Interference between poliovirus ribonucleic acids

Summary

Using insoluble facilitators of infection with RNA, the addition of infective RNA preparations, obtained with phenol by either the extractive or monophasic method, from poliovirus of one antigenic type to inocula containing infective RNA from poliovirus of another antigenic type resulted in a large reduction in the number of plaques produced by the latter. Such “interference” was reciprocal. RNA preparations obtained from control uninfected cells were comparatively weak “interferers”; and when extractions with phenol were used in obtaining such control RNA preparations, their capacity to interfere was very low. Under the same conditions, interference with intact polioviruses by poliovirus RNA preparations was small or zero. The amount of interference was markedly dependent on the order of addition of the two RNA preparations to the facilitator. Treatment of poliovirus RNA preparations with ribonuclease reduced their interfering capacity.