Abstract
THE mechanism of virus induced cell fusion is not clear. Among others, Sendai virus1,2 and Newcastle disease virus3 have been used to induce cell fusion; both viruses belong to the myxovirus group. In the early stages of fusion the virus is absorbed onto the cell surface and cytoplasmic bridges are formed between adjacent cells4. Okada5 has measured the haemolytic, haemagglutination and sialidase activities of Sendai virus, but found that the ability of the virus to fuse cells together could not be correlated with these activities. Kohn6,7 has investigated the effect of modified Newcastle disease virus on animal cells and found that fusion was prevented only when the lipid membrane of the virus was hydrolysed. Kohn6 also found that treatment of the cells with neuraminidase before the addition of virus also prevented fusion. The presence of sialic acid residues in the cell wall has been described by Kraemer8 and these residues could be the site of action of neuraminidase. The myxoviruses have a lipoprotein surface with mucopolysaccharide “haemagglutination spikes”9 and it is thought that the neuraminidase is situated between these spikes, as appears to be the case for influenza virus10.
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SPENCER, T. Action of Sendai Virus and Neuraminidase on the Alkaline Phosphatase Isoenzymes of HeLa Cells. Nature 215, 985–986 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/215985a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/215985a0
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