[Virus-specific RNA synthesis in a cell culture in acute and chronic infection with the tick-borne encephalitis virus]

Abstract

Virus particles produced in acute and chronic infection of cell cultures with tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBE) and examined by centrifugation in sucrose density gradient had the buoyant density of 1.19 g/ml and sedimentation constant 290 S. Studies of the synthesis of virus-specific RNAs in the cytoplasm of TBE virus chronically infected cells revealed synthesis of all RNA classes typical of TBE virus reproduction in acutely infected cells. The difference was in the high percentage of polyadenylation of intracellular virion RNA in chronic infection (30%) as compared with polyadenylation of virion RNA in acute infection (8%). This fact may be one of the causes of a low infectious virus yield in chronically infected cultures where the level of virus-specific antigen synthesis is high.