Mengovirus RNA transcripts with short poly(C) tracts were infectious to HeLa cells and showed growth characteristics indistinguishable from parental viruses.
The length of the poly(C) tract does not play a significant restrictive role for cardiovirus infectivity in tissue culture.
Mengovirus RNA transcripts with 5' noncoding poly(C) tracts of C8, C12, and C13UC10 have been synthesized in vitro from cDNA clones and shown to be infectious to HeLa cells. A chimeric clone has also been constructed which links the 5' end from one mengovirus clone (299 nucleotides, containing C13UC10) to a 7,424-base fragment derived from the 3' end of encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus. Progeny virus isolated after transfection with the clone-derived RNAs had the same poly(C) tracts, mengovirus-specific sequences, or EMC virus-specific sequences as the transcript from which it was derived. Although the cloned poly(C) tracts were considerably shorter than those found in viral RNA from mengovirus (C50UC10) or EMC virus (C115UCUC3UC10), the growth characteristics of the progeny viruses in HeLa cells were indistinguishable from those of the parental viruses, indicating the length of this tract does not play a significant restrictive role for cardiovirus infectivity in tissue culture.
Duke et al. (Sat,) conducted a other in Cardiovirus infectivity. Mengovirus RNA transcripts with short poly(C) tracts vs. Parental viruses with longer poly(C) tracts was evaluated on Infectivity and growth characteristics in HeLa cells. Mengovirus RNA transcripts with short poly(C) tracts were infectious to HeLa cells and showed growth characteristics indistinguishable from parental viruses.