Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1982 Jul 15;206(1):113-9.
doi: 10.1042/bj2060113.

Synthesis of Semliki-forest virus in polyamine-depleted baby-hamster kidney cells

K Tuomi, A Raina, R Mäntyjärvi

Synthesis of Semliki-forest virus in polyamine-depleted baby-hamster kidney cells

K Tuomi et al. Biochem J. .

Abstract

The role of polyamines in macromolecular synthesis has been studied using the synthesis of Semliki-Forest virus (SF virus) in normal and alpha-difluoromethylornithine-treated baby-hamster kidney (BHK21) cells as a model system. The activities of ornithine decarboxylase and S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase, the rate-limiting enzymes in polyamine biosynthesis, decreased rapidly in mock- and SF-virus-infected cells, indicating that virus production in BHK21 cells was not dependent on polyamines formed after infection. A prolonged treatment of BHK21 cells with alpha-difluoro-methylornithine, a specific inhibitor of polyamine synthesis, resulted in a marked inhibition of the initial rate of virus production, which appeared 72 h after the beginning of the treatment. This inhibition was reversed by putrescine, spermidine and spermine, and at last partially by several other diamines and polyamine homologues. Polyamine-depletion also markedly reduced viral RNA polymerase activity in SF-virus infected cells. Addition of spermidine to the culture medium rapidly increased viral RNA polymerase activity in the inhibitor-treated cells but had no effect on the enzyme activity when added directly to the assay mixture. The results indicated that polyamines are needed for maximum initial rate of SF-virus replication and suggest that the inhibition of virus production in polyamine-depleted cells is at least partly due to malfunction of the protein-synthetic machinery of the host cell.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. J Biol Chem. 1969 Feb 25;244(4):682-93 - PubMed
    1. Ann Med Exp Biol Fenn. 1970;48(4):238-45 - PubMed
    1. Biochemistry. 1974 Aug 13;13(17):3606-15 - PubMed
    1. J Gen Virol. 1975 Apr;27(1):25-33 - PubMed
    1. Med Biol. 1975 Jun;53(3):121-47 - PubMed

Publication types