Purification of Sendai virions with glutaraldehyde-treated red blood cells

The use of glutaraldehyde (GA)-treated chicken red blood cells (RBC) for purification of Sendai virions by adsorption and elution was found to be advantageous over the use of untreated RBC. Biologic and enzymatic activities and structural components of the purified virions were compared with those of the original virions. The purified virions lost glucosamine-labeled non-proteinous materials. These materials did not relate to the expression of infectivity or cell fusion activity of Sendai virus. No evidence of disruption of Sendai virions during interaction with GA-RBC was observed. The use of GA-RBC provides a new method to prepare an unadsorbed virus fraction with a minimum contamination of hemagglutinins. The unadsorbed fraction consisted of Sendai virions with weak hemagglutinating activity and smaller amounts of the gp1(HN) polypeptide and with negligible hemolytic and cell fusion activities. The origin of these particles is discussed.