ENTRY OF AFRICAN SWINE FEVER VIRUS INTO VERO CELLS AND UNCOATING

African swine fever virus (ASFV) enters Vero cells by adsorptive endoc ytosis [Valdeira, M.L., Geraldes, A., 1985. Morphological study on the entry of African swine fever virus into cells, Biol. Cell. 55, 35-40] . Electron microscopy of a lysosomotropic drug-controlled penetration indicated that this step takes place in the endosomes, after fusion be tween the viral envelope and the limiting membrane of the endosome. In hibition studies with colcemid, cytochalasin B, sodium azide, dinitrop henol, lysosomotropic weak bases, and the ionophore monensin, showed t hat the virus uptake is largely independent of cytoskeletal and lysoso mal function, but dependent on oxidative phosphorylation. Some proteas e inhibitors inhibited viral replication at an early step, indicating that the initiation of infection depends on a viral proteolytic cleava ge. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.