Differential Inhibition of Attachment and Eclipse Activities of HeLa Cells for Enteroviruses

Receptor activities of HeLa cells were evaluated for ability to both attach and eclipse enteroviruses after exposure of cells to acid or heat. A modified procedure of acid (pH 1.5) elution of cell-associated virus, as compared with other procedures, provided a general method for the optimal recovery of receptor-bound enteroviruses. With this procedure, eclipse of virus operationally was considered to be that amount of virus infectivity which was determined initially to be cell-associated and which was not dissociable from the cells. HeLa cells killed by heating at 56 C for 30 min could not attach or eclipse poliovirus T1, but they attached and eclipsed coxsackieviruses B1 and B3, and they attached echovirus 6 but did not eclipse it. HeLa cells treated at pH 2.5 for 10 min at 2 C could not attach or eclipse poliovirus T1, but they attached coxsackieviruses B1 and B3 and echovirus 6, although these viruses were not eclipsed. These results showed that, within the operational definition of virus eclipse, the eclipse activity of HeLa cells for some viruses can be irreversibly inactivated without impairing the activity of the receptors for attaching these viruses. The data provided additional evidence that HeLa cells possess specific receptors for the different enteroviruses.