How cells wrap around virus-like particles using extracellular filamentous protein structures

Area of Science:

• Cell biology
• Biophysics
• Computational modeling

Background:

• Endocytosis is a key cellular process for nanoparticle and viral uptake.
• Previous research focused on nanoparticle size and shape, neglecting surface structures.
• Extracellular vimentin and viral structures inspired modeling filamentous components.

Approach:

• Developed a computational model incorporating filamentous protein structures on both cell and virus surfaces.
• Studied the impact of these structures on the efficiency of viral wrapping during endocytosis.
• Analyzed the role of cell surface bending rigidity and extracellular component stiffness.

Key Points:

• Optimal density of filamentous extracellular components (ECCs) accelerates viral uptake and reduces cell surface area usage.
• Efficient, fold-like wrapping of the virus by the cell surface occurs at optimal ECC density.
• Cell surface bending rigidity promotes folding, while altered stiffness of ECCs or viral spikes can lead to crumple-like wrapping.

Conclusions:

• Filamentous extracellular components significantly influence viral endocytosis dynamics.
• The cellular microenvironment, including ECCs, may exert evolutionary pressure on virus-like particles.
• Understanding these interactions is crucial for predicting viral infection and evolution.