Temperature-sensitive mutants of Chandipura virus. II. Phenotypic characteristics of the six complementation groups

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Abstract
Fifty temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of the rhabdovirus Chandipura virus were classified into 6 complementation groups designated ChI-ChVI. Group ChI contains 44 mutants, group ChII contains 2 mutants and the remaining groups have 1 mutant each. Mutants in groups ChI, ChIII, ChIV and ChVI had RNA-negative phenotypes in experiments measuring amplification of RNA synthesis at restrictive temperature. The 2 mutants in group ChII had RNA-positive phenotypes and the virions were thermolabile. Mutant ts Ch851 of group ChV was also RNA positive and the M polypeptide of this mutant appeared to be unstable in cells incubated at restrictive temperature. Complementation groups ChII and ChV probably represent the genes coding for the 2 viral proteins of the virion envelope. No precise assignment can be made in the case of the 4 RNA-negative groups since all the mutants examined showed some polymerase activity in vitro at restrictive temperature. An attempt to obtain polymerase mutants by screening for sensitivity to rifampin was not successful. Six temperature-dependent host range mutants (the tdCE phenotype) of Chandipura virus failed to multiply in chicken embryo cells at restrictive temperature, but otherwise they differed in their host range properties from similar mutants of vesicular stomatitis virus.