Glycolysis during early infection of feline and human cells with feline leukemia virus.

A 30 to 40% increase in glucose uptake and lactic acid production was observed during a 48-h period immediately following inoculation of feline fibroblasts and HEp-2 cells with feline leukemia virus. There was no evidence of morphological alterations in either cell type. Immunofluorescent procedures to detect feline leukemia virus group-specific antigen revealed that the feline and HEp-2 cells were infected, whereas the antigen was not found in parallel cultures of uninoculated cells. Increased glycolysis depends upon the physiological state of the host cell and was not observed with infected stationary-phase cells.