title: Long term storage of virus templated fluorescent materials for sensing applications.
abstract: Wild type, mutant, and chemically modified Cowpea mosaic viruses (CPMV) were studied for long term preservation in the presence and absence of cryoprotectants. Viral complexes were reconstituted and tested via fluorescence spectroscopy and a UV/vis-based RNase assay for structural integrity. When viruses lyophilized in the absence of cryoprotectant were rehydrated and RNase treated, UV absorption increased, indicating that the capsids were damaged. The addition of trehalose during lyophilization protected capsid integrity for at least 7 weeks. Measurements of the fluorescence peak maximum of CPMV lyophilized with trehalose and reconstituted also indicate that the virus remained intact. Microarray binding assays indicated that CPMV particles chemically modified for use as a fluorescent tracer were intact and retained binding specificity after lyophilization in the presence of trehalose. Thus, we demonstrate that functionalized CPMV nanostructures can be stored for the long term, enabling their use in practical sensing applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
authors.forename: Raviraja N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Seetharam
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szuchmacher Blum
authors.forename: Carissa M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.forename: Jessica L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Whitley
authors.forename: Kim E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Sapsford
authors.forename: Anju
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chatterji
authors.forename: Tianwei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Satir
authors.forename: Banahalli R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Ratna