The adenovirus major core protein VII is dispensable for virion assembly but is essential for lytic infection
Fig 4
Core protein VII is required for efficient viral early gene expression and DNA replication.
(A) HeLa cells were infected with wild-type Ad5 (WT) and the VII+ and VII−viruses, and virus infection (2 hpi) and viral DNA replication (24 hpi) was quantified by qPCR. Primer pairs for qPCR hybridized to all three viruses (Total vDNA) or were specific to the pVII open reading frame (VII+ vDNA). (B) HeLa cells were infected with wild-type Ad5 (WT) and the VII+ and VII−viruses and E1a mRNA levels were quantified by RT-qPCR at 2 and 5.5 hr post-infection (hpi). The values were normalized to cellular GAPDH mRNA levels as described in Materials and methods. (C) The VII+ and VII−viruses were used to infect 293 cells and E2a, E2b, and E4 mRNA levels were quantified by RT-qPCR at 5.5 hpi and normalized to cellular GAPDH mRNA levels. Values are plotted as mean ± sd.