Open AccessStudies of the Effect of Chloramphenicol, Ethidium Bromide and Camptothecin on the Reproduction of Rous Sarcoma virus in Infected Chick Embryo Cells
Author(s) -
Lorraine LeblondLarouche,
Réjean Morais,
Max Zollinger
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
journal of general virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.55
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1465-2099
pISSN - 0022-1317
DOI - 10.1099/0022-1317-44-2-323
Subject(s) - rous sarcoma virus , ethidium bromide , biology , embryo , chloramphenicol , camptothecin , virus , colchicine , virology , nuclease , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , dna , antibiotics , genetics
A function for mitochondria in the reproduction of Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) in chronically and newly infected chick embryo cells was studied by using chloramphenicol and ethidium bromide. Chloramphenicol (CAM) and ethidium bromide (EB) were both shown to decrease the rate of growth of infected chick embryo cells and to inhibit the synthesis of mitochondrial macromolecules. Both drugs however had little or no effect on the incorporation of labelled leucine, thymidine and uridine into total cellular macromolecules. Neither CAM (80 microgram/ml) nor EB (0.4 microgram/ml) inhibited the production of infectious virus. In contrast, camptothecin, an inhibitor of cellular but not mitochondrial macromolecular synthesis, was shown to depress the production of infectious virus. The results indicate that the mitochondrial macromolecular synthesis machinery of RSV-infected chick embryo cells does not contribute to virus production.