RNA tumor virus phosphoproteins: primary structural analysis and identification of phosphopeptides.

Two-dimensional tryptic peptide mapping was used to compare the peptide sequences of the phosphoprotein (pp12) of cloned ecotropic and amphotropic wild mouse leukemia viruses, strains 1504 and 292. The maps of two ecotropic isolates were very similar to one another, as were the maps of two amphotropic isolates. There was also extensive similarity between the maps of this protein from ecotropic and amphotropic viruses, although characteristic peptide differences were readily recognized. These differences were consistent with the general type specificity of oncovirus phosphoproteins. The pp12 of the field isoalte of 292 virus contained five phosphopeptides, and the non-phosphorylated and variously phosphorylated species of this pp12 showed identical peptide maps, indicating differential phosphorylation of a single polypeptide.     

Biochemical characterization of the amphotropic group of murine leukemia viruses.

The recently described amphotropic group of murine leukemia viruses constitutes a distinct biological group, differing from the ecotropic and xenotropic groups in host range, cross interference, and serological reactivity. Viruses of this group have been detected only in wild mice from certain areas in California. By using a [3H]DNA probe synthesized in an endogenous reaction from detergent-lysed amphotropic virus (strain 1504-A), it was demonstrated that the amphotropic murine leukemia viruses are distinct biochemically, in that 20% of the viral genome sequences are not shared by AKR-type ecotropic or nay of three types of xenotropic murine leukemia virus tested. A subset of these amphotropic unique sequences, comprising one half of them, is present in the genome of wild mouse ecotropic viruses and in Moloney and Rauscher viruses as well. Sequences homologous to the entire genome of 1504-A amphotropic virus are present in the cellular DNA of all eight inbred mouse strains tested, as well as in wild Mus in Asia, in amounts varying from three to six complete viral genomes per haploid cell genome. Evidence is presented that at least 20% of the DNA sequences in both mouse- and mink-grown murine leukemia virus probes are of host-cell origin.     

Genomes of murine leukemia viruses isolated from wild mice.

The genomes of murine leukemia viruses (MuLV) isolated from wild mice have been studied. Detailed restriction endonuclease maps of the 8.8-kilobase (kb) unintegrated linear viral DNAs were derived for five ecotropic and five amphotropic MuLV's from California field mice, for Friend MuLV, and for one ecotropic and one xenotropic MuLV from Mus musculus castaneus. In general, the California MuLV's were similar in their leftward 6 kb (corresponding to the leftward long terminal repeat [LTR], gag, and pol) and rightward 1 kb (7.8 to 8.8 kb, corresponding to p15E and the rightward LTR). For the region spanning 6.0 to 7.7 kb (which includes the sequences that encode gp70) the amphotropic MuLV's shared few enzyme sites with the ecotropic MuLV's, although the California ecotropic MuLV's were highly related to each other in this region, as were the amphotropic MuLV's. Cross-hybridization studies between amphotropic and California ecotropic MuLV DNAs indicated that they were not homologous in the region 6.3 to 7.6 kb; the California ecotropic viral DNAs cross-hybridized in this region to AKR ecotropic MuLV. When the California viral DNAs were compared with AKR ecotropic viral DNA, many differences in enzyme sites were noted throughout the genome. The U3 regions of the wild mouse LTRs showed partial homology to this region in AKR MuLV. The LTR of Moloney MuLV was highly related to that of the California MuLV's, whereas the LTR of Friend MuLV appeared to be a recombinant between the two types of LTRs. The M. musculus castaneus isolates were most closely related to ecotropic and xenotropic MuLV's isolated from inbred mice. One amphotropic MuLV DNA was cloned from supercoiled viral DNA at its unique EcoRI site in pBR322. Viral DNAs with one and two LTRs were isolated. After digestion with EcoRI, DNAs of both types were infectious. It is concluded that ecotropic and amphotropic MuLV's differ primarily in the region which encodes gp70.     

Biochemical analysis of murine leukemia viruses isolated from radiation-induced leukemias of strain BALB/c.

