Relation of Virus-Induced Cell Fusion and Chromosome Pulverization to Mitotic Events2

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Abstract
The chromosome pulverization phenomenon was studied in a Chinese hamster cell line during the initial period of Sendai virus infection. Cell fusion occurred immediately after virus infection, and the frequency of multinucleate cells leveled of within 25 minutes. However, chromosome pulverization was detected for the first time 10 minutes after virus infection, and the incidence rose until 45 minutes. In most cases, pulverization occurred in multinucleate cells having at least one apparently intact mitotic nucleus ranging from metaphase to telophase. The incidence of pulverization suddenly fell to about one-fourth the maximum value by 60 minutes after virus infection. Autoradiographic examination revealed that the nucleus was susceptible to the pulverization-inducing factor(s) during either G1, S, or G2, possibly including early mitosis. The variability in morphology of the pulverized sets was explained in terms of the cellular stage in which the nucleus had been affected and the length of exposure of the nucleus to the virus. The presence of an intact mitotic nucleus in the cells with pulverization not only confirmed the concept that cell fusion is a prerequisite for pulverization induction, but further suggested a possibly active role played by the mitotic nucleus with its cytoplasm in pulverization induction.

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