A study of events in chick cells infected with human adenovirus type 5 and their relationship to the induction of interferon.

In an attempt to define the molecular events involved in induction of interferon, various parameters of chick cells infected with human adenovirus type 5 were analysed. It was shown by digestion with various proteolytic enzymes and by disruption of the purified virus that induction of interferon requires the interaction of infectious virus with the chick cells. Analysis of adenovirus-infected chick cells by immunological and biochemical techniques indicated that most of the cells produce some virus-specific components, and that temperature sensitive mutants which fail to induce interferon at the restrictive temperature fail to synthesize late components at that temperature. However, since it has been shown that interferon can be induced in the absence of DNA synthesis, these studies conclude that interferon induction results from an early interaction between virus (or virus product) and chick cells and moreover that this interaction is also necessary for the synthesis of virus DNA in this system.