Infectivity of Poliovirus and Its Nucleic Acid for Dehydrated HeLa Cell Monolayers

Abstract

Smull, Christine E. (The Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pa.), and E. H. Ludwig . Infectivity of poliovirus and its nucleic acid for dehydrated HeLa cell monolayers. J. Bacteriol. 89: 52–57. 1965.—A study was made of the infectivity of poliovirus ribonucleic acid (RNA), applied in various diluents, and of poliovirus, on cell monolayers which were washed free from their nutrient medium and allowed to dehydrate for periods up to 3 days prior to inoculation. The plaque formation of poliovirus RNA, applied in isotonic diluent, was greatly increased when assayed on cell monolayers dehydrated for certain periods of time. Conditions are described for bringing about optimal plaque formation by this means, and evidence is presented which strongly indicates that dehydration of the cell is an important factor in the increase in plaque formation of the poliovirus RNA. The plaque formation of poliovirus RNA in certain hypertonic diluents and in a basic protein-containing diluent was also improved with the use of dehydrated cell monolayers, whereas the plaque formation of poliovirus varied very little when assayed on cell monolayers dehydrated for periods up to 2 days. Under certain conditions, the size of the plaques increased as the dehydration time of the cell monolayers was increased. This was true with plaques initiated either by poliovirus or the nucleic acid. Further investigation in these cases revealed that virus production at given times was considerably greater in the dehydrated than in the undried cell monolayers.