Inhibition of the Multiplication of Enveloped RNA-viruses by Glucosamine and 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose

Abstract

Summary Glucosamine inhibited the formation of infectious fowl plague, Sindbis, and Semliki Forest virus but had little or no effect on the multiplication of vesicular stomatitis, Newcastle disease, and polio virus. 2-deoxy-d-glucose had a somewhat stronger effect than glucosamine. Only the production of virus glycoproteins seemed to be affected. Almost normal amounts of virus RNA and RNA polymerase were synthesized, and RNP-antigen activities reached control levels. After infection with fowl plague virus the nuclei and cytoplasm of cells incubated with glucosamine showed brilliant staining with fluorescent antibodies against RNP-antigen, whereas haemagglutinin-specific fluorescence was visible weakly in the cytoplasm. The virus-induced alterations of the cell surface, as measured by the agglutinability with Concanavalin A, were abolished by glucosamine.