Physicochemical properties of pseudorabies virus hemagglutinin

Abstract

Pseudorabies virus hemagglutinin was readily adsorbed on mouse erythrocytes at 4, 22, or 37 degrees C, but not on cattle erythrocytes. The adsorbed hemagglutinin could not be eluted from the cells by resuspending in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), by incubating at 37 or 50 degrees C, or by incubating in the presence of neuraminidase. The receptor on mouse erythrocytes for the hemagglutinin was inactivated by trypsin, but not by neuraminidase, sodium deoxycholate (DOC), potassium periodate (KIO4), dithiothreitol (DTT), 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) and formalin. The hemagglutinin was inactivated by trypsin, alpha-amylase, pepsin, DOC, KIO4, and ethylendiamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA), but not by papain, beta-glucosidase, phospholipase C, neuraminidase, DTT, 2-ME, Tween-80, ethylether, chloroform, trichloro-trifluoroethane, beta-propiolactone and formalin, suggesting that the hemagglutinin active component involved glycoproteins. The hemagglutinin was stable at 37 degrees C for lower temperatures but not at 60 degrees C or higher. The hemagglutinin activity was resistant to ultraviolet irradiation, while the infectivity was very susceptible. The hemagglutinin and the infectivity were readily sedimented by ultracentrifugation at 48,000 x g for 3 hr. In rate zonal centrifugation of the preparation on a sucrose density gradient, the hemagglutination (HA) activity showed a sharp peak at 1.22 g/ml coinciding with the peak of infectivity. The HA activity in the peak fraction seemed to be structually associated with virus particles. After fractionation of the virus by Nonidet P-40, the HA activity was found only in the fraction of the envelope material, indicating that the hemagglutinin is situated in the viral envelop.