Nuclear accumulation of measles virus nucleoprotein associated with a temperature-sensitive mutant.

A measles virus (MV) Lec strain conditional-lethal (temperature-sensitive) mutant, designated MV ts38, has been isolated from 5-fluorouracil-mutagenized stock. The mutant has been characterized with regard to growth characteristics at 32 degrees C (permissive temperature) and 39 degrees C (non-permissive temperature). Virus-specific RNA transcription and/or translation appeared to be blocked at the non-permissive temperature as no virus-specific products could be detected by biochemical or immunological procedures. Following initiation of viral replication at 32 degrees C, with subsequent shift-up to 39 degrees C, presynthesized nucleoprotein (NP) was transported to, and accumulated in the cell nucleus whereas other viral proteins could not be detected there. A corresponding accumulation of NP in the nucleus is most often seen in association with MV neurotropic subacute sclerosing panencephalitis isolates in vivo and in vitro.