Effect of 2-(α-Hydroxybenzyl)-benz-imidazole and Guanidine on the Uncoating of Echovirus 12

Abstract

2-(α-HYDROXYBENZYL)-benzimidazole (HBB) and guanidine have been shown to inhibit selectively the multiplication of picornaviruses¹. Both substances inhibit the appearance of a functional viral RNA polymerase², the replication of viral RNA^3,4, and the synthesis of viral coat protein⁴. While inhibition of synthesis of viral capsids seems to be a secondary phenomenon, probably a consequence of the failure of formation of viral RNA⁵, it is not clear whether the primary site of action of these compounds is principally the synthesis of viral RNA polymerase^6,7. As to the early steps of virus-cell interaction, it was shown that virus adsorption and penetration remain unaffected by HBB and guanidine^4,8, yet their effect on uncoating has not been determined. The period inhibitable by HBB and guanidine extends well into the exponential increase phase of the virus, thus covering the synthetic period of viral RNA polymerase and viral RNA, but it begins in the replication cycle at a time when synthesis of viral RNA polymerase and of viral RNA are not yet demonstrable^3,4,8.