Single dilution Avidity-Blocking ELISA as an alternative to the Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus neutralization test.

This study describes the development and validation of a blocking ELISA that measures avidity of BVDV-specific immunoglobulins (Igs) as an alternative to the classic virus neutralization test. The assay comprises a recombinant soluble E2 glycoprotein as target antigen, a neutralizing serum as detector antibody and a washing-step with a chaotropic agent to determine BVDV-specific Igs avidity. Avidity-Blocking ELISA was validated with 100 negative and 87 positive BVDV-neutralization serum samples from either infected or vaccinated bovines (inactivated commercial vaccines). Specificity and sensitivity of the Avidity-Blocking ELISA were 100% and 98.8%, respectively. The assay was standardized to use a single dilution, so that 90 samples can be tested per plate. Results expressed as Avidity Index (AI) correlated with BVDV neutralizing titers (r=0.94). Unlike the virus neutralization test, the Avidity-Blocking ELISA could discriminate between infected and vaccinated animals (DIVA), suggesting that avidity measurement can be a valuable tool to achieve DIVA compliances. The data show that the avidity of anti BVDV antibodies is related to their capacity to block viral infection in vitro.

Truncated E2 of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) expressed in Drosophila melanogaster cells: a candidate antigen for a BVDV ELISA.

A simple and reliable indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of antibodies directed against a major bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) immunogen, the E2 glycoprotein (tE2-ELISA), has been developed using the recombinant C-terminal truncated E2 glycoprotein (tE2) expressed in a Drosophila melanogaster system. This strategy demonstrated that tE2 is secreted efficiently in the supernatant, no purification steps are necessary, it is easy to produce and carries out the post translational modifications necessary to preserve its native conformation. Preliminary analysis of 183 cattle serum samples using tE2-ELISA showed a 98% specificity and a 100% sensitivity compared with the standard homologous BVDV virus neutralization test. The results also showed that the tE2 is immunoreactive because the conformation and antigenicity of the original E2 are maintained to a large extent. To our knowledge this is the first study report of the recombinant tE2 of BVDV expressed in D. melanogaster system as an antigen for ELISA.

Expression of foot and mouth disease virus non-structural polypeptide 3ABC induces histone H3 cleavage in BHK21 cells.

Auto-processing of the non-structural polypeptide 3ABC of foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) expressed in Escherichia coli-BL21-DE3 was prevented by mutating either four glutamic acid residues at the 3A/3B1, 3B1/2, 3B2/3 and 3B3/3C junctions (3ABCtet) or a single cysteine residue at position 383 within the 3C domain (3ABCm). Independent expression of 3ABC and 3ABCtet genes induced expression of chaperone DnaK and degradation of ribosomal S1 protein in E. coli. They also induced cleavage of nucleosomal histone H3 when transiently expressed in BHK21 cells. 3ABCtet, 3ABCm, 3AB and 3A proteins concentrated in the perinuclear region suggesting that peptide sequences within the 3A domain specify intracellular targeting of 3ABC in BHK-21 cells. We propose that 3ABC molecules localized in the nuclear periphery are a source of protease 3C activity and are responsible for histone H3 processing during FMDV infections.

Presence of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) E2 glycoprotein in VSV recombinant particles and induction of neutralizing BVDV antibodies in mice.

We generated a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV-E2) encoding the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) E2 glycoprotein with the VSV-G protein signal peptide. Infection of BHK21 cells with VSV-E2 induced the synthesis of a recombinant E2 (rE2) that comigrated with authentic BVDV-E2 in PAGE-SDS gels. Non-reducing immunoblots showed that rE2 is a disulfide bond-linked homodimer with at least 10-fold higher avidity for conformation-dependent anti-BVDV-E2 antibodies than its reduced monomeric counterpart. Immunofluorescence microscopy also showed that rE2 was transported to the plasma membrane of infected cells and analysis of purified particles demonstrated that dimeric rE2 was incorporated into VSV-E2 virions in approximately 1:10 ratio with respect to the G glycoprotein. BALB/c mice inoculated intranasally with VSV-E2 doses of up to 10(7) plaque forming units (pfu) showed no symptoms of viral-induced disease and developed a specific BVDV neutralizing response that lasted for at least 180 days post inoculation.

