Through joint research between Tottori University and Kyoto University, we have succeeded in creating a structure that mimics "enveloped viruses" such as influenza virus and coronavirus from synthetic molecules alone.
Envelope viruses have a complex structure in which a complex consisting of nucleic acid and protein is covered with a lipid bilayer membrane.The structure obtained by removing nucleic acid from such a virus structure is attracting attention because it becomes a "nanocapsule" having a cavity of uniform size, but its construction involves infecting and culturing a virus in a host cell. A process was required and could not be created chemically.
Under these circumstances, the researchers synthesized the "artificial virus envelope" (aggregate of virus-derived proteins), which the group had previously succeeded in constructing, into a negatively charged state, and consisted of positively charged lipids. By coating with liposomes, we succeeded in creating lipid-modified peptide nanocapsules such as enveloped viruses.Furthermore, it was confirmed that this lipid-modified peptide nanocapsule has a uniform particle size and higher stability than the case of artificial virus capsid alone or liposome alone.This is the first time in the world that we have succeeded in constructing a lipid-coated peptide nanocapsule that mimics an enveloped virus from "synthetic molecules only".
In the future, this group will synthesize "virus replicas" by mounting various membrane proteins (for example, hemagglutinin of influenza virus) on lipid-modified peptide nanocapsules, and will synthesize drug delivery materials, model materials for virus infection research, and viruses. The company plans to develop research aimed at its application as a material for developing a vaccine against influenza.
Paper information:[Chemical Communications] Enveloped Artificial Viral Capsids Self-assembled from Anionic β-Annulus Peptide and Cationic Lipid Bilayer
