Inhibition of Rous sarcoma virus replication by 2-deoxyglucose and tunicamycin: identification of an unglycosylated env gene product

Two inhibitors of glycosylation, 2-deoxyglucose and tunicamycin, depressed the synthesis of infectious Rous sarcoma virus greater than 100-fold. Under the same conditions only a two- to threefold decrease in the production of virus particles was observed. The noninfectious particles had a lower density (1.145 g/ml) in isopycnic sucrose gradients and lacked the two virion glycoproteins, gp85 and gp37, found on infectious virions. The four internal structural proteins of the virus, p27, p19, p15, and p12, appeared to be assembled normally into the noninfectious virus. Polypeptides related to the Rous sarcoma virus glycoproteins were immunoprecipitated from pulse-labeled Rous sarcoma virus (Prague strain, subgroup B)-transformed cells. pr95gp, the polyprotein precursor to gp85 and gp37, was the major protein precipitated from untreated cells. PR95GP, THE POLYPROTEIN PRECURSOR TO GP85 AND GP37, WAS THE MAJOR PROTEIN PRECIPITATED FROM UNTREATED CELLS. This was absent in both tunicamycin- and 2-deoxyglucose-treatec ells, and a new polypeptide of molecular weight 57,000 to 58,000 was the major species precipitated. In tunicamycin-treated cells this product was unstable and was degraded during a 2-h chase; in 2-deoxyglucose-treated cells, on the other hand, the polypeptide appeared to be more stable and underwent partial glycosylation. The synthesis and processing of pr76, the polyprotein precursor to the internal structural proteins of the virion, occurred normally in both treated and untreated cells. It is concluded that the unglycosylated env gene product is a polypeptide of molecular weight 57,000 to 58,000.