Immunoelectrophoretic investigations on Sendai virus envelope antigens in relation to host antigens

The different antigenic fractions characteristic of egg-cultivated Sendai virus envelopes were studied by immunoelectrophoresis. Virus-specific and host-specific fractions were identified. It was proved that incorporation of the host membrane fragments into the viral envelopes is not a passive phenomenon. During the last stages of its assembly and release, the virus incorporates into the envelopes some host glycoproteins, after an active biochemical processing resulting in a considerable reduction of their molecular weight, while the host antigenic determinants remain almost unaltered.