Virus-Based Nanoparticles as Versatile Nanomachines.

Nanoscale engineering is revolutionizing the way we prevent, detect, and treat diseases. Viruses have played a special role in these developments because they can function as prefabricated nanoscaffolds that have unique properties and are easily modified. The interiors of virus particles can encapsulate and protect sensitive compounds, while the exteriors can be altered to display large and small molecules in precisely defined arrays. These properties of viruses, along with their innate biocompatibility, have led to their development as actively targeted drug delivery systems that expand on and improve current pharmaceutical options. Viruses are naturally immunogenic, and antigens displayed on their surface have been used to create vaccines against pathogens and to break self-tolerance to initiate an immune response to dysfunctional proteins. Densely and specifically aligned imaging agents on viruses have allowed for high-resolution and noninvasive visualization tools to detect and treat diseases earlier than previously possible. These and future applications of viruses have created an exciting new field within the disciplines of both nanotechnology and medicine.

Lysine addressability and mammalian cell interactions of bacteriophage λ procapsids.

Chemically or genetically modified virus particles, termed viral nanoparticles (VNPs), are being explored in applications such as drug delivery, vaccine development, and materials science. Each virus platform has inherent properties and advantages based on its structure, molecular composition, and biomolecular interactions. Bacteriophage λ was studied for its lysine addressability, stability, cellular uptake, and the ability to modify its cellular uptake. λ procapsids could be labeled primarily at a single residue on the gpE capsid protein as determined by tandem mass spectrometry, providing a unique attachment site for further capsid modification. Bioconjugation of transferrin to the procapsids mediated specific interaction with transferrin receptor-expressing cells. These studies demonstrate the utility of bacteriophage λ procapsids and their potential use as targeted drug delivery vehicles.

Chemically modified viruses: principles and applications.

The search for novel molecular materials has focused on viruses as natural nanomaterials. Historically studied for their effects as pathogens, recent advances have incorporated viruses as substrates for chemical modification, materials development, and therapeutic design. Here we will discuss recent advances in chemical strategies for modifying viruses, and the applications of these technologies.

Endothelial targeting of cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) via surface vimentin.

Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) is a plant comovirus in the picornavirus superfamily, and is used for a wide variety of biomedical and material science applications. Although its replication is restricted to plants, CPMV binds to and enters mammalian cells, including endothelial cells and particularly tumor neovascular endothelium in vivo. This natural capacity has lead to the use of CPMV as a sensor for intravital imaging of vascular development. Binding of CPMV to endothelial cells occurs via interaction with a 54 kD cell-surface protein, but this protein has not previously been identified. Here we identify the CPMV binding protein as a cell-surface form of the intermediate filament vimentin. The CPMV-vimentin interaction was established using proteomic screens and confirmed by direct interaction of CPMV with purified vimentin, as well as inhibition in a vimentin-knockout cell line. Vimentin and CPMV were also co-localized in vascular endothelium of mouse and rat in vivo. Together these studies indicate that surface vimentin mediates binding and may lead to internalization of CPMV in vivo, establishing surface vimentin as an important vascular endothelial ligand for nanoparticle targeting to tumors. These results also establish vimentin as a ligand for picornaviruses in both the plant and animal kingdoms of life. Since bacterial pathogens and several other classes of viruses also bind to surface vimentin, these studies suggest a common role for surface vimentin in pathogen transmission.

Viral nanoparticles associate with regions of inflammation and blood brain barrier disruption during CNS infection.

Targeted treatment of inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) remains problematic due to the complex pathogenesis of these disorders and difficulty in drug delivery. The plant virus, cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV), has recently been explored as a nanoparticle delivery system for therapeutics targeting a number of diseases including cancer and neurodegeneration. To understand the biodistribution of CPMV in the CNS, we examined CPMV uptake during infection of mice with neurotropic mouse hepatitis virus (MHV). CPMV localized mainly to the CNS endothelium in areas that contained an intact blood brain barrier. However, in inflammatory lesions containing macrophage/microglial cell infiltration and IgG, CPMV could be detected in the brain parenchyma. Furthermore, CPMV showed rapid internalization in an in vitro model of the BBB. These results suggest that CPMV particles could be used as a vehicle to deliver therapeutics to the damaged CNS during neurodegenerative and infectious diseases of the CNS.

Chemical addressability of ultraviolet-inactivated viral nanoparticles (VNPs).

BACKGROUND: Cowpea Mosaic Virus (CPMV) is increasingly being used as a nanoparticle platform for multivalent display of molecules via chemical bioconjugation to the capsid surface. A growing variety of applications have employed the CPMV multivalent display technology including nanoblock chemistry, in vivo imaging, and materials science. CPMV nanoparticles can be inexpensively produced from experimentally infected cowpea plants at high yields and are extremely stable. Although CPMV has not been shown to replicate in mammalian cells, uptake in mammalian cells does occur in vitro and in vivo. Thus, inactivation of the virus RNA genome is important for biosafety considerations, however the surface characteristics and chemical reactivity of the particles must be maintained in order to preserve chemical and structural functionality. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Short wave (254 nm) UV irradiation was used to crosslink the RNA genome within intact particles. Lower doses of UV previously reported to inactivate CPMV infectivity inhibited symptoms on inoculated leaves but did not prohibit systemic virus spread in plants, whereas higher doses caused aggregation of the particles and an increase in chemical reactivity further indicating broken particles. Intermediate doses of 2.0-2.5 J/cm(2) were shown to maintain particle structure and chemical reactivity, and cellular binding properties were similar to CPMV-WT. CONCLUSIONS: These studies demonstrate that it is possible to inactivate CPMV infectivity while maintaining particle structure and function, thus paving the way for further development of CPMV nanoparticles for in vivo applications.

Interaction between a 54-kilodalton mammalian cell surface protein and cowpea mosaic virus.

Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV), a plant virus that is a member of the picornavirus superfamily, is increasingly being used for nanotechnology applications, including material science, vascular imaging, vaccine development, and targeted drug delivery. For these applications, it is critical to understand the in vivo interactions of CPMV within the mammalian system. Although the bioavailability of CPMV in the mouse has been demonstrated, the specific interactions between CPMV and mammalian cells need to be characterized further. Here we demonstrate that although the host range for replication of CPMV is confined to plants, mammalian cells nevertheless bind and internalize CPMV in significant amounts. This binding is mediated by a conserved 54-kDa protein found on the plasma membranes of both human and murine cell lines. Studies using a deficient cell line, deglycosidases, and glycosylation inhibitors showed that the CPMV binding protein (CPMV-BP) is not glycosylated. A possible 47-kDa isoform of the CPMV-BP was also detected in the organelle and nuclear subcellular fraction prepared from murine fibroblasts. Further characterization of CPMV-BP is important to understand how CPMV is trafficked through the mammalian system and may shed light on how picornaviruses may have evolved between plant and animal hosts.