Sendai-virus-induced cell-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro. The role of viral glycoproteins in cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

Treatment of peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal donors with small amounts of purified Sendai virions results in enhanced cellular cytotoxicity in vitro to uninfected tissue culture target cells (virus-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (VDCC)), without any obvious correlation to the natural cytotoxicity (NK) displayed by the lymphocytes in the absence of virus. Removal from the virions of the two surface components present in the viral envelope, the HN glycoprotein (gp 71), carrying haemagglutinating and neuraminidase activity, and the F glycoprotein (gp 49), carrying fusion activity, by treatment with pronase abrogated their capacity to induce VDCC. Similar results were obtained when virions lacking the HN glycoprotein after treatment with chymotrypsin were added to the lymphocytes. In contrast, treatment of the virus particles with trypsin, which removed the F glycoprotein, did not affect their capacity to induce VDCC. When the solubilized and separated peplomers were used for lymphocyte treatment, either alone or in combination, the purified HN glycoprotein had full capacity to induce VDCC, whereas the F glycoprotein was inactive. These results suggest that the HM peplomer is solely or primarily responsible for the cytolytic activity arising in non-sensitized lymphocytes when confronted with certain viruses.