Murine leukemia viruses isolated from radiation-induced BALB/c leukemias were characterized with respect to viral proteins and RNA. Analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the viral structural proteins revealed that for p12, p15, p30, and gp70, three of four electrophoretic variants of each could be detected. There was no correlation found between any of these mobilities and N- or B-tropism of the viruses. Proteins of all xenotropic viral isolates were identical in their gel electrophoretic profiles. The similar phenotypes of multiple viral clones from individual leukemias and of isolates grown in different cells suggest that the polymorphism of ecotropic viruses was generated in vivo rather than during in vitro virus growth. By two-dimensional fingerprinting of RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides from 70S viral DNA, the previously reported association of N- and B-tropism with two distinct oligonucleotides was confirmed. The presence of two other oligonucleotides was correlated with positive and negative phenotypes of the virus-coded GIX cell surface antigen. The RNAs of two B-tropic isolates with distinctive p15 and p12 phenotypes differed from the RNA of a prototype N-tropic virus by the absence of three oligonucleotides mapping in the 5' portion (gag region) of the prototype RNA. In addition, one small-plaque B-tropic virus displayed extensive changes in the RNA sequences associated with the env region of the prototype.     

Identification of virus found in mouse lymphomas induced by HIX murine oncornavirus.

Lymphomas induced by pure HIX murine leukemia virus in two mouse strains contained large amounts of virus with amphotropic properties. Analysis of tumor derived virus purified by limiting dilution techniques indicated that its interference and neutralization spectra were essentially identical to parental HIX virus and different from eco- and xenotropic viruses. Examination of virus progeny from many individual foci induced by virus derived directly from lymphomas indicated that each infectious unit contained only HIX virus. No evidence of ecotropic virus presence was observed.     

Comparison of the restriction endonuclease maps of unintegrated proviral DNAs from four xenotropic murine leukemia viruses.

From purified linear and superhelical DNAs, the restriction endonuclease maps of four xenotropic murine leukemia virus DNAs from NFS, NZB, BALB/c, and AKR mice were determined with ten restriction endonucleases. Each xenotropic proviral DNA was found to be a unique restriction endonuclease map, with differences in the gag, pol, env, and terminal repeated sequence regions. However, type-specific SacI and EcoRI sites in the env region were identical in all four xenotropic murine leukemia virus DNAs and were not found in ecotropic murine leukemia virus DNA. Comparison of the xenotropic murine leukemia virus DNA maps with maps of ecotropic murine leukemia virus DNA showed that the pol and terminal repeated sequence regions were highly conserved. Other similarities in ecotropic and some xenotropic viral DNAs suggest common origins.     

pH-independent murine leukemia virus ecotropic envelope-mediated cell fusion: implications for the role of the R peptide and p12E TM in viral entry.

Murine leukemia virus ecotropic and amphotropic envelope expression vectors were genetically engineered to generate truncations of the p15E TM cytoplasmic tail. The ecotropic construct CEET has the entire cytoplasmic tail of TM deleted, while the CEETR construct has only the R peptide portion of the tail deleted, thereby producing a TM subunit (p12E) that is identical to the one found in mature virions. The analogous amphotropic constructs were called CAET and CAETR. These envelopes, as opposed to their p15E TM counterparts, mediate cell-to-cell fusion at neutral pH in both transformed and nontransformed cell lines. Though the TM cytoplasmic domain is not required, its presence appears to augment such cell-to-cell fusion. This envelope-dependent fusion requires the presence of the viral receptor on the cell surface. Ecotropic virions bearing the p12E TM contain wild-type levels of the envelope complex and have near-normal titers. In contrast, virions which lack the cytoplasmic domain of TM (e.g., CEET) have 10- to 100-fold-lower titers but contain normal amounts of envelope. Both of the corresponding amphotropic virions contain normal amounts of envelope but have 10- to 100-fold-lower titers. Using immunofluorescent detection of envelope to monitor the fate of receptor-bound virions, we found that ecotropic murine leukemia virus envelope disappears from the cell surface while amphotropic envelope persists on the cell surface after virus binding. This pattern of immunofluorescence is consistent with the proposed routes of cell entry for these viruses, i.e., by endocytosis and direct fusion, respectively. In this assay, ecotropic virions bearing the genetically engineered p12E TM also appear to be internalized despite the ability of their envelope to mediate fusion at neutral pH in the same target cells. Our results show that direct fusion at neutral pH is a natural consequence of the surface expression of the mature ecotropic envelope and its receptor. We propose that the processing of the R peptide from the envelope TM (p15E) to yield p12E, at the time of virus budding or within virions, renders the envelope competent to fuse.     

Amphotropic host range of naturally occuring wild mouse leukemia viruses.