Total and isotype humoral responses in cattle vaccinated with foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) immunogen produced either in bovine tongue tissue or in BHK-21 cell suspension cultures.

The anti-foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) serum antibody activity of protected and non protected animals immunized with inactivated FMDV originated in either bovine tongue tissue (BTTV vaccines) or BHK-21 cell suspension cultures (BHKV vaccines) was evaluated. The results show that 80-100% of the BTTV immunized and only 40-60% of the BHKV immunized animals with liquid-phase blocking sandwich ELISA (lp ELISA) serum titres of 1.5-1.7 U, were protected against the challenge with any of the four infectious FMDV argentine reference strains. This difference becomes almost marginal among BTTV and BHKV vaccinated animals with a strong anti-FMDV humoral response (i.e. lp ELISA titres > or = 1.95 U). Isotyping of the anti-FMDV response in immunized cattle with low lp ELISA titres revealed that BTTV vaccines were able to induce remarkably higher anti-FMDV IgG1 titres than their BHKV counterparts (i.e. mean titres of 1.95 and 1.35 U. respectively). This difference in specific IgG1 serum levels induced by BTTV and BHKV vaccines seems to be also limited to those animals with low anti-FMDV lp ELISA titres. These results together with the fact that the specific serum IgG1, but not the IgG2, isotype response of 219 vaccinated animals correlates almost linearly with their capacity to pass the challenge, suggests that the superior performance of BTTV vaccines is close related to their ability to raise a stronger anti-FMDV IgG1 response than BHKV vaccines.

Immunogenicity of an aphthovirus chimera of the glycoprotein of vesicular stomatitis virus.

An oligodeoxynucleotide coding for amino acids 139 through 149 of antigenic site A (ASA) of the VP1 capsid protein of the foot-and-mouth disease virus C3 serotype (FMDV C3) was inserted into three different in-frame sites of the vesicular stomatitis virus New Jersey serotype (VSV-NJ) glycoprotein (G) gene cDNA present in plasmid pKG97 under control of the bacteriophage T7 polymerase promoter. Transfection of these plasmids into CV1 cells coinfected with the T7 polymerase-expressing vaccinia virus recombinant vTF1-6,2 resulted in expression of chimeric proteins efficiently reactive with both anti-FMDV and anti-VSV G antibodies. However, in vitro translation of transcripts of these VSV-G/FMDV-ASA chimeric plasmids resulted in proteins that were recognized by anti-G serum but not by anti-FMDV serum, indicating a requirement for in vivo conformation to expose the ASA antigenic determinant. Insertion of DNA coding for a dimer of the ASA unidecapeptide between the VSV-NJ G gene region coding for amino acids 160 and 161 gave rise to a chimeric ASA-dimer protein designated GF2d, which reacted twice as strongly with anti-FMDV antibody as did chimeric proteins in which the ASA monomer was inserted in the same position or two other G-gene positions. For even greater expression of chimeric VSV-G/FMDV-ASA proteins, plasmid pGF2d and a deletion mutant p(delta)GF2d (G protein deleted of 324 C-terminal amino acids) were inserted into baculovirus vectors expressing chimeric proteins GF2d-bac and deltaGF2d-bac produced in Sf9 insect cells. Mice vaccinated with three booster injections of 30 microg each of partially purified GF2d-bac protein responded by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with FMDV antibody titers of 1,000 units, and those injected with equivalent amounts of deltaGF2d-bac protein showed serum titers of up to 10,000 units. Particularly impressive were FMDV neutralizing antibody titers in serum of mice vaccinated with deltaGF2d-bac protein, which approached those in the sera of mice vaccinated with three 1-microg doses of native FMDV virions. Despite excellent reactivity with native FMDV, the anti-deltaGF2d-bac antibody present in vaccinated mouse serum showed no capacity to bind to sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-denatured FMDV virions and only minimal reactivity with VP1 protein by Western blotting (immunoblotting) after SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. It was also shown in a competitive binding assay that a synthetic ASA unidecapeptide, up to concentrations of 200 microg/ml, was quite limited in its ability to inhibit binding of anti-deltaGF2-bac antibody to native FMDV virions. These results suggest that the chimeric VSV-G/FMDV-ASA proteins mimic the capacity of FMDV to raise and react with neutralizing antibodies to a restricted number of ASA conformations present on the surface of native FMDV particles.

