosis of infected cells is triggered, chemical and physical agents were used to block viral infection at different times and then the apoptotic response of infected cells was examined. The treatment of Vero-76 infected cells with a lysosomotrophic agent, such as NH4Cl, was shown to abrogate virus apoptosis induction. On the other hand, VSV-induced apoptosis was not blocked by the presence of cycloheximide, suggesting that the de novo viral protein synthesis is not required for this process. UV-inactivated viruses were also capable of inducing apoptosis in Vero-76 cells, indicating that the activation of a programmed cell death process by VSV does not require viral replication. We conclude from these findings that VSV induces apoptosis at early stages of infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, Laboratory of Virology, Faculty of Science, University of Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón II, Piso 4, Buenos Aires, Argentina. pat@qb.fcen.uba.ar
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gadaleta
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vacotto
authors.forename: Félix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Coulombié
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014709:Vero Cells; D014721:Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins