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Letter

Nanoparticle-Templated Assembly of Viral Protein Cages

Supporting Info

Chao Chen,^†^# Marie-Christine Daniel,^†^# Zachary T. Quinkert,^† Mrinmoy De,^‡ Barry Stein,^§ Valorie D. Bowman, Paul R. Chipman, Vincent M. Rotello,^‡ C. Cheng Kao, and Bogdan Dragnea*^†

Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002, Indiana Molecular Biology Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843

Nano Lett., 2006, 6 (4), pp 611–615

DOI: 10.1021/nl0600878

Publication Date (Web): March 15, 2006

†

Department of Chemistry, Indiana University.

These authors have contributed equally.

‡

University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Indiana Molecular Biology Institute, Indiana University.

Purdue University.

Texas A&M University.

Corresponding author: dragnea@indiana.edu.

Abstract

Self-assembly of regular protein surfaces around nanoparticle templates provides a new class of hybrid biomaterials with potential applications in medical imaging and in bioanalytical sensing. We report here the first example of efficiently self-assembled virus-like particles (VLPs) having a brome mosaic virus protein coat and a functionalized gold core. The present study indicates that functionalized gold particles can initiate VLP assembly by mimicking the electrostatic behavior of the nucleic acid component of the native virus. These VLP constructs are symmetric, with the protein stoichiometry and packaging properties indicating similarity to the icosahedral packing of the capsid. Moreover, a pH-induced swelling transition of the VLPs is observed, in direct analogy to the native virus.

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