SFV infection in CHO cells: cell-type specific restrictions to productive virus entry at the cell surface

Alphaviruses, such as Semliki Forest virus, normally enter cells by penetration from acidic organelles of the endocytic pathway. The virions are internalised intact from the cell surface before undergoing acid-induced fusion in endosomes. To investigate the possibility that endocytosis might play a role in delivering virions to specific sites for replication, we compared SFV infection of baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells following either normal virus fusion in endosomes or experimentally-induced fusion at the cell surface. Whereas baby hamster kidney cells were infected efficiently following fusion in endosomes or at the plasma membrane, Chinese hamster ovary cells were only infected following fusion from endocytic organelles. Virions fused at the plasma membrane of CHO cells failed to initiate viral RNA and protein synthesis. Similar results were observed when CHO cells were challenged with a rhabdovirus, vesicular stomatitis virus. These data suggest that in certain cell types a barrier, other than the plasma membrane, can prevent infection by alpha- and rhabdoviruses fused at the cell surface. Moreover, they suggest the endocytic pathway provides a mechanism for bringing viral particles to a site, or sites, in the cell where replication can proceed.