Viruses are highly complex biological nanostructures. This complexity has renewed an interest in viruses from the perspective of fundamental physics at the nanoscale. An understanding of the mechanical properties of virus particles at the molecular level can reveal information regarding stiffness, intrinsic elasticity, structural strength and resistance to mechanical fatigue. This information can provide a basis for researchers to engineer virus-based nanoparticles as nanodevices/ nanocontainers for different biotechnological applications.
The MVM virion.
Castellanos and co-workers have endeavoured to understand the conformational stability and dynamics of the minute virus of mice (MVM), a small ~ 25 nm virus particle, which serves as a model system to understand some of the mechanical properties of viruses. To this end, the researchers have investigated the linkage between the DNA-mediated increase in mechanical stiffness and heat-induced structural changes, and a quantitative relationship between mechanical elasticity and conformational dynamics in MVM nanoparticles.
The researchers used a combination of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) for determining the thermal inactivation behaviour and the mechanical stiffness of the viruses, respectively. By utilizing these techniques, the researchers have deduced that infectious MVM particles may have evolved architectural functions that increase their survival in thermally stressed environments.
This proof-of-principle study has demonstrated that nanoscale features of virus nanoparticles can be probed analytically using AFM and the elucidation of these features have future impact in the field of protein engineering.
Dr Lee Barrett is a guest web writer for the Nanoscale blog. Lee is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Centre for Molecular Nanometrology at the University of Strathclyde. His research is currently focused on the development of nanoparticle-based sensors and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Follow him on twitter @L_Bargie.
