Different sensitivity of ribonucleic and deoxyribonucleic acid viruses to resistance induced in rabbit cells (RK-13) by polyriboinosinic acid-polyribocytidilic acid.

When a continuous line of rabbit kidney cells (RK-13) was exposed to polyriboinosinic acid polyribocytidilic acid [poly(rI).poly(rC)], the cells became resistant to the replication of a ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus, vesicular stomatitis (VSV), but remained susceptible to the replication of two deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) viruses, pseudorabies and vaccinia. These differences were identical to previous findings with RK-13 cells pretreated with exogenous rabbit interferon. Confirmation is thereby provided that RK-13 cells are deficient in the synthesis of resistance factors active against the DNA viruses tested and that there are separate resistance factors for RNA and DNA viruses in RK-13 cells. The resistance against VSV which developed in RK-13 cells exposed to poly(rI).poly(rC) could be significantly reversed by prior infection with infective vaccinia virus but not by vaccinia inactivated by ultraviolet irradiation or heat.