Virus-Based Nanobiotechnology - The Nanobiotechnology - page 173

DNA-2

RNA-1
complex
formation

Coat protein
self-assembly

Figure 7.14
(See companion CD for color igure.) . Illustration. of. nanoparticle. encapsidation.. The. stem-loop. sequence.
is. tethered. to. the. nanoparticle. and. mixed. with. RNA-1,. which. triggers. the. assembly. of. the. capsid. protein..
(Reprinted.with.permission.from.Loo,.L..et.al.,. J. Am. Chem. Soc .,.128(14),.4502,.2006.)

stable.capsids..It.was.also.noted.that.the.diameter.of.the.construct.depended.on.the.size.of.
the.nanoparticle,.going.from.30.to.34.nm.for.5.to.15.nm.NPs,.respectively..The.versatility.of.
this.approach.was.further.demonstrated.by.the.same.team,.where.they.assembled.the.coat.
protein.around.quantum.dots.and.magnetic.CoFe 2 O 2 .nanoparticles.(Loo.et.al..2007)..As.for.
gold.NPs,.various.sized.particles.below.20.nm.could.be.encapsulated.
The.loading.and.encapsulation.examples,.mentioned.earlier,.illustrate.the.potential.for.
RCNMV.as.a.versatile.bionanomaterial;.and.other.diagnostics,.drug-delivery,.and.material.
synthesis.applications.are.likely.to.follow.

7.8 Conclusions and Perspectives
Virus-based.nanobiotechnology.has.progressed.rapidly.over.the.last.decade..Several.different.
virus.systems.have.been.exploited.as.nanoscale.biotemplates,.diagnostic,.and.therapeutic.
agents,.as.well.as.a.host.of.other.applications..The.use.of.viruses.in.nanoscale.technology.
offers. several. unique. advantages;. virus. capsids. are. known. to. be. extremely. robust,. have.
a. very. homogenous. size. distribution,. and. offer. multifunctionality. where. the. number. of.
modiication. approaches. developed. by. researchers. continues. to. increase.. As. a. result,.
virus-based. nanobiotechnology. has. found. uses. in. many. emerging. ields,. from. material.
templating.to.drug.delivery.to.photocatalysis.and.other.alternative.energy.applications..It.
is.likely.that.other.virus.systems.than.those.described.in.this.chapter.will.be.explored,.and.
novel.applications.will.be.developed.to.further.augment.this.exiting.area.of.nanoscience.

References
Aljabali,.A..A.,.Barclay,.J..E.,.Lomonossoff,.G..P.,.Evans,.D..J.,.Virus.templated.metallic.nanoparticles..
Nanoscale .2010,.2.(12),.2596-2600.
Aljabali,.A..A.,.Lomonossoff,.G..P.,.Evans,.D..J.,.CPMV-polyelectrolyte-templated.gold.nanoparticles..
Biomacromolecules .2011a,.12.(7),.2723-2728.