Bovine parvovirus (BPV) is a helper-independent parvovirus. It has a small icosahedral capsid with a single stranded DNA genome. It is a highly stable virus with a narrow host range. It causes acute gastroenteritis in calves. It is considered to be a cytolytic virus because it kills the host cells. However, the mechanism by which the virus causes cell death is not known. The work described in this thesis assessed different parameters of cell death in BPV infected embryonic bovine tracheal (EBTr) cells. There are several ways for viruses to induce cell death. Viruses can induce apoptosis in the infected cell. They can also kill the host cell by necrosis. Several approaches were used in this work to look for evidence of apoptosis and necrosis. Cells undergoing apoptosis exhibit cardinal signs that distinguish them from other dying cells. Among these signs are the exposure of phosphatidylserine to the outer surface of the plasma membrane, DNA fragmentation into non-random DNA sections that are multimers of 180bp, nuclear morphology changes and caspase activation. These signs were studied in this research and data collected from these experiments did not show any positive sign of apoptosis in infected cells due to virus infection. Cells undergoing a necrotic cell death have a different pattern. The cells swell then burst releasing their cytoplasmic contents. The DNA is fragmented in a random fashion. Cellular morphology was studied in this research and the data suggested that BPV infected cells swell, then shrink and detach from the surface of the culture vessel. Moreover, formation of apoptotic bodies was not detected in dying infected cells. Release of cytoplasmic contents was also assessed by looking at concentrations of LDH enzyme, viral haemagglutinin, and the number of infectious viral particles in the media of infected cells. Data from the different approaches employed in this study do not support the hypothesis that BPV kills the infected EBTr cell by apoptosis, rather, infected cells in culture become necrotic, swell, release their cytoplasmic contents, and detach.

Bovine Parvovirus (BPV) belongs to the genus Bocavirus, family Parvoviridae. BPV is the leading etiologic agent among the pathogens that cause primary gastroenteritis of cattle. Many of the intracellular events associated with virus replication are unknown. In this research project, we investigated BPV internalization into the host cell and trafficking in the cytosol. Preliminarily, EBTr cells had abundant clathrin, virus attached to purified clathrin, and EM micrographs revealed virus in endocytic vacuoles. Assays detecting virus infectivity (i.e. viral protein synthesis), virus production (completion of the replication cycle), and quantitative PCR (qPCR) to detect viral transcripts were used to evaluate virus uptake and subsequent trafficking events in the presence of selective inhibitors. Cell toxicity mediated by the drugs was evaluated by the MTT test. Virucidal effects of the drugs were assessed. A control virus was used to verify the inhibitor technology. Immunofluoresceinated virus particles were found in clathrin-rich early endosomes. Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) was examined by clathrin polymerization inhibiting agent (chloropromazine), lysosomotropic agents (ammonium chloride and chloroquine), a vacuolar ATPase inhibitor (bafilomycin A1), and a blocker of transition between endosomes (brefeldin A). Caveosome pathway inhibitors included phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (a suppressor of caveolae formation), nystatin and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (lipid raft blockers), and genistein (a tyrosine kinase phosphorylation inhibitor). Trafficking of BPV was investigated using specific inhibitors of proteasomal activity, actin-myosin function, and microtubule-dynein function. The proteasomal protease suppressor (lactacystin), and a proteasomal chymotrypsin inhibitor (epoxomicin) were used. The role of actin was probed by cytochlasin D, latrunculin A, and ML-7. The microtubule inhibitors nocodazole, vanadate, and EHNA were used to probe microtubule function. The inhibitors of CME reduced virus production and reduced infectivity, a result confirmed by qPCR. The blockers of caveolin-mediated entry did not interfere with virus production nor virus infectivity. Proteasome activity blockage did not affect the virus replication. But the virus cycle was affected by actin blockage and by microtubule blockage detected by qPCR. Taken together these data indicate that BPV uptake is mediated by clathrin coated pits and is acid-dependent. Further processing of BPV in the cytosol does not require proteasomal enzymes. Actin-associated vesicular transport appears to be essential to virus replication and trafficking to the nucleus appears to be mediated by microtubules.