Uncoating of Poliovirus by Isolated Plasma Membranes

Poliovirus type I LSc strain labeled with (14)C-uridine was adsorbed onto isolated plasma membranes and incubated with them. When membranes from Hep-2 or Vero cells were used, 22% of the label was converted to a trichloroacetic acid-soluble form, when trypsin or ribonuclease was added, the fraction rendered soluble was increased, and when the two enzymes were added in sequence, 85% or more of the label became trichloroacetic acid-soluble. This labilization of poliovirus could be reproduced when butanol-solubilized proteins from membranes were substituted for the whole plasma membranes, but it did not occur with membranes from polio-virus-resistant calf kidney or BHK-21 cells.