Ultrastructural characterization of cytomegalovirus infected and interferon producing human foreskin cells

Abstract

Published work indicates that human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is sensitive to the action of beta interferon (HuIFNb) and can induce the production of INF in cultures of human foreskin (HF) cells. These findings are consistent with a role for endogenous IFN in the establishment and maintenance of persistent CMV infections. Moreover HF cells can be primed with IFN and these primed cells can be induced to produce large concentrations of IFN after exposure to CMV. These findings support the hypothesis formulated to explain the larger-than-expected concentrations of IFN detected in cultures exposed to low MOIs (<0.01), namely, that the phenomenon observed involved endogenous priming, that is production of IFN by the small percentage of the cells infected by the inoculum virus. This results in priming of the remaining cells by IFN, and finally induction of the primed cells by progeny CMV released from the cells infected originally.To lend support to this hypothesis we will follow the attachment, penetration, and release stages of the CMV replication by transmission and scanning electron microscopy.