Association of the cytopathic effect of sindbis virus with increased fatty acid saturation.

The effect of Sindbis virus on cell leakiness, as measured by chromium release, and on the fatty acids in chick embryo fibroblasts and Vero cells was studied. The appearance of the cytopathic effect in both cell types coincided with virus replication, increased cell leakiness and relative increase in saturated eighteen carbon fatty acid (C18:0, stearic acid) compared to the eighteen carbon unsaturated fatty acids (C18UFA). It is postulated that the increase in cell leakiness and the appearance of cytopathic effect could be the result of a physical change in the lipids of the cell membrane brought about by the increase in the saturation of the eighteen carbon fatty acids.