Fatty acid composition of rubella virus and BHK21/13S infected cells.

The rubella virus is composed of RNA (2.4 per cent dry weight of the virus), proteins (74.8 per cent), carbohydrates (4:2.5 per cent of which are present as aminosugars, 1.5 per cent as neutral sugars) and lipids (18.8 per cent). The analysis of fatty acids in rubella virus was done at the same time as the analysis of control cells and infected cells. In the virus, the main fatty acids are: palmitic (26 per cent), stearic (15 per cent), oleic (15 per cent). Rubella virus differs from other togaviruses by the presence of fatty acids with odd-numbers of atoms of C (C15, C17, C19) which represent 23 per cent of total acids and of an hydroxyacid. In the cells, the acids oleic, palmitic, stearic and linoleic represent 90 per cent of total fatty acids. The infection of the BHK21/13S cells by rubella virus leads essentially to an increase (35 per cent) of the amount of linoleic acid with a decrease of palmitic and oleic acids.