DNA content distribution of mouse cells following infection with polyoma virus

Infection of primary to tertiary mouse embryo fibroblasts or mouse kidney cells with polyoma virus leads to stimulation of cellular DNA synthesis. When either confluent or growing mouse cells were infected, the monolayer cells were found to accumulate cells with a DNA content of S and G2/M phases of the cell cycle as assayed by flow cytometry. A similar pattern of DNA content was also observed in cells in the supernatant, which are probably cells replicating virus and dying. When compared with control cells, the infected monolayer and supernatant cells exhibited a population (5-27%) with a > G2 DNA content. The increase in DNA content of these > G2 cells was calculated to be an average of 26.7%, which is probably due to viral DNA. Polyoma contrasts with another papovavirus, SV40, which stimulates cells into DNA synthesis, with the majority of cells attaining a > G2/tetraploid DNA content, suggesting that there are differences in polyploidization between these two viruses.