The Replication of Frog Virus 3 in an Amphibian Cell Line (XTC-2) Derived from Xenopus laevis

Abstract
Summary Frog virus 3 (FV3) has been demonstrated to replicate in a Xenopus laevis cell line, XTC-2. The virus has been titrated in XTC-2 cells by plaque assay, but the efficiency of plaquing is lower than in minnow or hamster cells. The rate of replication is greater in XTC-2 cells than in BHK cells and this has been correlated with the appearance of virus specific polypeptides in infected cells. Electron microscope observations have shown that FV3 replicates in the cytoplasm of XTC-2 cells and that the virus may leave the cell by budding at the plasma membrane.