Lysosome stability during lytic infection by simian virus 40

By 48 h postinfection, 40--80% of SV40-infected CV-1 cells have undergone irreversible injury as indicated by trypan blue staining. Nevertheless, at this time the lysosomes of these cells appear as discrete structures after vital staining with either acridine orange or neutral red. Lysosomes, vitally stained with neutral red at 24 h postinfection, were still intact in cells stained with trypan blue at 48 h. Acid phosphatase activity is localized in discrete cytoplasmic particles at 48 h, as indicated by histochemical staining of both fixed and unfixed cells.