Effects of temperature and antibody on the cyclid growth of vesicular stomatitis virus

To see the effects of temperature on the interrelated cyclic production of standard and defective interfering (DI) particles of vesicular stomatitis virus, a temperature-sensitive (ts) G114 mutant was passaged successively at different temperatures and the production of the two types of viral particles as well as the ability of Chinese hamster ovary cells to survive each passage was continuously monitored. When the temperature was nonpermissive for standard virus, the synthesis of both standard and defective interfering particles was inhibited. When revertants appeared in the population, their ability to take over the infection depended on the permissiveness of the temperature for the temperature-sensitive mutant. At permissive temperatures periodic inhibition of both types of standard viruses was maintained by the production of defective interfering particles. Reverents did not become a majority of the population due to this periodic inhibition. When the conditions were nonpermissive for the mutant, revertants became the major standard virus in the population within a few passages. These findings can be understood if conditions of high and low multiplicities are dissected out together with a thorough understanding of the individual properties of each of the viral particles and of the result of interactions between them. In the presence of antiserum which neutralized only 90% of the viral particles, cyclic production of standard virus occurred, with a decline in the total amount of virus produced after each cycle. Therefore, in the presence of limiting concentrations of antiserum, the virus appeared to be able to establish a persistent cyclic growth pattern.