NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS I

Abstract

Lewis, Vester J., Jr. (University of Oklahoma School of Medicine, Oklahoma City) and L. Vernon Scott . Nutritional requirements for the production of herpes simplex virus. I. Influence of glucose and glutamine on herpes simplex virus production by HeLa cells. J. Bacteriol. 83: 475–482. 1962.—The importance of glucose and glutamine in herpes simplex virus production by HeLa cells was evaluated by variation of the composition of Eagle's basal medium. Simultaneous omission of glucose and glutamine from the serum-containing medium resulted in marked curtailment of viral synthesis. The effect was attributable neither to decreased survival time of infectious particles or of cells, nor to decreased rate of viral adsorption or penetration in the presence of the deficient medium. Therefore, the effect was probably on intracellular viral replication. When the requirements for glucose and glutamine were determined separately, it was found that viral production was reduced in glucose-deficient medium. In contrast, a medium which was complete except for restriction of the glutamine content to that occurring naturally in the serum component supported significantly greater viral multiplication than did the complete medium. Limited viral replication occurred with medium which lacked both glutamine and serum. Viral multiplication in the presence of serum-free medium was stimulated by the addition of glutamine.