Infectious laryngotracheitis virus growth, DNA replication, and protein synthesis

The polypeptides associated with infection of primary chicken kidney (CK) cells with infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) were examined by metabolic labelling with [35S]methionine and SDS-PAGE. Polypeptide synthesis was followed over the first 24 h post-infection (p.i.) as this was shown to be the period of viable virus production. A total of 16 ILTV encoded or induced polypeptides were identified using metabolic labelling. The use of inhibitors of protein and DNA synthesis in conjunction with metabolic labelling and viral DNA replication studies enabled a cascade pattern of gene expression, similar to that of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), to be established for ILTV. Representatives of alpha, beta, gamma 1 and gamma 2 classes of genes were identified. In contrast to infection with HSV types 1 and 2, which leads to a rapid inhibition of total host cell polypeptide synthesis, ILTV infection of CK cells did not result in a complete inhibition of cellular protein synthesis, with only a small number of host cell polypeptides absent from infected cells.