Growth of fastidious adenovirus serotype 40 in HRT 18 cells: interactions with E1A and E1B deletion mutants of subgenus C adenoviruses.

Growth of fastidious adenovirus serotype 40 (Ad40) in several cell lines was investigated. Ad40 was able to readily propagate in human intestinal cell line, HRT 18. Coinfection assays were made in non-permissive and permissive cells between Ad40 and Ad5dl312 or dl1520, mutants deleted in E1A and E1B regions, respectively, to test the ability of Ad40 to complement these mutants and vice versa. Ad40 could enhance Ad5dl312 DNA synthesis in HRT18 and HeLa cells, although its own DNA disappeared in the presence of this mutant in HRT18 cells. In coinfection with dl1520, Ad40 DNA synthesis was inhibited by dl1520 in HRT18 cells and dl1520 DNA synthesis was inhibited by Ad40 in 293 cells. This might reflect the presence of unusual products encoded by Ad40 E1B region.