Virus-induced diabetes mellitus. X. Attachment of encephalomyocarditis virus and permissiveness of cultured pancreatic β cells to infection

Monolayers of pancreatic β-cells from strains of mice susceptible (SJL/J) and resistant (C57BL/6J) to the development of virus-induced diabetes mellitus were inoculated with the M variant of encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus. Immunofluorescence showed that viral antigens appeared in up to 10 times more β cells from susceptible SJL/J mice than from resistant C57BL/6J mice. Infectious center assays revealed that 10–30 times more SJL/J β cells contained infectious virus than C57BL/6J β cells. Viral attachment experiments showed no difference in the binding of EMC virus when embryonic fibroblasts, pancreatic fibroblasts, and kidney cells from SJL/J and C57BL/6J mice were compared. However, at least twice as much virus attached to the pancreatic β cells from susceptible than from resistant strains of mice. Our data suggest that genetically determined differences in viral receptors on the surface of β cells may be one of the factors controlling susceptibility to EMC-induced diabetes mellitus.