Binding rate of rabies virus to alpha interferon primed mouse neuroblastoma cells

Mouse neuroblastoma cells (MNA) were primed with 20 I.U. of alpha interferon (Mu IFN-alpha) prior to exposure to the Challenge Virus Standard strain of rabies virus (CVS). Saturation of CVS receptor sites occurred when 0.71 microgram of 3H-CVS protein bound to 20,000 MNA cells. After 180 min incubation time, the amount of viral protein attributed to specific binding was estimated to be 0.45 microgram. Mu IFN-alpha treatment of MAN cells did not increase the number of specific cell receptor sites to CVS but it did significantly increase the rate that CVS was able to bind to cell receptors. The amount of time required to reach saturation of MNA cell receptors to CVS decreased from 120 min in untreated cells to 30 min in Mu IFN-alpha primed MNA cells. Although treatment with Mu IFN-alpha increased the binding rate of rabies virus to MNA cells, the virus was unable to complete a productive infection 48 hrs after the Mu IFN-alpha was removed.