Differential transcription, without replication, of non-structural and structural genes of human parvovirus B19 in the UT7/EPO cell line as demonstrated by in situ hybridization

Erythroid progenitor cells are the main target for B19 parvovirus infection. The UT7 cell line demonstrates a marked erythroid differentiation on induction by erythropoietin (EPO) (UT7/EPO cells) and therefore appears to be a potential target for B19 parvovirus. We aimed to evaluate the presence and localization of B19 nucleic acids in UT7/EPO cells by in situ hybridization. Three digoxigenin-labelled probes were used: two recognized specifically the non-structural region of the B19 genome and one probe was structural region-specific. In our experiment UT7/EPO cells were not permissive to B19 infection. Transcription led to non-structural and structural gene transcripts without DNA replication or capsid protein synthesis.