Temperature-dependent surface changes in cells infected or transformed by a thermosensitive mutant of polyoma virus.

Infection of BALB/3T3 cells by polyoma virus causes an alteration in the cell surface, characterized by enhanced agglutination of the cells by wheat germ agglutinin or concanavalin A. Infection by the thermosensitive mutant of polyoma, ts-3, causes the cell surface alteration at the permissive temperature, but not at the nonpermissive temperature. The cell surface alteration requires cellular DNA synthesis, but not viral DNA synthesis. BHK cells transformed by ts-3 show the surface alteration when grown at the permissive temperature, but not when grown at the nonpermissive temperature. It is concluded that the surface alteration in transformed cells is under the control of a viral gene.