Comparison of cytoskeletal organization in canine distemper virus-infected and uninfected cells

The organization of vimentin filaments, keratin filaments, microtubules and microfilaments was compared in canine distemper virus (CDV)-infected and uninfected cells by indirect immunofluorescence. Infection of tissue culture cells with CDV caused a total reorganization of all the cytoskeletal structures with the most notable changes in the microtubules and intermediate filaments. During virus infection two different patterns of staining were observed for both the intermediate filaments and microtubules, suggesting a step-by-step reorganization of the structures. While the two types of intermediate filaments (vimentin and keratin) had quite different staining patterns, the vimentin (but not keratin) filaments had a distribution pattern similar to the microtubules in both infected and uninfected cells. These results suggest that microtubules and vimentin (but not keratin) filaments may have a close association in CDV-infected cells.