Effect of Hæmagglutinating Viruses on the Electrophoretic Mobility of Human Erythrocytes

Abstract

THE enzymic activity of influenza viruses, recently characterized in chemical terms for the substrate ovomucin¹, was first suggested by Hirst², who showed that, following the agglutination of erythrocytes, the virus was eluted spontaneously, leaving the cells inagglutinable by the same strain. Burnet, McCrea and Stone³ found that cells from which one strain had become eluted were still agglutinable by certain other strains. The arrangement of influenza A and B, mumps and Newcastle disease viruses in the order of their progressive action on cellular receptors was termed the ‘receptor gradient’. Elucidation of this unique enzyme-substrate relationship, characterized by the varying extent of interaction, is limited by the qualitative nature of the biological method. The finding of Hanig⁴ that, following treatment with the PR8 strain of influenza virus, the electrophoretic mobility of human erythrocytes was markedly reduced, suggested a biophysical approach to the problem.