Ultraviolet-irradiated Vesicular Stomatitis Virus and Defective-interfering Particles are Similar Non-specific Inhibitors of Virus Infection

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Abstract
The way in which UV-irradiated vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) inhibits the early events in VSV infection was further characterized. Comparison of several different UV-irradiated thermolabile, temperature-sensitive mutants before and after heat inactivation established a requirement for inhibitory activity of functional G, N and L proteins, but not M protein. Defective-interfering (DI) particles, whether irradiated or not, inhibited VSV primary transcription as efficiently as UV-VSV, suggesting that virus proteins rather than transcription products are responsible for inhibition. Addition of UV-VSV at different times after infection established that inhibition results from an action at an intracellular site, rather than at the cell surface or in the process of internalization. A similar inhibition by UV-VSV of infection by Sendai virus, Semliki Forest virus, Sindbis virus and influenza virus suggests that UV-VSV is acting by inducing a general change in the intracellular environment. [Hamster kidney BHK cells were used in this study.].