A FULL-LENGTH MURINE 2-5A SYNTHETASE CDNA TRANSFECTED IN NIH-3T3 CELLS IMPAIRS EMCV BUT NOT VSV REPLICATION

Treatment of cells with interferons (IFNs) induces resistance to virus infection. The 2'-5'oligo A (2-5A) synthetase/RNase L is one of the pathways leading to translation inhibition induced by IFN treatment. A murine cDNA encoding the 43-kDa 2-5A synthetase was cloned and sequenced. NIH-3T3 cell clones transfected with this cDNA expressed the enzymatic activity to various extents and exhibited resistance to encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) but not to vesicular stomatitis virus replication. The specific resistance to EMCV can be attributed to 2-5A synthetase.