Temperature-sensitive defect of vesicular stomatitis virus in complementation group II

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Abstract
The prototype member of the complementation group II temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of vesicular stomatitis virus, ts II 052, was investigated. In ts II 052-infected [human cervical carcinoma] HeLa cells at the restrictive temperature (39.5.degree. C), reduced viral RNA synthesis was observed by comparison with infections conducted at the permissive temperature (30.degree. C). For an infection conducted at 39.5.degree. C, no 38S RNA or intracytoplasmic nucleocapsids were present. For nucleocapsids isolated from ts II 052 purified virions or from ts II 052-infected cells at 30.degree. C, the RNA was sensitive to pancreatic RNase after an exposure at 39.5.degree. C, unlike the resistance observed for wild-type virus. The nucleocapsid stability of wild-type virus when heated to 63.degree. C or submitted to varying pH was not found in nucleocapsids extracted from ts II 052 purified virions. For ts II 052 there probably is an altered relationship between the viral 38S RNA and the nucleocapsid protein(s) by comparison with wild-type virus. Such results argue for the complementation group II gene product being N [nucleocapsid] protein, so that the ts defect in ts II 052 represents an altered N protein.