Host range mutants of an influenza A virus

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Abstract
Temperature-sensitive(ts) mutants of fowl plague virus with ats-lesion in segment 1 (ts 3, polymerase 1 gene) or segment 2 (ts 90, transport gene) do not form plaques on MDCK cells at the permissive temperature, while the wild type andts-mutants of other groups are able to do so. This property is correlated with thets-lesion, since revertants for thets-lesion ofts 3 andts 90 again form plaques on MDCK cells. The block on MDCK cells—at least forts 3—may be located in a late function, since viral RNA polymerase and hemagglutinin are formed in almost normal yields. MDCK cells infected withts 3 orts 90 exhibit a retarded cytopathic effect at 33° C, but no cytopathic effect at 39° C, at which temperature the infected cells can be passaged and super-infected with the wild type strain. Cells surviving the infection withts 90 at 33° C sometimes grow out again to a normal monolayer. It is suggested that the spread of virus is inhibited under these conditions.