[Reasons for development of chromosome aberrations in cells of a culture of human embryonal fibroblasts infected with herpes simplex virus].

The object of this investigation was the role of lysosomic and virus-induced aberrations in cells of the culture of embryonic human fibroblasts infected with herpes simplex virus. It was established that the frequency of cells with chromosomal abnormalities in infected cultures in 4 and 9 hours after infection was 15,2% and 23,7% respectively, being 2% in the control culture. Stablization of lysosomal membranes with hydrocortisone or the inhibition of lysosome enzymes by trypan blue resulted in the decrease of the proportion of aberrant cells down to the control level in 4 hours after the infection, while in 9 hours after the infection it was higher, than in the control, although significantly lower, than in the cultures infected with the virus, but not subjected to any treatment suppressing the mutagenic effect of the virus. The suppression of the transcription of the viral genome by actinomycin D did not decrease the proportion of aberrant cells in 4 hours after the infection, while in 9 hours after the infection it was significantly lower, than in the infected cultures not treated with actinomycin D, but higher, than in the control. Simultaneous suppression of the effect of virus-induced enzymes by actinomycin D and lysosome enzymes by hydrocortisone or trypan blue decreased efficiently the proportion of aberrant cells down to the control level both after 4 and after 9 hours following the infection. Apparently chromosome aberrations in embryonic human fibroblasts infected with herpes simplex virus are caused both by lysosomal and by virus-induced enzymes. Possibly in different virus-cell systems the relative role of these two factors can be considerably different from one another.