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Biomedical subjects

S Schlesinger

Publications and source records attributed to S Schlesinger.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Growth of enveloped RNA viruses in a line of chinese hamster ovary cells with deficient N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase activity.

Sindbis and vesicular stomatitis viruses were grown in a line (termed 15B) of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells that is deficient in a specific UDP-N-acetyl-glucosamine:glycoprotein N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase. Both viruses replicated normally in the cell line, but the glycoproteins of the released virus migrated faster on sodium didecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels than did glycoproteins of virus grown in parent CHO cells. Digestion of the viral glycoproteins with Pronase followed by gel filtration demonstrated that the glycoproteins with Pronase followed by gel filtration demonstrated that the glycopeptides of Sinbis-15B virus were much smaller than the glycopeptides of Sindbis-CHO virus. In addition, Sindbis-15B viral glycopeptides but not Sindbis-CHO viral glycopeptides contained terminal alpha-mannose residues as shown by their susceptibility to alpha-mannosidase digestion. These findings demonstrate that the oligosaccharide units of the glycoproteins of vesicular stomatitis and Sinbis viruses are altered when the viruses are grown in 15B cells. We conclude that the N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase that is missing in 15B cells normally participates in the biosynthesis of the oligosaccharide units of the viral glycoproteins, and in the absence of this enzyme incomplete oligosaccharide chanis are produced. Viruses released from 15B cells appear to retain full infectivity; Sindbis-15B virus, however, showed a significant decrease in hemagglutination titer compared with that of Sindbis-CHO virus.

Animals↗

Defective particles in alphavirus infections.

This article summarizes our studies with defective-interfering particles of Sindbis virus obtained by high multiplicity passaging of the virus in BHK cells. Cells infected with these defective passages accumulate a species of RNA (20S) at the expense of 26S RNA--the mRNA coding for the viral structural proteins. Although the structure of the RNA in defective particles remains undefined, our studies of replicative forms and replicative intermediates suggest that it is larger than the intracellular 20S RNA. The defective particles are unable to synthesize detectable amounts of viral structural proteins when they infect a cell in the absence of standard virus and they do not contribute to the stimulation of intracellular viral RNA synthesis. We have proposed a model for the mechanism of interference by these defective particles in which standard and defective RNAs compete for a limited amount of viral-specific replicase.

Cell Line↗

Defective interfering passages of Sindbis virus: nature of the intracellular defective viral RNA.

BHK cells infected with defective-interfering passages of Sindbis virus accumulate a species of RNA (20S) that is about half the molecular weight of the major viral mRNA (26S). We have performed competitive hybridization experiments with these species of RNA and have established that 20S RNA contains approximately 50% of the nucleotide sequences present in 26S RNA. Our further studies, however, demonstrate that 20S RNA is unable to carry out the messenger function of 26S RNA. We found very little of the defective RNA associated with polysomes in vivo. In addition, it was unable to stimulate protein synthesis in vitro under conditions in which 26S RNA was translated. We have also examined viral RNA synthesis in BHK cells infected with standard or defective-interfering passages of Sindbis virus. This comparison suggests that defective partioles do not synthesize a functional replicase.

Animals↗

Large-molecular-weight precursors of sindbis virus proteins.

Infection of chicken embryo fibroblasts with a temperature-sensitive mutant of Sindbis virus at the nonpermissive temperature leads to the accumulation of a large-molecular-weight protein. We have shown that this protein contains (14)C-arginine tryptic peptides present in the three virion proteins. We have also found that a slightly smaller protein which is detected in Sindbis-infected BHK cells contains the (14)C-arginine tryptic peptides of the two envelope proteins but not those of the capsid protein. Pulse-chase experiments indicate that the Sindbis virus protein in BHK cells is cleaved to the envelope proteins.

Animals↗

Defective interfering passages of Sindbis virus: chemical composition, biological activity, and mode of interference.

Defective interfering (DI) particles of Sindbis virus, appearing between the eighth and fourteenth passages, cosediment with and have the same buoyant density as standard virus. Virion RNA from such late passages is heterogeneous by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, whereas early passage RNA is homogeneous. No differences were found in the virion proteins from such passages. Cells co-infected with early and late passage virus synthesize as much intracellular viral-specific RNA and protein as is made after infection with early passage virus alone, although virus production is inhibited by 90% or more. Such cells synthesize two new intracellular species of RNA with molecular weights of 2.2 x 10(6) and 0.86 x 10(6). Nucleocapsid assembly is blocked in these cells, and the amount of intracellular capsid protein made is reduced by 50%. The presence of a new intracellular protein in late passage infection was detected by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Animals↗

Formation of Sindbis virus proteins: identification of a precursor for one of the envelope proteins.

Exposure of Sindbis virus-infected chicken embryo cells to a short pulse of radioactive amino acids revealed the formation of primarily three proteins: the nucleocapsid (C) of the virus, one of the viral envelope proteins (E1), and a glycoprotein that did not appear in the virion. This third protein (PE2) has now been identified as a precursor of the other viral envelope protein (E2) on the basis of two observations: (i) the simultaneous disappearance of radioactive PE2 and appearance of labeled E2 in pulse-chase experiments, and (ii) the identity of (14)C-arginine tryptic peptides in fingerprints of the two proteins. The nucleocapsid was the most heavily labeled protein in the cell and appeared in the virus during the short pulse. The two (14)C-labeled envelope proteins, although having different kinetics of labeling in the cell, appeared simultaneously in the virus only after the chase. Addition of pactamycin, a drug inhibiting initiation of protein synthesis, preferentially inhibited the formation of capsid protein Assuming that Sindbis virus proteins are formed initially as a single polypeptide, our studies locate the nucleocapsid at the amino-terminal end of the polypeptide chain.

Amino Acids↗