Adenovirus-induced alterations of the cell growth cycle: effects of mutations in early regions E2A and E2B.

Mutants ts125 (E2A) and ts36 (E2B) of adenovirus type 5 induced alterations to cell cycle progression at the nonpermissive temperature which were detectable by flow cytometry. Thus neither E2A, nor gene N in E2B, is required for these effects. Whereas the wild-type virus induced cells with aneuploid (between 4n and 8n) DNA contents, as did ts125 at the permissive temperature, ts125 induced peaks of cells with 8n, 16n, and 32n DNA contents at the nonpermissive temperature. This was probably due to the failure of regulation of E1A by E2.