[Action of cycloheximide on RNA synthesis and the formation of structures in the Venezuelan equine encephalomelitis virus]

Abstract

The studies showed that the effect of cycloheximide on reproduction of the virus of Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) depended on the time of the antibiotic administration. When the antibiotic was added 3--5 hours after the inoculation (after formation of the virus RNA-polymerase), accumulation of virus RNA and 60--100 S virus structures was observed in the cells, while virus nucleotides and infection virus did not practically form. The 60--100 S structures included the cell proteins. They were resistant to EDTA and their swimming density in cesium chloride was 1.3--1.4 gm/cm3, it was characteristic of RNA of a non-ribosomic nature. According to these properties 60--100 S structures may be classified as belonging to the "hybrid" RNA analogous to the RNA complexes of VEE virus with the cell proteins. Probably addition of cycloheximide provided conditions in the infected cells for increase of the "hybrid", structural pool since the synthesis of the structural virus proteins was suppressed.