Differential viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus genotype IVb infection in fin fibroblast and epithelial cell lines from walleye, Sander vitreus (Mitchill), at cold temperatures.

A cell line, WE-cfin11e, with an epithelial-like morphology was developed from a caudal fin of walleye, Sander vitreus (Mitchill), characterized as distinct from the established walleye caudal fin fibroblast-like cell line, WE-cfin11f, and compared with WE-cfin11f for susceptibility to VHSV IVb. Immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy were used to localize the intermediate filament protein, vimentin, the tight junction protein, zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), the extracellular matrix protein, collagen I, and the viral protein, G. Although both cell lines contained vimentin, only WE-cfin11e stained for ZO-1 and only WE-cfin11f stained for collagen I. Ascorbic acid increased the accumulation of collagen I and caused the appearance of collagen fibres only in WE-cfin11f cultures. At 14 °C, both cell lines produced VHSV IVb, but the infection developed more rapidly in WE-cfin11f. At 4 °C, both cell lines became infected with VHSV IVb as judged by the expression of viral proteins, N and G, but only WE-cfin11f produced virus. The results suggest that cold temperatures can modulate viral tropism.