Purification and structure of Semliki Forest virus isolated from mouse brain

Abstract

Semliki Forest virus from brains of infected suckling mouse was separated by cesium chloride equilibrium density gradient centrifugation into two fractions, both able to agglutinate red blood cells of goose. The heavy fraction (HF density 1.24) had more infectivity, had a sedimentation coefficient of 285 S, and contained intact virus particles, diameter about 75 mμ. The light fraction (LF density 1.205) of equivalent HA (hemagglutinating activity), had less than 1% of the infectivity of the HF and did not contain intact virus particles. It consisted of "empty" virus particles and fragments of the fragile envelope material. The complete virus particle consists of an envelope of complex character surrounding a well-defined core. Shadow-cast preparations of HF show pointed and truncated shadows which suggest cubical symmetry, and the core of full particles, in thin sections, shows an angular, often pentagonal or hexagonal configuration. This suggests that the cubical symmetry of the full particle depends upon the fundamental symmetry of the core, which appears to be icosahedral.