Fiche publication
Date publication
mai 2018
Journal
Advanced biosystems
Auteurs
Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Pr DIDIER Pascal
Tous les auteurs :
Al-Handawi MB, Commins P, Shukla S, Didier P, Tanaka M, Raj G, Veliz FA, Pasricha R, Steinmetz NF, Naumov P
Lien Pubmed
Résumé
The concept of biomineralization and encapsulation of organic molecules into inorganic matrices to alter and enhance their physical properties has been evolved and perfected in natural systems. Being inspired by the natural biomineralization of foreign components into calcite, here the inclusion of a plant virus, cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) of 5.4% by mass into crystals of calcite is reported. The viral particles are labeled with a fluorescent tag (Alexa Fluor 532), and are observed within the calcite matrix using confocal fluorescence microscopy. Upon encapsulation, the calcite crystals exhibit an irregular and aggregated morphology, as visualized with atomic force and electron microscopy. The viral particles protected inside the calcite crystals are able to resist harsh chemical agents. While spherical viral particles such as CPMV can be easily included in calcite, viruses such as the tobacco mosaic virus are not compatible with the host, presumably due to their high aspect ratio. The results provide a simple and scalable method to incorporate viral particles into inorganic matrix, and could prove useful in thermal stabilization of sensitive viral biological agents such as vaccines in the future.
Mots clés
biomineralization, calcite, crystal growth, viruses
Référence
Adv Biosyst. 2018 05;2(5):e1700176
