COMPARISON OF SINDBIS VIRUS-INDUCED PATHOLOGY IN MOSQUITO AND VERTEBRATE CELL-CULTURES

We have compared Sindbis virus-induced cytopathology in vertebrate and mosquito (Aedes albopictus) cell cultures. It has been shown that ver tebrate cells undergo apoptosis when infected by Sindbis virus and thi s was confirmed here using hamster cells (BHK). The occurrence of cell death in Sindbis virus-infected A. albopictus cells is a cell clone-s pecific phenomenon and, unlike in BHK cell cultures, mosquito cell dea th does not correlate with a large induction of apoptosis, as determin ed by assays testing for DNA fragmentation or reduced cellular DNA con tent. Cell cycle distribution changes were observed in Sindbis virus-i nfected BHK and C7-10 cell cultures, and the changes are distinct, bot h in the time of induction and the types of perturbations. In Sindbis virus-infected BHK cells, the major cell cycle profile change is the e arly accumulation of cells with sub-G1 DNA content and a corresponding reduction in the proportion of cells in G1 and G2/M. For Sindbis viru s-infected C7-10 cells, the major perturbations are an increased propo rtion of cells showing G2/M or polyploid DNA content and a reduction i n the proportion of G1 and S phase cells. These data suggest that the pathology induced in mosquito cell cultures by Sindbis virus infection may be distinct from the pathology which appears in vertebrate cell c ultures. (C) 1998 Academic Press.