Evolution of a designed protein assembly encapsulating its own RNA genome.

ABSTRACT: The challenges of evolution in a complex biochemical environment, coupling genotype to phenotype and protecting the genetic material, are solved elegantly in biological systems by the encapsulation of nucleic acids. In the simplest examples, viruses use capsids to surround their genomes. Although these naturally occurring systems have been modified to change their tropism and to display proteins or peptides, billions of years of evolution have favoured efficiency at the expense of modularity, making viral capsids difficult to engineer. Synthetic systems composed of non-viral proteins could provide a 'blank slate' to evolve desired properties for drug delivery and other biomedical applications, while avoiding the safety risks and engineering challenges associated with viruses. Here we creat

SUBMITTER: Butterfield GL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5927965 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature