Initial binding of murine leukemia virus particles to cells does not require specific Env-receptor interaction

The initial step of virus-cell interaction was studied by immunofluorescence microscopy. Single particles of murine leukemia virus (MLV) vectors and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were visualized by immunofluorescence. Fluorescent dots representing single virions could be localized by staining of capsid proteins (CA) or surface envelope proteins (SU) after fixation of virus supernatants. This technique can be used to determine particle concentration in viral supernatants and also to study virus-cell interaction. We investigated the role of the Env-receptor interaction for the initial binding event between the cell and the viral particles. Ecotropic MLV vector particles were shown to bind to human cells which do not express the specific viral receptor. In addition, MLV particles defective for Fm were shown to bind the cells similarly to infectious MLV. Time course experiments of virus-cell binding and dissociation showed identical profiles for infectious and Env-defective MW particles and suggested that MLV Env is not involved in the early phases of attachment of virus to cells. The possible implication of cellular factors in enhancing viral binding and infectivity is discussed.