Susceptibility of Unfertilized and Fertilized Mouse Eggs to Simian Virus 40 and Moloney Sarcoma Virus

Summary

Unfertilized one-celled mouse eggs infected with simian virus 40 (SV40), SV40 DNA, or Moloney sarcoma virus (MSV) and cultivated in vitro for 3–4 days showed no changes in morphology or kinetics of development as compared with uninfected controls. Mouse embryos infected with SV40 DNA at the two-celled stage showed retarded development, whereas those infected at the morula stage developed normally to the blastula stage in vitro. No harmful effect was observed after infection with MSV of either two-celled fertilized eggs or morulae. Infectious viruses could be rescued from unfertilized eggs and embryos infected with SV40, SV40 DNA, and MSV after 3–4 days of cocultivation of the eggs with susceptible somatic cells.