Reovirus Type 2-Infection, Cycloheximide, and Cell Death.

Abstract

The antibiotic cycloheximide, an antagonist of protein synthesis, when added early in the infectious cycle inhibited the production of the 2 kinds of virus-specific RNAs found in HeLa cells infected with reovirus-type 2. When added at later periods, the antibiotic selectively inhibits the formation of the double-stranded form of viral RNA. The addition of virus-inhibiting concentrations of the antibiotic to infected HeLa cells results in the accelerated appearance of extensive cytopathology of the monolayers. In contrast, during the same period normal cell cultures treated with the antibiotic and infected cell cultures without cycloheximide did not exhibit any morphologic changes.