Folding, unfolding, and refolding of the vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein.

Folding and refolding of the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) glycoprotein (G protein), New Jersey serotype, were studied both in infected cells and after urea denaturation and reduction of isolated protein in vitro. To assess the contribution of disulfide bonds to the conformation of this type I membrane glycoprotein, reduced and alkylated forms were compared with unreduced G proteins by their mobility on SDS-polyacrylamide gels and by their reactivity with conformation-dependent monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Pulse-chase experiments showed that G protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of infected cells occurred rapidly (estimated half-time of 1-2 min) and involved transient association with the ER chaperone calnexin. Inhibition of glycosylation by tunicamycin slowed the folding process and emergence from the ER but did not prevent the appearance of a conformationally mature transport-competent G protein. For in vitro refolding studies, native G protein isolated from virus particles was denatured and reduced with urea and beta-mercaptoethanol. When rapidly diluted into a denaturant-free buffer containing oxidized glutathione and the nonionic detergent octyl glucoside, the G protein regained considerable native structure, as determined by reactivity with five monoclonal antibodies specific for different conformation-dependent epitopes. Whereas the refolding process was slow and inefficient in vitro relative to folding in the cell, this observation nonetheless demonstrated that an integral fully glycosylated membrane protein can be refolded to form a structure similar to that of the original protein processed during in vivo synthesis. If, however, unfolded nonglycosylated G protein was the starting material, refolding in vitro failed. In summary, we have shown that VSV G protein folding can be analyzed both in vivo and in vitro and that folding in the cell involves at least one chaperone and can occur in vivo even if not glycosylated.

Assessment of foot and mouth disease vaccine potency by liquid-phase blocking ELISA: a proposal for an alternative to the challenge procedure in Argentina.

The lowest expected protection (LEP) at a 95% confidence of 245 foot and mouth disease (FMD) commercial vaccines was calculated from the titres of liquid-phase blocking sandwich ELISA (lpELISA) of cattle sera obtained from 3920 animals at 60 days post-vaccination (d.p.v.) and challenged with live virus at 90 d.p.v. It was found that LEP evaluation is highly specific (i.e. it is able to predict the failure in 100% of the cases) although its ability to predict the challenge (PG test) approval (i.e. sensitivity) comprised only 65% of the vaccines that passed the trial. It was possible, nevertheless, to improve the sensitivity of the evaluation by using an alternative coefficient (Ro), exclusively dependent on the number of animals exhibiting the highest and lowest lpELISA titres in a particular vaccine trial. This coefficient was capable of predicting the PG approval of 90% of the vaccines, yet maintaining acceptable levels of safety (87% of specificity). Based on these results and as a first step towards the replacement of the challenge protocol in Argentina, we propose a swift approval for commercialization of FMD vaccines which are able to reach the highly restricting LEP passmark of 82%, and the rejection of those not reaching the 50% LEP limit. More extensive experience with this new protocol will allow a finer adjustment of the LEP and Ro values and to set more precisely the cut-off points for direct approval or disapproval of vaccines by lpELISA, eliminating the use of live FMDV in the field.

Membrane vesiculation function and exocytosis of wild-type and mutant matrix proteins of vesicular stomatitis virus.

Transfection of mammalian CV1 cells with a recombinant M-gene pTM1 plasmid, driven by vaccinia virus-expressed phage T7 polymerase, resulted in the expression of matrix (M) protein, which is progressively released from the exterior surface of the transfected-cell plasma membrane. Exocytosis of M protein begins 2 to 4 h posttransfection and reaches a peak by 10 to 16 h posttransfection; dye uptake studies reveal that > 97% of cells are alive and have intact membranes at 16 h posttransfection. Density gradient centrifugation and labeling with radioactive palmitic acid revealed that the M protein is released from cells in association with lipid vesicles. Expression of M-gene deletion mutants suggests that exocytosis of M protein requires the presence of a membrane-binding site at N-terminal amino acids 1 to 50. Cells transfected with the pTM1 plasmid containing the M gene of the temperature-sensitive mutant tsO23 expressed ample quantities of the mutant M protein at permissive (31 degrees C) and restrictive (39 degrees C) temperatures, but the exocytosis of the mutant M protein occurred only at the permissive temperature. The tsO23 M gene has three site-specific mutations resulting in amino acid substitutions at residues 21, 111, and 227. Expression of wild-type and mutant M genes with mutations or revertants at each of these sites resulted in exocytosis of M protein at the nonpermissive temperature only when wild-type leucine was present at residue 111, but M-protein exocytosis was restricted (to some extent even at the permissive temperature) when mutant phenylalanine was present at residue 111. Past and present data indicate that a specific structural conformation of the M protein is responsible for the formation and budding of vesicles, a property of the M protein which probably also promotes vesicular stomatitis virus assembly and budding of virions from host cells.

