Membrane fusion as a mechanism of simian virus 40 entry into different cellular compartments.

Permissive and nonpermissive simian virus 40 (SV40)-infected cells were ultrastructurally analyzed. Viral particles were found in the cytoplasm, rough endoplasmic reticulum, nuclear envelope, lysosomes, and mitochondria. Upon entering the cell the virion obtains a tight membrane envelope. It seems to be either released from the envelope upon fusion with other membranes of the cell or aggregated into tubular membrane specializations upon fusion with other membrane-enveloped particles. Reconstructed morphological sequences and the finding of SV40 in different spaces of the cell suggest that entry of SV40 into the different compartments and eventually into the site of replication is facilitated by its capacity for being enveloped by a variety of membranes (notably the cell membrane and the nuclear membrane) and the sequential fusion and fission of these membranes.