The biosynthesis and maturation of the oligosaccharide moieties of the envelope glycoprotein of vesicular stomatitis virus were investigated in virus-infected HeLa and BHK21 cells after pulse labeling with [2-3H]mannose. Two major forms of the virus glycoprotein were detected by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, which appear to correspond to the viral glycoprotein with either "precursor" or "mature" oligosaccharide chains. The precursor chains in both HeLa and BHK21 cells infected with vesicular stomatitis virus obtained after a 30-min pulse were large oligomannose structures containing approximately 7--9 mannose residues as estimated by gel filtration analysis. The size of the oligomannose structures initially transferred to the protein may have been even larger. Mature, virus-size oligosaccharide chains, which could be detected after a 20- to 30-min delay, contained only three mannose residues and, in addition, contained branch structures terminating in sialic acid. A precursor--product relationship of these two forms of oligosaccharide chains was demonstrated by pulse--chase labeling of virus-infected HeLa cells. These studies indicated that the large oligomannosyl core structures initially added to the glycoprotein were being "trimmed" by the removal of mannose residues prior to (and/or during) the addition of the branch chains terminating in sialic acid.