Seven murine leukemia virus field isolates (uncloned) from wild mice (Musmusculus) of four widely separated areas in southern California show an unusually wide in vitro host range. They replicate well in human, feline, canine, guinea pig, rabbit, rat, and mouse cells, whereas bovine, hamster, and avian cells are resistant. Since this host range includes that of both mouse tropic (ecotropic) and xenotropic murine leukemia viruses, they are designated as "amphotropic". No purely xenotropic virus component is detectable in these field isolates. They may represent the "wild" or ancestral viruses from which the ecotropic and xenotrophic murine leukemia virus strains of laboratory mice have been derived.     

Sequence analysis of amphotropic and 10A1 murine leukemia viruses: close relationship to mink cell focus-inducing viruses.

Viral interference studies have demonstrated the existence of four distinct murine leukemia virus (MuLV) receptors on NIH 3T3 mouse cells. The four viral interference groups are ecotropic MuLV; mink cell focus inducing virus (MCF); amphotropic MuLV; and 10A1, a recombinant derivative of amphotropic MuLV that uses a unique receptor but also retains affinity for the amphotropic MuLV receptor. We report here that 10A1 infects rat and hamster cells, unlike its amphotropic parent. We isolated an infectious molecular clone of 10A1 and present here the sequences of the env genes and enhancer regions of amphotropic MuLV and 10A1. The deduced amino acid sequences of amphotropic MuLV and 10A1 gp70su are remarkably similar to those of MCF and xenotropic MuLV (for which mouse cells lack receptors), with 64% amino acids identical in the four groups. We generated a consensus from these comparisons. Further, the differences are largely localized to a few discrete regions: (i) amphotropic MuLV has two short insertions relative to MCF, at residues 87 to 92 and 163 to 169, and (ii) amphotropic MuLV and MCF are totally different in a hypervariable region, which is greater than 30% proline, at residues approximately 253 to 304. 10A1 closely resembles amphotropic MuLV in its N terminus but contains an MCF-type hypervariable region. These results suggest the possibility that receptor specificity is localized in these short variable regions and further that the unique receptor specificity of 10A1 is due to the novel combination of amphotropic MuLV and MCF sequences rather than to the presence of any novel sequences. The Env proteins of ecotropic MuLV are far more distantly related to those of the other four groups than the latter are to each other. We also found that the enhancer regions of amphotropic MuLV and 10A1 are nearly identical, although 10A1 is far more leukemogenic than amphotropic MuLV.     

Amphotropic proviral envelope sequences are absent from the Mus germ line.

We derived an amphotropic murine leukemia virus (MuLV) type-specific probe for use in Southern blot hybridizations with cloned and genomic DNAs. A 133-base-pair RsaI-RsaI fragment from the 5' env region of the amphotropic viral isolate 4070A was subcloned into M13mp18 and radiolabeled in vitro. The probe detected the proviral DNAs in mink cells infected with seven different amphotropic MuLV isolates. The probe did not cross hybridize with the DNAs of molecular clones of ecotropic, mink cell focus-forming, or xenotropic MuLVs; nor did it anneal to the proviral DNAs of four xenotropic or six mink cell focus-forming viral isolates grown in mink cells. DNAs of 12 inbred laboratory mouse strains and more than 15 different wild mouse species and subspecies were examined for the presence of endogenous amphotropic env-related fragments. Amphotropic env-related sequences were found only in the DNAs of wild mice trapped in southern California in an area previously shown to harbor mice producing infectious amphotropic virus. Restriction enzyme analyses of DNAs from these mice showed that amphotropic sequences were not present as germ line copies but were the result of congenital or horizontal infection or both in this population. The DNAs of 11 various mammalian and avian species, including both natural predators of mice and squabs from the farms with virus-positive mice, lacked amphotropic envelope-related sequences.     

Murine retroviruses use at least six different receptors for entry into Mus dunni cells.

Murine retroviruses have been divided into six interference groups that use different receptors for cell entry: the ecotropic, xenotropic, polytropic, amphotropic, 10A1, and Mus dunni endogenous virus groups. Some interference is observed between xenotropic and polytropic viruses and between amphotropic and 10A1 viruses, indicating some overlap in receptor specificity between these groups, but otherwise these interference groups appear completely independent. In contrast, one study found interference among many of these groups when Mus dunni wild mouse cells were examined with an immunofluorescence assay to detect infection by the challenge virus. Here we have used a more direct assay for cell entry by using pseudotyped retroviral vectors to measure interference in M. dunni cells, and we find no evidence for extensive interference between members of different murine retrovirus groups. Indeed, our results in M. dunni cells are consistent with interference results observed in other cell types and indicate that the anomalous interference results previously observed in M. dunni cells with the immunofluorescence assay were most likely due to factors other than those that affect receptor-mediated virus entry. In summary, our results show that murine retroviruses use at least six different receptors for entry into M. dunni cells.     

