Studies of cultured human and simian fetal brain cells. II. Infections with human (BK) and simian (SV40) papovaviruses.

Both simian virus 40 (SV40) and BK viruses infected and lysed not only oligodendroblasts and astrocytes, but also neuroblasts and epithelioid or mesenchymal cells in cultures of fetal brain cells derived from human, rhesus, and cynomolgus hosts. Lytic infections of these four cell types differed ultrastructurally in the amount and arrangement of virions in the nucleus, the extent of nuclear membrane redundancy, the presence of nuclear virion arrays, and the amounts of virions in the cytoplasm. However, major differences were not noted between SV40 and BK viruses, nor between different species of origin or region of brain explanted. Modified astrocytic cells persisted in cultures from all three sources after infection by either virus. These cells stained for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and polyomavirus tumour (T) antigen, but did not subculture indefinitely.