An Ultrastable Virus-Like Particle with a Carbon Dot Core and Expanded Sequence Plasticity

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology and Nanotechnology
• Materials Science
• Structural Biology

Background:

• Bio-inorganic hybridization offers novel strategies for designing artificial hybrid materials.
• Virus-like particles (VLPs) are promising self-assembling systems but suffer from limited structural stability.
• Enhancing VLP stability is crucial for their application in biotechnology and nanotechnology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an ultrastable VLP by integrating carbon dots (C-dots) into a virus-like particle structure.
• To investigate the synergistic effects of C-dots and protein modifications on VLP stability and properties.
• To establish a simple and extensible hybridization strategy for creating advanced protein nanoparticle systems.

Main Methods:

• Co-assembly of simian virus 40 VP1 protein with C-dots.
• Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) 3D reconstruction.
• Molecular simulation and affinity measurements.

Main Results:

• Homogeneous T=1 VLPs were formed with a fourfold increase in yield.
• Hybrid VLPs exhibited significantly enhanced structural stability and sequence plasticity.
• Synergistic contributions from C-dots and a polyhistidine tag were identified, driven by strong noncovalent interactions.

Conclusions:

• C-dot integration provides a robust method for creating ultrastable VLPs.
• The developed hybrid VLPs serve as a versatile platform for bioimaging, theranostics, and nanovaccines.
• This hybridization strategy is broadly applicable to other VLPs and protein nanoparticle systems.