Virus Hemagglutination

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
From red blood cells which are specifically agglutinated by certain viruses it was possible to prepare lipid extracts capable of inhibiting the hemagglutinating action of the same viruses for these cells. The effect is presumably due to competitive combination of the extract with the virus. In these expts., 0.2 ml. of saline emulsion of the inhibiting material was mixed with serial dilutions (0.2 ml.) of allantoic fluid of chick embryos infected with virus, and the mixture was allowed to stand at 2[degree]C for 30 min. 0.1 ml. of 2.5% suspension of red cells was added, the mixture was shaken, and the cells were allowed to settle. The degree of agglutination was read by Salk''s method. The inhibition reactions seem to demonstrate specificity corresponding to that shown by the viruses in their hemagglutinating actions. Assuming structural similarity or identity between the cell receptor and the inhibitor molecule, it would be expected that human inhibiting extract would be active against both influenza and mumps viruses, but that sheep inhibitor would be active only against mumps virus. Corresponding to these expectations, human inhibitor prevented the hemagglutinative action of influenza on human and chicken red cells, whereas sheep inhibitor did not affect the influenza virus. Both human and sheep inhibitors interfered with the action of mumps virus on human and chicken cells, and also with the action of mumps virus on sheep cells. On prolonged contact of virus and inhibitor at 25-37[degree]C, interaction between the 2 caused progressive inactivation of the inhibitor. The results support the view that the inhibitor is a derivative of, or identical with, the cell receptor.