distribution of Sindbis virus proteins in mosquito cells as determined by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy

Two Aedes albopictus (mosquito) subclones, C7-10 and C6/36, were examined by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy for the distribution of Sindbis virus structural and non-structural proteins. Both the viral glycoproteins, E1 and E2, and the non-structural proteins, nsP1 and nsP2, were found within vesicles and electron-dense, amorphous matrices associated with Sindbis virus infection. The labelling patterns indicated that both replication of viral RNA and production of virus particles were localized within the same structures in the infected cell. The data support previous reports that alphavirus infection is contained within specific structures in the cytoplasm and provide additional evidence that the C6/36 and C7-10 subclones may represent different tissue types in the adult insect.