Growth of fastidious adenovirus serotype 40 in HRT 18 cells: Interactions with E 1 A and E 1 B deletion mutants of subgenus C adenoviruses

Growth of fastidious adenovirus serotype 40 (Ad 40) in several cell lines was investigated. Ad 40 was able to readily propagate in human intestinal cell line, HRT 18. Coinfection assays were made in non-permissive and permissive cells between Ad 40 and Ad 5dl 312 or dl 1520, mutants deleted in E 1 A and E 1 B regions, respectively, to test the ability of Ad 40 to complement these mutants and vice versa. Ad 40 could enhance Ad 5dl 312 DNA synthesis in HRT 18 and HeLa cells, although its own DNA disappeared in the presence of this mutant in HRT 18 cells. In coinfection with dl 1520, Ad 40 DNA synthesis was inhibitied by dl 1520 in HRT 18 cells and dl 1520 DNA synthesis was inhibited by Ad 40 in 293 cells. This might reflect the presence of unusual products encoded by Ad 40 E 1 B region.