title: Core-like particles of an enveloped animal virus can self-assemble efficiently on artificial templates.
abstract: Alphaviruses are animal viruses holding great promise for biomedical applications as drug delivery vectors, functional imaging probes, and nanoparticle delivery vesicles because of their efficient in vitro self-assembly properties. However, due to their complex structure, with a protein capsid encapsulating the genome and an outer membrane composed of lipids and glycoproteins, the in-vitro self-assembly of virus-like particles, which have the functional virus coat but carry an artificial cargo, can be challenging. Fabrication of such alphavirus-like particles is likely to require a two-step process: first, the assembly of a capsid structure around an artificial core, second the addition of the membrane layer. Here we report progress made on the first step: the efficient self-assembly of the alphavirus capsid around a functionalized nanoparticle core.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA.
authors.forename: Nancy L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Goicochea
authors.forename: Mrinmoy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De
authors.forename: Vincent M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Rotello
authors.forename: Suchetana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mukhopadhyay
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dragnea
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000524:Alphavirus / Q000737:chemistry*; D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible / Q000737:chemistry; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D008422:Materials Testing; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods; D010316:Particle Size; D011485:Protein Binding; D013499:Surface Properties; D014771:Virion / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes; D006046:Gold