Early events of virus-cell interaction in an adenovirus system.

The interaction of (32)P-labeled adenovirus type 2 and HeLa or KB cells has been examined during early infection. The kinetics of virus uncoating to deoxyribonuclease-sensitive products, the partial characterization of three such products by gradient centrifugation, and the distribution of these products in the extranuclear and nuclear portions of infected cells are reported. The results are compatible with the following model. Extracellular virus attaches to a receptor on the plasma membrane. The membrane-bound virus has a half-life of less than 15 min and is transformed to a partly uncoated product which is free inside the cell and about half of which rapidly enters the cell nucleus. This is rapidly transformed, in both cytoplasm and nucleus, to a membrane-bound virion "core." The proteins of the bound "core" are then removed from the intact virus deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). In the nucleus, viral DNA is the main product and there the overall sequence is completed in about 2 hr.