A Stiffness Switch in Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Kol, Nitzan; Shi, Yu; Tsvitov, Marianna; Barlam, David; Shneck, R.; Kay, Michael S.; Rousso, Itay

doi:10.1529/biophysj.106.093914

Cited by 224 publications

(264 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…A recent single-molecule experiment [31][32][33][34] demonstrated that the regulation of mechanical properties in some biological processes has a significant biological importance. For example, for enhancing their infectivity, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other retrovirus particles undergo a maturation process, during which they experience a significant internal morphological reorganization, changing from roughly spherically symmetric immature particles with a thick protein shell to mature particles with a thin protein shell and conical core.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depletion effect and biomembrane budding

et al. 2013

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Depletion effects are well known to lead to phase separation in microsystems consisting of large and small particles with short-range repulsive interactions that act over macromolecular length scales. The equilibrium mechanics between an enveloped colloidal particle and a biomembrane caused by entropy is investigated by using a continuum model. We show that the favorable contact energy stems from entropy, which is sufficient to drive engulfment of the colloidal particle, and deformation of the biomembrane determines the resistance to the engulfment of the colloidal particle. The engulfment process depends on the ratio of the radii of the larger particle and smaller particles and the bending rigidity. The results show insights into the effects of depletion on biomembrane budding and nanoparticle transportation by a vesicle.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depletion effect and biomembrane budding

et al. 2013

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“…Viruses are able to dynamically modulate their mechanical properties in response to external forces, so as to withstand those forces or to ease cell infection 4 . For instance, in the human immunodeficiency and murine leukemia viruses, the stiffness largely decreases during the maturation process, acting as a mechanical switch for the infection process 5 . Strikingly, a single point mutation in the capsid protein of some viruses can significantly change their elasticity 6 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Physics of Nanomechanical Spectrometry of Viruses

Ruz¹,

Tamayo²,

Pini³

et al. 2014

Sci Rep

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There is an emerging need of nanotools able to quantify the mechanical properties of single biological entities. A promising approach is the measurement of the shifts of the resonant frequencies of ultrathin cantilevers induced by the adsorption of the studied biological systems. Here, we present a detailed theoretical analysis to calculate the resonance frequency shift induced by the mechanical stiffness of viral nanotubes. The model accounts for the high surface-to-volume ratio featured by single biological entities, the shape anisotropy and the interfacial adhesion. The model is applied to the case in which tobacco mosaic virus is randomly delivered to a silicon nitride cantilever. The theoretical framework opens the door to a novel paradigm for biological spectrometry as well as for measuring the Young's modulus of biological systems with minimal strains.I t is increasingly evident the intimate link between the mechanical properties of biological systems and its role in fundamental biological processes and disease 1 . This link spans from the molecular scale to the tissue scale. For example, the elasticity of cells has become a reliable indicator of cell transformation into cancerous or metastatic cells [2][3] . Similarly, recent reports have demonstrated the biological relevance of the mechanical properties of viruses. Viruses are able to dynamically modulate their mechanical properties in response to external forces, so as to withstand those forces or to ease cell infection 4 . For instance, in the human immunodeficiency and murine leukemia viruses, the stiffness largely decreases during the maturation process, acting as a mechanical switch for the infection process 5 . Strikingly, a single point mutation in the capsid protein of some viruses can significantly change their elasticity 6 . It is therefore fundamental the development of nanotools that enable the accurate quantification of the nanomechanical properties of single biological entities with high throughput. These tools can provide new insights on how the structural conformation, biological function, and mechanical properties of biomolecules and their hierarchical assemblies are related each other. The most prominent method to measure the mechanical properties of biological entities has been so far nanoindentation with the cantilever/tip assembly of an atomic force microscope (AFM) 7 . However, a number of challenges exist with the AFM for the quantification of the mechanical properties. Mainly, the nanoindentation curves strongly depend on the nanometer-scale geometry of the tip/sample contact, which in most of the cases cannot be controlled. Other difficulties include the contribution of the underlying substrate, the effect of adhesion, non-linear loading and the lack of accurate theoretical models.We envisage a novel biological spectrometry technique based on the measurement of several vibration modes of ultrathin micro-and nanocantilevers for the identification of adsorbed biomolecules and biological systems by two coordinates: the mass 8-11 an...

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“…Very recently, the same authors [53] have used this technique to measure the mechanical properties of the human immunoinsufficiency virus (HIV), likewise as a function of maturity. The immature particles were found to be 14-fold stiffer than mature ones.…”

Section: Virusesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Probing nanomechanical properties from biomolecules to living cells

Kasas

Dietler

2008

Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol

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Atomic force microscopy is being increasingly used to explore the physical properties of biological structures. This technique involves the application of a force to the sample and a monitoring of the ensuing deformation process. The available experimental setups can be broadly divided into two categories, one of which involves a stretching and the other an indentation of the organic materials. In this review, we will focus on the indentation technique and will illustrate its application to biological materials with examples that range from single molecules to living cells.

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A Stiffness Switch in Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Cited by 224 publications

References 31 publications

Depletion effect and biomembrane budding

Depletion effect and biomembrane budding

Physics of Nanomechanical Spectrometry of Viruses

Probing nanomechanical properties from biomolecules to living cells

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