A Model for Persistent Murine Coronavirus Infection Involving Maintenance via Cytopathically Infected Cell Centres

• Published in: Journal of general virology 1989-03, Vol.70 (3), p.763-768
• Main Authors: Macintyre, Georgina, Wong, Fred, Anderson, Robert
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Coronaviridae Infections - drug therapy; Coronaviridae Infections - etiology; Coronaviridae Infections - microbiology; Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral - drug effects; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hepatitis, Viral, Animal - drug therapy; Hepatitis, Viral, Animal - etiology; Hepatitis, Viral, Animal - microbiology; Hygromycin B - therapeutic use; L Cells (Cell Line); Mice; Microbiology; Murine hepatitis virus - drug effects; Murine hepatitis virus - metabolism; Replicative cycle, interference, host-virus relations, pathogenicity, miscellaneous strains; Viral Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Viral Proteins - biosynthesis; Virology
• ISSN: 0022-1317; 1465-2099
• DOI: 10.1099/0022-1317-70-3-763

Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada The relatively cell impermeable hygromycin B was found to inhibit viral but not cellular protein synthesis when added to cultures of murine hepatitis virus (MHV)-infected or mock-infected mouse L-2 fibroblasts. Membrane permeability, as judged by influx of sodium ions, has previously been demonstrated to be an MHV E2 glycoprotein-mediated, cytopathic effect of MHV infection in L-2 cells. It is therefore likely that the selective effect of hygromycin B on viral protein synthesis is a reflection of an increased drug penetration into virus-infected cells. Using hygromycin B as a marker for MHV-induced cell membrane cytopathology, the effects of drug treatment on a persistent MHV infection in mouse LM-K fibroblasts were investigated. MHV persistence in LM-K cells, which normally involves a steady state infection of 0.1 to 1% of the cells in culture, was found to be cured by hygromycin B treatment, as measured by the elimination of infectious virus from the supernatant medium. Hygromycin B also resulted in the eradication of MHV-specific RNA from LM-K cells, arguing against the presence of a non-cytopathically or latently infected subpopulation of cells. Keywords: murine hepatitis virus, persistent infection, hygromycin B Received 8 July 1988; accepted 7 November 1988.