Large-scale use of liquid-phase blocking sandwich ELISA for the evaluation of protective immunity against aphthovirus in cattle vaccinated with oil-adjuvanted vaccines in Argentina.

Specific serum activity levels against four reference strains of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) were evaluated from 1634 animals vaccinated with commercial quadrivalent oil vaccines and from 746 unvaccinated, naive animals, using the liquid-phase blocking sandwich ELISA (lpELISA) test. Cows from the FMDV-free area of Argentina were tested for the absence of specific FMDV antibodies (sp FMDV Abs) and those showing lpELISA titres < 1.0 were grouped in lots of 16 animals. They were vaccinated and challenged at 90 days postvaccination (DPV) with one of four virus strains used for vaccine production and control (prototype strains). Serum samples from vaccinated and control cattle were collected 60 and 90 DPV and the level of sp FMDV Abs was determined by lpELISA. Animals were examined for clinical signs of disease. Results show that serum lpELISA titre levels directly correlate with the percentage of protected animals. It was seen that 100, 98, 93 and 87% of the vaccinated cattle with antibody titre levels > or = 2.1 were protected against challenge with serotypes C85, A87,01 Cas and A79, respectively. Evidence is also presented of seroconversion in a sample of 3-5-month-old calves vaccinated in the field, showing lpELISA titres compatible with protection against the four vaccine viruses as long as 150 DPV. Results reported in this paper strongly support the use of the lpELISA test for a rapid and reliable evaluation of the efficacy of FMDV commercial vaccines as well as for the assessment of the immunological status of cattle in FMDV-free and enzootic regions of South America.

Disulfide-bonded discontinuous epitopes on the glycoprotein of vesicular stomatitis virus (New Jersey serotype).

Intrachain disulfide bonds between paired cysteines in the glycoprotein (G) of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) are required for the recognition of discontinuous epitopes by specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) (W. Keil and R. R. Wagner, Virology 170:392-407, 1989). Cleavage by Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease of the 517-amino-acid VSV-New Jersey G protein, limited to the glutamic acid at residue 110, resulted in a protein (designated GV8) with greatly retarded migration by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) under nonreducing conditions. By Western blot (immunoblot) analysis, protein GV8 was found to lose discontinuous epitope IV, which maps within the first 193 NH2-terminal amino acids. These data, coupled with those obtained by PAGE migration of a vector-expressed, truncated protein (G1-193) under reducing and nonreducing conditions, lead us to postulate the existence of a major loop structure within the first 193 NH2-terminal amino acids of the G protein, possibly anchored by a disulfide bond between cysteine 108 and cysteine 169, encompassing epitope IV. Site-directed mutants in which 10 of the 12 cysteines were individually converted to serines in vaccinia virus-based vectors expressing these single-site mutant G proteins were also constructed, each of which was then tested by immunoprecipitation for its capacity to recognize epitope-specific MAbs. These results showed that mutations in NH2-terminal cysteines 130, 174, and, to a lesser extent, 193 all resulted in the loss of neutralization epitope VIII. A mutation at NH2-terminal cysteine 130 also resulted in the loss of neutralization epitope VII, as did a mutation at cysteine 108 to a lesser extent. Both epitopes VII and VIII disappeared when mutations were made in COOH-distal cysteine 235, 240, or 273, the general map locations of epitopes VII and VIII. These studies also reveal that distal, as well as proximal, cysteine residues markedly influence the disulfide-bond secondary structure, which ostensibly determines the conformational structure of the VSV-New Jersey G protein required for presentation of the major discontinuous epitopes recognized by neutralizing MAbs.

Effect of glycosylation on the conformational epitopes of the glycoprotein of vesicular stomatitis virus (New Jersey serotype).