Monoclonal antibody to spleen focus-forming virus-encoded gp52 provides a probe for the amino-terminal region of retroviral envelope proteins that confers dual tropism and xenotropism.

Monoclonal antibodies which recognize a region common to Friend spleen focus-forming virus encoded gp52 and Friend mink cell focus-inducing viral gp70 were isolated. One such antibody from hybridoma 7C10 was tested extensively in immune precipitation and was found to react with a determinant on envelope gp70s of all mink cell focus-inducing, xenotropic, and amphotropic mouse retroviruses tested, but not with envelope gp70s of ecotropic viruses, including Friend, Moloney, and AKR murine leukemia viruses. Monoclonal antibody from hybridoma 7C10 precipitated a 23,000-molecular-weight fragment, derived by V8 protease digestion of Friend mink cell focus-inducing gp70. This 23,000-molecular-weight peptide was determined to derive from the amino terminus of the molecule. These results correlate well with other genetic data which indicate that endogenously acquired sequences of mink cell focus-inducing viruses are found at the 5' end of the envelope gene.     

A Mus dunni cell line that lacks sequences closely related to endogenous murine leukemia viruses and can be infected by ectropic, amphotropic, xenotropic, and mink cell focus-forming viruses

A Mus dunni cell line has been developed that is permissive for all four classes of murine leukemia viruses (MuLV): ecotropic, amphotropic, xenotropic, and mink cell focus-forming viruses. The M. dunni cells contain fewer MuLV-related sequences than do feral or domestic mouse, rat, or mink cells. Infection of the line by ecotropic MuLV induces a distinct cytopathic effect, and the cells can be readily transfected by MuLV DNA. The M. dunni line has been used to isolate an endogenous MuLV from the SC-1 feral mouse cell line.     

A neutralizable epitope common to the envelope glycoproteins of ecotropic, polytropic, xenotropic, and amphotropic murine leukemia viruses.

An epitope common to all classes of murine leukemia viruses (MuLVs) was detected by reactivity of MuLVs with a rat monoclonal antibody (MAb) termed 83A25. The antibody is of the immunoglobulin G2a isotype and was derived after fusion of NS-1 myeloma cells with spleen cells from a Fischer rat immunized with a Friend polytropic MuLV. The antibody reacted with nearly all members of the ecotropic, polytropic, xenotropic, and amphotropic classes of MuLVs. Unreactive viruses were limited to the Friend ecotropic MuLV, Rauscher MuLV, and certain recombinant derivatives of Friend ecotropic MuLV. The presence of an epitope common to nearly all MuLVs facilitated a direct quantitative focal immunofluorescence assay for MuLVs, including the amphotropic MuLVs for which no direct assay has been previously available. Previously described MAbs which react with all classes of MuLVs have been limited to those which react with virion core or transmembrane proteins. In contrast, protein immunoblot and immunoprecipitation analyses established that the epitope reactive with MAb 83A25 resides in the envelope glycoproteins of the viruses. Structural comparisons of reactive and nonreactive Friend polytropic viruses localized the epitope near the carboxyl terminus of the glycoprotein. The epitope served as a target for neutralization of all classes of MuLV with MAb 83A25. The efficiency of neutralization varied with different MuLV isolates but did not correlate with MuLV interference groups.     

In vitro studies of the mechanism of leukemogenesis. II. Characterization of endogenous murine leukemia viruses isolated from AKR thymic epithelial reticulum cell lines

