Histone acetylation in CV-1 cells infected with simian virus 40.

In CV-1 cells infected with simian virus 40 (SV40) the histone acetylation of host cell chromatin was compared to that of intracellular 70 S minichromosomes. The degree of acetylation in the histones of cell chromatin did not substantially increase after infection; the 70 S minichromosomes contained histones that were not as highly acetylated as those contained in virions, but more acetylated than those associated with the infected cell chromatin. The rate of acetylation, as measured by [³H]acetate uptake, appeared to be nearly equal for the histones associated with viral and cellular DNA; the acetyl groups incorporated by the 70 S histones, however, were retained in larger proportion compared to those incorporated by the host histones.