Summary
Syncytium formation in a rat tumor cell line (XC) induced bySuncus murinus mammary tumor virus (Sm-MTV) was studied. Multinucleate giant cells containing 20–30 nuclei were formed in a monolayer of XC cells by cocultivation with X-ray-irradiated Sm-MTV producing cells (Sm-MT-1). By fluorescent antibody staining, Sm-MTV antigens were demonstrated in the cytoplasm of syncytia, and budding particles and intracytoplasmic A particles were found in syncytial giant cells by electron microscopy. Cell-free supernatant of Sm-MT-1 was capable of inducing syncytia at a much lower incidence than cocultivation of Sm-MT-1 cells. Syncytium formation was completely inhibited when anti-Sm-MTV bovine serum was added to the coculture medium. Pretreatment of XC cells with actinomycin-D caused a partial reduction of Sm-MTV-induced cell fusion, but syncytium formation did occur at a reduced rate even when cellular RNA synthesis was completely inhibited. Dexamethasone increased virus production in Sm-MT-1 cells, resulting in the enhancement of Sm-MTV mediated syncytium formation. Sm-MTV was found to have a unique characteristic of cell fusion activity on XC cells with striking enhancement by dexamethasone.
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Yokoi, T., Aoyama, A., Nagayoshi, S. et al. Characterization of cell fusion in XC cells induced bySuncus murinus mammary tumor virus. Archives of Virology 115, 267–276 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01310535
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01310535