Thymic epithelial reticulum (TER) cell lines were established from thymuses of a young healthy AKR mouse (A2T), a preleukemic AKR mouse (A6T), and two lymphoma-bearing AKR/Ms mice (ASLT-1 and ASLT-2). Numerous type-C virus particles with occasional budding forms were observed in all cell lines. Expression of XC-detectable, N-tropic, ecotropic virus was observed in every cell line, whereas the presence of xenotropic and mink cell focus-inducing (MCF) viruses could be detected only in TER cells derived from preleukemic and leukemic mice. Expression of xenotropic virus in various cells of newborn and young AKR mice could readily be induced by IUdR treatment, whereas MCF virus was never detected in these cells, with the exception of the A2T cell line after more than 20 passages, in which MCF virus with dual-tropic infectivity emerged in addition to ecotropic and xenotropic viruses. These spontaneous and induced MCF viruses were purified, and their virological properties were characterized. The cloned MCF viruses (MCFs AT1, AT2, AT3, and AT4-IU) showed dual tropism and produced cytopathic effect-like foci in mink lung cells. Preinfection with either ecotropic or xenotropic virus interfered with the infectivity of MCF viruses. Spontaneous leukemogenesis in AKR mice was accelerated by the inoculation of MCF viruses. These findings indicate that TER cells could serve as the host cells for the genetic recombination of the endogenous MuLV; the recombinant MuLV, MCF virus, appears to be most closely associated with leukemogenesis in AKR mice.     

Analysis of the human cytomegalovirus genomic region from UL146 through UL147A reveals sequence hypervariability, genotypic stability, and overlapping transcripts

Background

The amphotropic murine leukemia viruses (MuLV-A's) are naturally occurring, exogenously acquired gammaretroviruses that are indigenous to the Southern California wild mice. These viruses replicate in a wide range of cell types including human cells in vitro and they can cause both hematological and neurological disorders in feral as well as in the inbred laboratory mice. Since MuLV-A's also exhibit discrete interference and neutralization properties, the envelope proteins of these viruses have been extremely useful for studying virus-host cell interactions and as vehicles for transfer of foreign genes into a variety of hosts including human cells. However, the genomic structure of any of the several known MuLV-A's has not been established and the evolutionary relationship of amphotropic retroviruses to the numerous exogenous or endogenous MuLV strains remains elusive. Herein we present a complete genetic structure of a novel amphotropic virus designated MuLV-1313 and demonstrate that this retrovirus together with other MuLV-A's belongs to a distinct molecular, biological and phylogenetic class among the MuLV strains isolated from a large number of the laboratory inbred or feral mice.

Results

The host range of MuLV-1313 is similar to the previously isolated MuLV-A's except that this virus replicates efficiently in mammalian as well as in chicken cells. Compared to ENV proteins of other MuLV-A's (4070A, 1504A and 10A-1), the gp70 protein of MuLV-1313 exhibits differences in its signal peptides and the proline-rich hinge regions. However, the MuLV-1313 envelope protein is totally unrelated to those present in a broad range of murine retroviruses that have been isolated from various inbred and feral mice globally. Genetic analysis of the entire MuLV-1313 genome by dot plot analyses, which compares each nucleotide of one genome with the corresponding nucleotide of another, revealed that the genome of this virus, with the exception of the env gene, is more closely related to the biologically distinct wild mouse ecotropic retrovirus (Cas-Br-E) isolated from another region of the Southern California, than to any of the 15 MuLV strains whose full-length sequences are present in the GenBank. This finding was corroborated by phylogenetic analyses and hierarchical clustering of the entire genomic sequence of MuLV-1313, which also placed all MULV-A's in a genetically distinct category among the large family of retroviruses isolated from numerous mouse strains globally. Likewise, construction of separate dendrograms for each of the Gag, Pol and Env proteins of MuLV-1313 demonstrated that the amphotropic retroviruses belong to a phylogenetically exclusive group of gammaretroviruses compared to all known MuLV strains.

Conclusion

The molecular, biological and phylogenetic properties of amphotropic retroviruses including MuLV-1313 are distinct compared to a large family of exogenously- or endogenously-transmitted ecotropic, polytropic and xenotropic MuLV strains of the laboratory and feral mice. Further, both the naturally occurring amphotropic and a biologically discrete ecotropic retrovirus of the Southern California wild mice are more closely related to each other on the evolutionary tree than any other mammalian gammaretrovirus indicating a common origin of these viruses. This is the first report of a complete genomic analysis of a unique group of phylogenetically distinct amphotropic virus.     

High-molecular-weight RNAs of AKR, NZB, and wild mouse viruses and avian reticuloendotheliosis virus all have similar dimer structures.

Several 50 to 70S tumor viral RNAs have previously been shown by electron microscopy to be dimers, with the two monomer subunits joined near their 5' ends. Five additional naturally occurring type C RNA tumor viruses have now been examined: AKR, and endogenous murine ecotropic virus; NZB, an endogenous murine xenotropic virus; and ecotropic and an amphotropic virus isolated from a wild mouse; and the avian reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV). All five 50 to 70S RNAs have similar 5'-to-5' dimer structures. Therefore, the observations support the hypothesis that the dimer linkage is a structural feature common to all type C mammalian viruses. REV is the first example of an avian virus with a clear 5'-to 5' dimer linkage. All of the mammalian viral RNAs, but not REV, showed symmetrically placed loops in each subunit of the dimer. Possible molecular structures and biological functions of the dimer linkages and loops are discussed.     