The conformational epitopes reactive with neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) appear to be clustered at the middle third of the glycoprotein (G) of the New Jersey serotype of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV-NJ) and are flanked by two N-linked carbohydrate chains (W. Keil and R.R. Wagner, Virology 170, 392-407, 1989). We report here studies on the effect of glycosylation on the reactivity of VSV-NJ G protein derived from released virions or immunoprecipitated from pulse-labeled cells was not significantly affected in its reactivity with MAbs directed to epitope IV mapped toward the amino-terminus, nor to the centrally located conformational epitopes VI, VIII, and IX. However, there was a 5- to 15-fold decrease in the reactivity with MAb of epitopes VI, VIII, and IX on unglycosylated G protein either isolated from a ribosome-enriched membrane fraction or immunoprecipitated from whole VSV-infected cells labeled for 15 hr in the presence of tunicamycin. In sharp contrast, epitope V and to a somewhat lesser extent epitope VII exhibited decreased reactivity with their respective MAbs when unglycosylated G protein was isolated from released viral particles or from pulse-labeled cells infected with VSV-NJ in the presence of tunicamycin. Enzymatic removal of preformed carbohydrate chains with N-glycanase had little or no effect on the MAb-reactivity of epitopes V and VII, indicating that the carbohydrate chains per se do not influence the antigenic specificity of VSV-NJ G protein. These data suggest that the formation of N-linked carbohydrate chains influences the structure of the VSV-NJ G protein in such a way that epitopes V and VII are shielded from reactivity with their specific MAbs from an early stage of G-protein processing and to a much lesser extent epitopes VI, VIII, and IX at late stages of intracellular processing. These results are compatible with, but do not prove, the hypothesis that N-linked glycosylation plays a key role in promoting the formation and the stability of the disulfide bonds that determine the epitope-specific conformational integrity of the VSV-NJ glycoprotein.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus protease 3C induces specific proteolytic cleavage of host cell histone H3.

In foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV)-infected cells, the disappearance of nuclear protein histone H3 and the simultaneous appearance of a new chromatin-associated protein termed Pi can be observed (P. R. Grigera and S. G. Tisminetzky, Virology 136:10-19, 1984). We sequenced the amino terminus of protein Pi and showed that Pi derives from histone H3 by proteolytic cleavage. The 20 N-terminal amino acid residues of histone H3 are specifically cleaved off early during infection. Truncated histone H3 remains chromatin associated. In addition, we showed that the histone H3-Pi transition is catalyzed by the FMDV 3C protease. The only known function of the viral 3C protease was, until now, the processing of the viral polyprotein. The viral 3C protease is the only FMDV protein required to induce the histone H3-Pi transition, as well as being the only viral protein capable of cleaving histone H3. No viral precursor fusion protein is needed for this specific cleavage as was reported for the processing of the poliovirus P1 precursor polyprotein by 3C/D protease. As the deleted part of the histone H3 corresponds to the presumed regulatory domain involved in the regulation of transcriptionally active chromatin in eucaryotes, it seems possible that this specific cleavage of histone H3 is related to the host cell transcription shutoff reported for several picornaviruses.

Presence of a 43-kDa host-cell polypeptide in purified aphthovirions.

A 43kDa cellular polypeptide (P43), which comigrates with host-cell actin in both SDS-PAGE and isoelectrofocusing slab gels, was found associated to 140 S aphthoviral particles purified from BHK 21 cells labeled with [35S]methionine prior to infection. Ultracentrifugation analysis of disrupted virions demonstrates that polypeptide P43 is not associated to VP1-3 containing 12 S subunits but remains, like viral polypeptide VP4, at the top of the sucrose gradients. In addition, in vitro iodination or trypsin treatment show that P43 is protected from the action of both procedures and therefore supports the hypothesis that host-cell polypeptide P43 is located within the viral particles.

Cytoskeletal association of an aphthovirus-induced polypeptide derived from the P3ABC region of the viral polyprotein.

