Interaction of N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) with owl monkey kidney cells in enhancing the yields of Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS) and its antigens.

Pre- and posttreatment with N-methyl-N'-nitro-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) of owl monkey kidney (OMK) cells infected with Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS) resulted in one to three logs higher yields of virus, depending upon the dose of MNNG. A higher percentage of cells also showed HVS early antigen (EA) and late antigen (LA) by immunofluorescence when OMK cells infected with HVS were fed with medium containing MNNG. The high yields of HVS were also observed by electron microscopy. MNNG did not induce HVS-EA in HVS nonproducer lymphoblastoid T cells, nor did it enhance TPA-induced EA to LA. The data suggest that MNNG could be useful in obtaining high yields of virus and/or antigen-producing cells for immunofluorescence or other biochemical experiments, especially from those strains of HVS which grow poorly in vitro. The interaction of MNNG and HVS could also be useful for in vitro transformation or in vivo enhancement of the malignant process.