title: Chemically activatable viral capsid functionalized for cancer targeting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To design a theranostic capsule using the virus-like nanoparticle of the hepatitis E virus modified to display breast cancer cell targeting functional group (LXY30).
  
  
  METHODS
  Five surface-exposed residues were mutated to cysteine to allow conjugation to maleimide-linked chemical groups via thiol-selective linkages. Engineered virus-like nanoparticles were then covalently conjugated to a breast cancer recognized ligand, LXY30 and an amine-coupled near-infrared fluorescence dye.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LXY30-HEV VLP was checked for its binding and entry to a breast cancer cell line and for tumor targeting in vivo to breast cancer tissue in mice. The engineered virus-like nanoparticle not only targeted cancer cells, but also appeared immune silent to native hepatitis E virus antibodies due to epitope disruption at the antibody-binding site.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrate the production of a theranostic capsule suitable for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics based on surface modification of a highly stable virus-like nanoparticle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of California, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Chun-Chieh
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of California, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of California, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stark
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of California, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Tingwei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of California, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Prasida
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Holla
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology & Nematology, University of California, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Shizuo G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Kamita
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology & Nematology, University of California, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Bruce D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Hammock
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA.
authors.forename: Kit
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of California, 1 Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: R Holland
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D002213:Capsid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D020285:Cryoelectron Microscopy; D005260:Female; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000235:genetics*; D064593:Heterografts; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes
keywords: cycloaddition of targeting ligand; cysteine replacement; hepatitis E; multivalent ligand display; virus-like particle