The effects of oligosaccharide trimming inhibitors on glycoprotein expression and infectivity of Junin virus.

The effects of specific inhibitors of glycoprotein trimming reactions on Junin virus (JV) replication were investigated. Bromoconduritol, an inhibitor of glucosidase II, significantly reduced infective virus production (DE50: 1.1 mM) and viral protein expression. Neither 1-deoxynojirimycin, an inhibitor of both glucosidases I and II, nor 1-deoxymannojirimycin and swainsonine, inhibitors of mannosidase I and II, respectively, showed any activity against JV multiplication. These results are the first evidence that the acquisition of a complex form of the envelope glycoprotein oligosaccharide chains is not essential for JV infectivity. The effect of bromoconduritol was reversible and probably due to the formation of an unstable intermediate oligosaccharide structure which may be more sensitive to degradative proteolysis.