Sequences determining the pH dependence of viral entry are distinct from the host range-determining region of the murine ecotropic and amphotropic retrovirus envelope proteins.

The entry of ecotropic and amphotropic murine leukemia retroviruses (MuLV) into cells was investigated by using viral vector particles carrying chimeric amphotropic-ecotropic envelope glycoproteins on their surface. Chimeras were made by joining, at or near the polyproline hinge, the N-terminal portion of the amphotropic (4070A) gp70 onto the C-terminal portion of the ecotropic (Moloney) gp70 and p15E (constructs AE2 and AE4) or vice versa (AE12). Transduction efficiency of the constructs was tested on target cells that either have only ecotropic receptors (CHO-2 and CHO-11 cells), only amphotropic receptors (mink lung fibroblasts and Cos 1 cells), or both types of receptors (NIH 3T3 cells). The assay made use of the fact that the mechanism for viral entry of ecotropic viruses is pH dependent while that of amphotropic viruses is pH independent. Treatment of target cells with NH4Cl, which prevents the reduction of pH within endosomes, reduced the titers of viral particles bearing the C-terminal moiety from the ecotropic envelope but did not reduce the titers of particles which had a C-terminal moiety from the amphotropic envelope. In addition, in contrast to other low-pH-dependent enveloped viruses, brief acid treatment did not allow surface-bound viruses to bypass the NH4Cl block. The results indicate that the pH dependence of viral entry is a property of the sequences C terminal to the polyproline hinge.     

Induction of GIX antigen and gross cell surface antigen after infection by ecotropic and xenotropic murine leukemia viruses in vitro.

A number of ecotropic and xenotropic murine leukemia viruses were examined for their ability to induce the GIX antigen and Gross cell surface antigen (GCSA) in tissue culture fibroblasts. GIX appears to be a constituent of murine leukemia virus gp70; a molecular characterization of GCSA has not yet been reported. Antigen induction was measured by the ability of productively infected cells to absorb cytotoxic activity from the standard GIX- and GCSA-typing antisera. Cells infected by ecotropic viruses displayed four distinct phenotypes GIX:+/GCSA++, GIX-/GCSA++, GIX++/GCSA+, and GIX-/GSCA+; cells infected by xenotropic viruses were either GIX-/GCSA+ or GIX-/GCSA-. GIX induction appeared to be a type-specific property of some but not all Gross-AKR type ecotropic viruses. Differences in the degree of absorption of the GCSA antiserum by ecotropic virus- and xenotropic virus-infected cells indicated that GCSA may comprise multiple antigenic determinants.     

Infection of XC cells by MLVs and Ebola virus is endosome-dependent but acidification-independent

Inhibitors of endosome acidification or cathepsin proteases attenuated infections mediated by envelope proteins of xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) and Ebola virus, as well as ecotropic, amphotropic, polytropic, and xenotropic murine leukemia viruses (MLVs), indicating that infections by these viruses occur through acidic endosomes and require cathepsin proteases in the susceptible cells such as TE671 cells. However, as previously shown, the endosome acidification inhibitors did not inhibit these viral infections in XC cells. It is generally accepted that the ecotropic MLV infection in XC cells occurs at the plasma membrane. Because cathepsin proteases are activated by low pH in acidic endosomes, the acidification inhibitors may inhibit the viral infections by suppressing cathepsin protease activation. The acidification inhibitors attenuated the activities of cathepsin proteases B and L in TE671 cells, but not in XC cells. Processing of cathepsin protease L was suppressed by the acidification inhibitor in NIH3T3 cells, but again not in XC cells. These results indicate that cathepsin proteases are activated without endosome acidification in XC cells. Treatment with an endocytosis inhibitor or knockdown of dynamin 2 expression by siRNAs suppressed MLV infections in all examined cells including XC cells. Furthermore, endosomal cathepsin proteases were required for these viral infections in XC cells as other susceptible cells. These results suggest that infections of XC cells by the MLVs and Ebola virus occur through endosomes and pH-independent cathepsin activation induces pH-independent infection in XC cells.