Monolayers of BHK cells infected with aphthovirus (FMDV) were labeled for short times with [35S]methionine at 2 hr p.i. and fractionated by detergent treatment and low speed centrifugation. Polyacrylamide gel analysis showed an asymmetric distribution of the FMDV-induced polypeptides among the three different subcellular fractions obtained. Polypeptide P88-1, the viral capsid protein precursor, is mainly found in the soluble cytoplasmic extract while polypeptides P100-3, P52-2AC, P34-2C, and P14-2A are the major viral components of a detergent soluble extract of the crude nuclear pellet. Analysis of the detergent resistant fraction (DRF), which is mainly composed of cell nuclear chromatin and insoluble cytoskeletal elements, shows a clear enrichment in an incompletely characterized polypeptide which is tentatively designated P54. Variable amounts of polypeptides P100-3 and those of the P72 complex are also detected in this fraction. The preferential location of P54 in an equivalent subcellular fraction obtained by mild detergent treatment of infected monolayers in situ, and also in a high-salt resistant subfraction of the DRF, strongly suggests a close association of this polypeptide with vimentin-actin containing components of the cell. Polypeptide P54 is immunoprecipitated by viral specific antiserum from convalescent guinea pigs but not by serum against FMDV capsid proteins, indicating that it does not share common antigenic determinants with polypeptides processed from the viral capsid precursors. On the other hand, protease V8 mapping of polypeptides P100-3, P54, P88-1, and VP1-3 shows that P54 derived from the 3' end coding region of the viral genome. Further analysis by limited protease digestion also demonstrates that P54 has partial overlap with P72-3CD while it does not share any common peptide with P56a-3D, indicating that P54 contains the sequences coded in the 3ABC region of the FMDV RNA. This assumption is reinforced by the basic behavior shown by P54 in two-dimensional gels. The results support the hypothesis of a close intracellular interaction of a short-lived polypeptide, containing the viral protease and VPg sequences, with the host cytoskeleton, during infection of BHK cells with FMDV.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus capsid proteins VP0, VP1 and VP3 synthesized by "in vitro" translation are the major components of 14S particles.

Translation of foot-and-mouth disease virus RNA in extracts of rabbit reticulocytes resulted in the synthesis and assembly of viral capsid protein into immature virion intermediate structures. The particles, which sedimented in the 14S zone of the sucrose gradient and contained only viral proteins VP0, VP1 and VP3 are believed to be pentameric associations of viral protomers.

Biochemical characterization of an aphthovirus type 0(1) strain campos attenuated for cattle by serial passages in chicken embryos.

The biochemical properties of a virulent and an attenuated strain of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) Type 0(1) Campos (0(1)C) were compared in order to establish differences that could account for their altered biological functions. The avirulent strain (0(1)C-O/E) was derived from the virulent strain 0(1)C by serial passages in chicken embryos. Analysis of the RNase T1-generated oligonucleotides of the viral RNA through one- and two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis (fingerprints) revealed a few changes in the genome structure of the 0(1)C-O/E strain compared to the wild type strain. In addition there was a significant decrease in the length of the poly(C) rich tract of the 0(1)C-O/E RNA. All virion structural proteins, except VP4, their precursors, and the viral RNA polymerase (p56a) show charge differences. In addition a significant decrease in the apparent molecular weight of polypeptide p100 (primary translational product from the 3' end region of the genome) of the attenuated strain was observed.

Histone H3 modification in BHK cells infected with foot-and-mouth disease virus.

Infection of BHK cells with foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) causes a thorough change in the electrophoretic profile of whole nuclear histones. It consists in the disappearance of histone H3 and the appearance of a new polypeptide (Pi) which migrates between histones H2A and H4 on SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Protein Pi is detected at 2 hr postinfection (pi), the time in which viral RNA synthesis begins to increase, and reaches equimolecular amounts with the remaining core histones 1 hr later, when the disappearance of histone H3 is almost complete. Labeling of cells prior to infection demonstrates that Pi is not a novo product but the result of a viral-induced processing of a host precursor synthetized beforehand. Protein Pi comigrates with histone H2A/B in acetic acid/urea polyacrylamide gels and it shares common major peptides with histone H3 under controlled proteolysis with protease V8 or trypsin. The mononucleosomal and nucleosomal DNA pattern analysis after micrococcal nuclease treatment of nuclei from infected and mock-infected cells did not show any significant differences even though after 3 hr (p.i.), protein Pi replaces histone H3 in the nucleosomal structure. It was concluded that FMDV infection is responsible for a specific modification in the nucleus of infected cells which leads, after 3 hr (p.i.), to a complete histone H3 protein Pi transition in the nucleosomes.