A Genetically Modified Tobacco Mosaic Virus that can Produce Gold Nanoparticles from a Metal Salt Precursor

Abstract

We genetically modified tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) to surface display a characterized peptide with potent metal ion binding and reducing capacity (MBP TMV), and demonstrate that unlike wild type TMV, this construct can lead to the formation of discrete 10–40 nm gold nanoparticles when mixed with 3 mM potassium tetrachloroaurate. Using a variety of analytical physicochemical approaches it was found that these nanoparticles were crystalline in nature and stable. Given that the MBP TMV can produce metal nanomaterials in the absence of chemical reductants, it may have utility in the green production of metal nanomaterials.

Biogenic Metal Nanoparticles: A New Approach to Detect Life on Mars?

“…MNPs produced by these methods are larger-sized and have wider size distribution when compared to other NPs [2]. The NPs obtained through physical synthesis include the vaporization of metals and their deposition and combination onto substrates, leading to the formation of nanosized structures [20].…”

“…Chemical synthesis of MNPs implies the reduction of metal salts/ions in solution or decomposition of precursors, to form small assemblages of metal atoms, via the use of hazardous chemicals such as sodium borohydride, tetrakishydroxymethylphosphonium chloride (THPC), poly-N-vinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), and hydroxylamine [20], as well as solvents like sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium borohydrate, hyperbranched polyester, and hydrocarbons [22], followed by aggregation of atoms [2]. Some of those chemicals are also used to stabilize the NPs [13].…”

“…The capacity for biosynthesis of MNPs has a remarkably widespread distribution (Table 2), including representatives of Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya and even extends to viruses [13,20,23]. In general screenings for testing production, some species and strains are classified as non-producers (e.g., [5,[24][25][26]).…”

TMV Particles: The Journey From Fundamental Studies to Bionanotechnology Applications

“…1A and B), to express malarial epitopes on the virus surface, and demonstrated particle formation. A similar site was later used to express a 10-amino acid metal-binding peptide that catalyzed the deposition of gold on the surface of purified particles (Love et al, 2015). Using a TMV vector that allowed peptides to be inserted just upstream of the C-terminus of the CP (after amino acid 154), Fitchen et al (1995) expressed a 13-amino acid peptide from the glycoprotein ZP3 from the murine zona pellucida.…”

“…Such deposition is often carried out using particles displaying mineralizationdirecting peptides either genetically or chemically attached to the particle surface (Altintoprak et al, 2015;Love et al, 2015). In some cases, striking mesostructured superassemblies such as composite threads, nanoparticles with radial channels, and hierarchically arranged microtubes were obtained (Fowler et al, 2001;Schenk et al, 2017).…”