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doxorubicin complex added to HCRSV coat protein monomers that were
covalently modified with folic acid (a cancer cell-targeting molecules,
see Chapter 8). The resulting VLPs combined the therapeutic moieties
(doxorubicin, interior) and targeting ligands (folic acid, exterior) and
may find applications in targeted drug-delivery approaches (Fig. 5.3)
(Ren
et al
., 2007).
5.1.1.1 Switching from icosahedral to rod-shaped geometry
VNPs are highly dynamic particles, for example, see the above-described
reversible swelling mechanisms or recall the complex transitional switches
of the bacteriophage HK97 during its maturation process (Section 2.2.8). The
coat proteins of TMV are also highly flexible. In experiments reconstituting
particles from coat protein monomers, disk- or rod-shaped structures can be
obtained (Fraenkel-Conrat & Williams, 1955) (Section 3.5).
Figure 5.4
assembled tubular
structures. Uranyl-acetate-stained micrographs of complexes formed at DNA:
coat protein dimer ratios of (a) 1 : 1, (b) 7 : 1, (c) 14 : 1, and (d) 28 : 1. CP tube
diameter is uniform, about 17 nm, but lengths vary; arrows identify capped ends.
DNA condensates (d) have highly variable length and diameter. The scale bars are
50 nm. Reproduced with permission from Mukherjee, S., Pfeifer, C. M., Johnson, J.
M., Liu, J., and Zlotnick, A. (2006) Redirecting the coat protein of a spherical virus
to assemble into tubular nanostructures,
Transmission electron microscopy of
in vitro
J. Am. Chem. Soc.
,
128
(8), 2538-2539.
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