Use of the interior cavity of the P22 capsid for site-specific initiation of atom-transfer radical p
Author: ["Janice Lucon","Shefah Qazi","Masaki Uchida","Gregory J. Bedwell","Ben LaFrance","Peter E. Prevelige Jr","Trevor Douglas"]
Publication: Nature Chemistry
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Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) have emerged as important and versatile architectures for chemical manipulation in the development of functional hybrid nanostructures. Here we demonstrate a successful site-selective initiation of atom-transfer radical polymerization reactions to form an addressable polymer constrained within the interior cavity of a VLP. Potentially, this protein–polymer hybrid of P22 and cross-linked poly(2-aminoethyl methacrylate) could be useful as a new high-density delivery vehicle for the encapsulation and delivery of small-molecule cargos. In particular, the encapsulated polymer can act as a scaffold for the attachment of small functional molecules, such as fluorescein dye or the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent Gd-diethylenetriaminepentacetate, through reactions with its pendant primary amine groups. Using this approach, a significant increase in the labelling density of the VLP, compared to that of previous modifications of VLPs, can be achieved. These results highlight the use of multimeric protein–polymer conjugates for their potential utility in the development of VLP-based MRI contrast agents with the possibility of loading other cargos. The site-selective initiation and propagation of an atom-transfer radical polymerization reaction forms an addressable crosslinked polymer constrained within the interior cavity of a virus-like particle derived from the bacteriophage P22. This protein–polymer hybrid is useful as a new vehicle for high-density delivery of small-molecule cargos.
Cite this article
Lucon, J., Qazi, S., Uchida, M. et al. Use of the interior cavity of the P22 capsid for site-specific initiation of atom-transfer radical polymerization with high-density cargo loading. Nature Chem 4, 781–788 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.1442
