title: Display of single-chain variable fragments on bacteriophage MS2 virus-like particles.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Virus-like particles (VLPs) of the RNA bacteriophage MS2 have many potential applications in biotechnology. MS2 VLPs provide a platform for peptide display and affinity selection (i.e. biopanning). They are also under investigation as vehicles for targeted drug delivery, using display of receptor-specific peptides or nucleic acid aptamers to direct their binding to specific cell-surface receptors. However, there are few molecules more suited to the precise targeting and binding of a cellular receptor than antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here we describe a strategy for display of four different functional single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) on the surface of the MS2 VLP. Each scFv is validated both for its presence on the surface of the VLP and for its ability to bind its cognate antigen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This work demonstrates the suitability of the MS2 VLP platform to display genetically fused scFvs, allowing for many potential applications of these VLPs and paving the way for future work with libraries of scFvs displayed in a similar manner on the VLP surface. These libraries can then be biopanned and novel scFv binders to targets can be readily discovered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA. clino@salud.unm.edu.
authors.forename: Christopher A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Lino
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: Jerri C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Caldeira
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Peabody
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D061505:Cell Surface Display Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004926:Escherichia coli; D006801:Humans; D017909:Levivirus; D057127:Single-Chain Antibodies / Q000737:chemistry*; D014709:Vero Cells
chemical_list: D057127:Single-Chain Antibodies
keywords: Bacteriophage MS2; Phage display; Single-chain antibodies; Virus-like particles