Persistent Infection of BSC-1 Cells by Defective Measles Virus Derived From Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis

Abstract

A line of cells (IP-3), persistently infected with defective measles virus, was developed from co-cultures of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis-derived brain cells with monkey kidney cells (BSC-1). The line, carried for more than 45 serial passages, produced neither infectious virus nor hemagglutinin. Cultures consistently displayed a cycling focal cytopathic pattern of infection characterized by formation of syncytia, necrosis, and plaques followed by healing. Fluorescent measles antigen was present in damaged areas only, especially in syncytia. The development of syncytia was suppressed by measles antibody. Syncytia were lysed by antibody plus rabbit complement. A variant noncytopathic subline (IP-3-Ca) was derived from the 16th passage. Infectious virus was not detected. Cells were minimally positive for hemadsorption. Fluorescent measles antigen was present in all cells. Co-cultures of IP-3-Ca cells with normal BSC-1 cells developed massive syncytia and extensive destruction. The IP-3-Ca cells multiplied in the presence of measles antibodies and were destroyed by antibodies plus complement. The possible relevance of these findings to the pathogenesis of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is discussed.

Hemadsorption Expressed by Cloned H Genes from Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE) Viruses and Their Possible Progenitor Measles Viruses Isolated in Osaka, Japan

“…On the other hand, little information has been accumulated on the H protein of SSPE virus. Of several SSPE virus isolates (3,6,10,15,18,19,30,33), only the two isolates were reported to induce adsorption of African green monkey red blood cells (AGM-RBCs) to the infected cells, namely positive HAD. We also have recently isolated three SSPE strains from three SSPE patients (22).…”

Measles virus and its associated diseases.

“…In competition hybridization experiments, Hall and ter Meulen (123) found that measles mRNA competed 100% with SSPE mRNA when hybridized to measles genomic RNA, but only 90% competition was observed with SSPE genomes; these authors interpret the data to infer that the SSPE genome is identical to measles, but that it also contains 10% additional information. In addition, some ofthe SSPE viruses remain more cell associated and establish cell lines that fail to release infectious virus (39,76,79,344,369). Electron microscope studies have provided evidence that such infections may be maintained by cell-to-cell transmission of nucleocapsids (159,344).…”

Mode of Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE) Virus Infection in Tissue Culture Cells: III. Neurovirulence of Cell‐Free SSPE Viruses of Niigata‐1, Kitaken‐1, and Biken Strains

“…Measles virus-like agents have been isolated from the brains of patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) by cocultivation of the brain cells with susceptible cells (1-6, 8-10, 13, 17,20). Most of the isolated agents were strictly cell-associated and thought to be defective in production of cell-free infectious viruses (3,5,6,10,14,18,20). On the other hand, some of the isolates produced infectious viruses in the same way as conventional measles virus (7,16).…”

“…The second group releases only a small amount of virus and most of the infectious agents remain cell associated (20). The third group, in which the original properties of SSPE virus seem to have been well preserved (21,23,26), is thought to be defective in the production of cell-free virus (4,6,7,14,18,22,24). The Niigata-l, Kitaken-l, and Biken strains which cover M .…”