Efficient, inefficient, and abortive infection of different mammalian cells by small RNA viruses.

We have compared the biochemical capacity of cultured cells from a variety of animal sources to replicate the genetic information of two small RNA viruses. Mengovirus is shown to infect and kill cultured cells from many animal species regardless of whether the virus replicated well, moderately, or poorly in any cell type. The production of infectious viral RNA, and of viral protein by any cell type was proportional to the yield of intact virus produced by that cell type. The virus yield per cell was compared in a variety of cells employing two small RNA viruses (mengovirus and bovine enterovirus 1) capable of adsorbing to, penetrating, and infecting all the cells tested. The yields varied over a range of more than a thousandfold with both viruses, but the patterns of cell susceptibility were markedly different for each virus. Both viruses caused profound inhibition of host cell protein synthesis even in cells which replicated the virus very inefficiently. Possible biochemical explanations for such highly specific host cell restriction are discussed. © 1967.