Comparison of antibody response in mice to Sendai virus exposed to disulfide bonds splitting or U.V. irradiation.

The effect of treating Sendai Virus with reducing agents as dithiothreitol (DTT) or with ultraviolet (U.V.)--irradiation, upon the induction of an immune response in Balb/c mice, was studied. Humoral immune response was assessed measuring the haemolysis inhibiting (HLI) antibody titre in serum 1 and 2 weeks after injection. The native viral particles elicited an HLI antibody titre proportional to the amount of viral proteins injected in the range of 8-300 micrograms. The U.V.--irradiation of viral inoculum produced a 6-7 fold decrease in HLI antibody titre even raising the injected dose to 740 micrograms. Similarly, dithiothreitol treatment, which abolishes binding and fusogenic properties of Sendai virus particles, affected the HLI antibody titre about 2-6 fold.