Differential effect of interferon on glycoprotein and membrane protein of vesicular stomatitis virus released from murine and simian cells.

Previous studies by Maheshwari et al. have indicated that vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) released from interferon (IFN)-treated mouse L-929 (L) cells was structurally defective. Such virions had significantly smaller amounts of glycoprotein (G) and membrane protein (M). Olden et al. recently reported, however, that they were not able to repeat the findings of Maheshwari et al. We have examined the effect of IFN on VSV released from three different cell lines and observed that treatment of L-cells and secondary mouse embryo (ME) cells with an amount of mouse IFN that reduced infectious virus yield 100-fold, led to the release of VSV with reduced amounts of G and M proteins. However, at concentrations of IFN less than this concentration, this effect was not observed. In contrast, VSV released from human (Hu)IFN-treated primate BSC-1, cells showed no reduction in their G and M protein even at concentrations resulting in 400-fold decreases in infectious virus yield.