Synchronized infection of cell cultures by magnetically controlled virus.
Journal of virology 2005 Jan 1; 79(1):622-5
Haim H H, Steiner I I, Panet A A
Department of Virology, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel. hhaim@md.huji.ac.il
To override the diffusion-limited adsorption step of viral infection, we magnetically synchronized cell attachment. Human immunodeficiency virus type 1-based lentivirus preparations were rendered magnetically reactive by association with magnetite nanoparticles, 50 nm in diameter. Application of a magnetic field resulted in immediate redistribution of the viral inoculum to the cell-associated state and completion of the productive adsorption process within 1 min. Independent of adsorption time, viral concentration, and diffusion rate, infection subsequently progressed by the receptor-mediated entry mechanism. Synchronization of this rate-limiting step of infection may now be applied to analyze isolated events in the viral replication sequence.