Modification and exploitation of a poliovirus-induced membrane complex by superinfecting ME virus.

The replication of Mouse Elberfeld (ME) virus was accelerated when HEp-2 cells were mixedly infected with poliovirus in the presence of guanidine. The latent period of the replication of ME virus was shortened by 3 h when cells were preinfected for at least 2 h with poliovirus and inhibited by guanidine. Simultaneous infection with poliovirus and ME virus resulted in a shortening by 1 h of the latent period of ME virus replication. The accelerated replication of ME virus was shown to be due to modification and exploitation of a membrane complex induced by poliovirus in the presence of guanidine; on superinfection ME virus successively modified this poliovirus-induced complex of 470S ("light' complex) into a "heavy' complex of 700S specific for ME virus.