A supramolecular strategy to assemble multifunctional viral nanoparticles

Tobacco Mosaic Virus as a Versatile Platform for Molecular Assembly and Device Fabrication

“…The azo‐coupling of an alkyne group to the exterior tyrosine allows the use of Cu(I)‐catalyzed azide‐alkyne cycloaddition reactions (CuAAC), a type of “click” chemistry, simplifying further modifications. The addition of β‐cyclodextrin by CuAAC, allows the noncovalent attachment of adamantyl‐coupled molecules …”

“…Independent targeting of TMV's tyrosines and glutamates allows heterologous functionalization of their distinct surfaces. Given TMV's potential drug delivery and imaging applications, bioconjugated molecules include fluorescent dyes, MRI contrast agents, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to tune circulatory clearance rates, carbohydrates, folic acid, and peptides (cRGD) to assist endocytosis, and pharmaceutical agents including doxorubicin and cisplatin . Additionally, the negative charges of the inner channel glutamates (E97 and E106) are sufficient for non‐covalent loading and retention of ≈800 molecules/virion of a triply cationic porphyrin‐based photosensitizer or ≈2000 molecules/virion (≈1 molecule/CP) of the doubly cationic chemotherapeutic candidate phenanthriplatin with subsequent release in acidic environments …”

Materials promoting viral gene delivery

“…162 Cyclodextrins (CD) are composed of 6-8 (α-γ) cyclic arranged glucose subunits forming a hydrophobic interior and a hydrophilic exterior toroid-shaped oligosaccharide, which is commonly used in pharmaceutical applications for drug delivery. 270 CDs have been applied as hydrogels in combination with other polymers 138,271 or as supramolecular linkers 272 for gene delivery as recently reviewed elsewhere. 273 Examples include Ad delivery to tumor microenvironment with a responsive polymer design containing PEG, PEI, MMP-sensitive peptide and β-CD.…”

RNA-controlled assembly of tobacco mosaic virus-derived complex structures: from nanoboomerangs to tetrapods

“…of bioactive antigens, 47 rods with selectively addressable sub-domains enabling a highly ordered presentation of distinct molecule types, 48 or particles interlinked by host-guest molecular interactions permitting convenient assembly of multifunctional ensembles. 49 These and other studies illustrate a growing body of evidence for the versatility of well-defined TMV-deduced 3D architectures for specific fields of applications. The availability of engineered TMV CP variants promoting certain aggregation states such as stabilized rods or disks, [50][51][52][53][54] and refined procedures to even transform TMV into spherical vaccine carrier particles in a controlled manner, 40,55,56 have further expanded research on TMV-based novel nanodevices and functional hybrids.…”