The use of vesicular stomatitis (visna virus) pseudotypes to demonstrate visna virus receptors in cells from different species

Abstract

Superinfection of visna virus (VV)-infected cells with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) resulted in the formation of a pseudotype virus population containing a VSV genome within a VV coat [designated VSV (VV)] as determined by plaque reduction neutralization with antisera to VSV and VV. These VSV (VV) virions were capable of infecting cell cultures from a number of species that were non-permissive for VV alone. Limited propagation of VV in some mammalian species would thus appear to be due to an intracellular restriction rather than to absence of VV receptors.