Infection of mouse preimplantation embryos with simian virus 40 and polyoma virus

Mouse two-cell embryos, morulae, and blastocysts were killed when infected in vitro with simian virus 40 (SV40) at high multiplicities of infection. Polyoma virus was not deleterious for preimplantation embryos, even at a very high multiplicity of infection; however, the outgrowths of polyoma-infected blastocysts disintegrated after several days of culture. Indirect immunofluorescence tests revealed the presence of SV40 T and V antigens and polyoma virus V antigen in the nuclei of trophoblastic cells. Virus-specific antigens were not found in the nuclei of cells forming inner cell masses of blastocysts or in inner cell mass-derived cells in blastocyst out-growths. The appearance of SV40 T and V antigens in the nuclei was inhibited by alphaamanitin, a RNA polymerase II inhibitor. The amount of infectious virus recovered from cultures of morulae or blastocysts on subsequent days after infection with SV40 initially declined but later increased. These points of evidence indicate that some cells of early mouse embryos are permissive for the expression of early and late functions of SV40 genome and that susceptibility to infection with polyoma virus and/or permissiveness for the expression of polyoma virus late functions develop gradually between the two-cell and blastocyst stages. Electron microscope observations showed the presence of specific complexes of membranes and virions in the cytoplasm of trophoblastic cells. Single viral particles could be found in the nuclei and also in mitochondria.