IMMUNOFLUORESCENT STUDIES OF THE POTENTIATION OF AN ADENOVIRUS-ASSOCIATED VIRUS BY ADENOVIRUS 7

A quantitative immunofluorescent procedure for detection of viral antigen was used to study the potentiation of AAV-1 by Ad.7. AAV viral antigen formed only when the cells were also infected with adenovirus, and only in cell culture systems in which the adenovirus infection proceeded to completion. Ad. 7 infection of AGMK. cell cultures did not potentiate AAV unless the Ad. 7 infection was itself potentiated by SV40. Dose-response studies indicated that a single AAV particle and a single infectious Ad. 7 particle sufficed to initiate AAV antigen synthesis. Sequential inoculation studies showed that AAV antigen formed simultaneously with Ad. 7 viral antigen when the AAV was inoculated any time between 15 hr before to 10 hr after the Ad. 7, both antigens appearing about 15 hr after inoculation of Ad. 7. The AAV-1 antigen formation had a minimum latent period of 5 hr, as seen with Ad. 7 preinfection of 10 hr or more. When UV-irradiated Ad. 7 was used as helper, the AAV antigen still appeared simultaneously with the Ad. 7 viral antigen, even though the latter was delayed by 23 hr compared to nonirradiated virus. When the early replicative events of both viruses were allowed to proceed in FUDR-inhibited cells, and then the FUDR inhibition was reversed, AAV antigen formed within 2 hr, which was 3 hr before the Ad. 7 viral antigen appeared. It was inferred that the event in the adenovirus cycle that renders a cell competent to synthesize AAV occurs after the 10th hr and may be temporally associated with replication of the adenovirus DNA.