title: Osmotic shock and the strength of viral capsids.
abstract: Osmotic shock is a familiar means for rupturing viral capsids and exposing their genomes intact. The necessary conditions for providing this shock involve incubation in high-concentration salt solutions, and lower permeability of the capsids to salt ions than to water molecules. We discuss here how values of the capsid strength can be inferred from calculations of the osmotic pressure differences associated with measured values of the critical concentration of incubation solution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, USA.
authors.forename: Amado
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cordova
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deserno
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Gelbart
authors.forename: Avinoam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ben-Shaul
mesh_terms: D002213:Capsid / Q000737:chemistry*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004548:Elasticity; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000737:chemistry; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D010539:Permeability; D016062:Porosity; D011312:Pressure; D012492:Salts / Q000737:chemistry*; D012996:Solutions / Q000737:chemistry; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D014780:Viruses / Q000737:chemistry; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004573:Electrolytes; D012492:Salts; D012996:Solutions; D014867:Water