A pH-Responsive Virus-Like Particle as a Protein Cage for a Targeted Delivery.

ABSTRACT: A stimuli-responsive protein self-assembly offers promising utility as a protein nanocage for biotechnological and medical applications. Herein, the development of a virus-like particle (VLP) that undergoes a transition between assembly and disassembly under a neutral and acidic pH, respectively, for a targeted delivery is reported. The structure of the bacteriophage P22 coat protein is used for the computational design of coat subunits that self-assemble into a pH-responsive VLP. Subunit designs are generated through iterative computational cycles of histidine substitutions and evaluation of the interaction energies among the subunits under an acidic and neutral pH. The top subunit designs are tested and one that is assembled into a VLP showing the highest pH-dependent structural transiti

SUBMITTER: Kim KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11469083 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature