The nature of toxins of herpes simplex virus. I. Syncytial giant cell producing components in tissue culture

Characterization of fusion from without induced by herpes simplex virus

The process of fusion from without (FFWO) induced by herpes simplex virus (HSV) was analyzed by using various inhibitors and compared to fusion from within (FFWI). The fate of certain elements of the cytoskeleton after FFWO was also investigated. Our experiments demonstrate FFWO as a very suitable system for study of early virus-cell interactions. Zn++ ions proved inhibitory for penetration whilst pretreatment of cells with Ca++ ions before infection enhanced FFWO activity. Dissociation of penetration from the fusion process itself was possible by use of Zn++ ions, low pH-treatment and antiserum on the one hand and N-ethylmaleimide and cytochalasin D on the other. Penetration itself needs only 6 min or less to proceed. FFWO is independent of inhibitors of glycosylation (tunicamycin) and intracellular vesicular traffic (monensin), protein-synthesis (cycloheximide) and energy-delivery (2.4 dinitrophenol and Na-azide). Analyzed strains of HSV-1 and -2 producing FFWI could be subgrouped into three categories: Strain ANG with high, strain HFEM and Lux with low and strains IES, Len, MP, US with no FFWO activity. The results of these experiments indicate that the property of FFWO is not purely a consequence of the number of PFU but depends on certain inherent properties of the virus particles. Addition of heparin as well as treatment of cells with heparitinase effectively prevented FFWO, indicating identical virus receptors for entrance of virus into cells and FFWO. During our studies several calf sera were found to inhibit FFWO-activity. Inhibition of FFWO by a glycoconjugate (ferritin coupled with oleic acid) indicates specific stereochemical hindrance of FFWO by this compound. Shortly after FFWO the actin filaments rearrange to form long fibres and surface fibronectin is being lost from the cell membrane.

In vitro cytopathology and pathogenicity to inbred mice shown by five variants of a laboratory strain of type 1 herpes simplex virus

The in vitro cytopathology and the neurovirulence to inbred mice demonstrated by five variants originally derived from one laboratory strain (Miyama) of type 1 herpes simplex virus (HSV-1) were studied comparatively. Three of the variants are syncytial [+GC (LPV), +GC (SPV), +GC (81)] and two are non-syncytial [-GCr and -GCf]. The size of plaques produced by the five variants was found to be in the order of +GC (LPV) greater than +GC (81) greater than +GC (SPV) greater than -GCf greater than -GCr. The pathogenicity of these variants was compared in three kinds of inbred mice (AKR, C 3 H/He and C 57 BL) after intraperitoneal (IP) or intracerebral (IC) inoculation. The +GC (LPV) variant was the most virulent as shown by the highest mortality of mice by either route of inoculation. The other four variants caused death of mice only after IC inoculation, and among these variants, +GC (81) was shown to be the most virulent. These data indicate that so far as these five variants of the Miyama strain of HSV-1 are concerned, neurovirulence is positively correlated with their cell fusion activity or the size of plaques which they produce. Pre-IP-inoculation with any of the less virulent variants [-GCr, +GC (SPV) and +GC (81)] protected mice from subsequent lethal infection with +GC (LPV) by the same route of inoculation.

Genetic studies of cell fusion induced by herpes simplex virus type 1

Eight cell fusion-causing syn mutants were isolated from the KOS strain of herpes simplex virus type 1. Unlike the wild-type virus, the mutants produced plaques containing multinucleated cells, or syncytia. Fusion kinetics curves were established with a Coulter Counter assay for the mutants and wild-type virus in single infections of human embryonic lung (HEL) cells, for the mutants and wild-type virus in mixed infections (dominance test), and for pairs of mutants in mixed infections (complementation test). In single infections, fusion began 4 to 6 h after infection and proceeded with an exponential decrease in the number of small single cells. At some later time that was characteristic of the mutant, there was a significant reduction in the rate of fusion for all but possibly one of the mutants. Although the wild-type virus did not produce syncytial plaques, it did induce a small amount of fusion that stopped abruptly about 2 h after it started. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that both mutants and wild type induce an active fusion inducer and that the activity of this inducer is subsequently inhibited. The extent of fusion is apparently determined by the length of the interval during which the fusion inducer is active. That fusion is actively inhibited in wild-type infections is indicated by the observation that syn mutant-infected cells fused more readily with uninfected cells than with wild-type infected cells. Fusion was decreased in mixed infections with the mutants and wild-type virus, but the mutants displayed a codominant fusion phenotype. Fusion was not decreased in mixed infection with pairs of mutants, indicating that the mutants, with one possible exception, are members of the same complementation group. A linkage map was established for six of the mutants by analysis of recombination frequencies.