Bacteriophage PRD1 as a nanoscaffold for drug loading.

Duyvesteyn HME., Santos-Pérez I., Peccati F., Martinez-Castillo A., Walter TS., Reguera D., Goñi FM., Jiménez-Osés G., Oksanen HM., Stuart DI., Abrescia NGA.

Viruses are very attractive biomaterials owing to their capability as nanocarriers of genetic material. Efforts have been made to functionalize self-assembling viral protein capsids on their exterior or interior to selectively take up different payloads. PRD1 is a double-stranded DNA bacteriophage comprising an icosahedral protein outer capsid and an inner lipidic vesicle. Here, we report the three-dimensional structure of PRD1 in complex with the antipsychotic drug chlorpromazine (CPZ) by cryo-electron microscopy. We show that the jellyrolls of the viral major capsid protein P3, protruding outwards from the capsid shell, serve as scaffolds for loading heterocyclic CPZ molecules. Additional X-ray studies and molecular dynamics simulations show the binding modes and organization of CPZ molecules when complexed with P3 only and onto the virion surface. Collectively, we provide a proof of concept for the possible use of the lattice-like organisation and the quasi-symmetric morphology of virus capsomers for loading heterocyclic drugs with defined properties.

DOI

10.1039/d1nr04153c

Type

Journal article

Journal

Nanoscale

Publication Date

12/2021

Addresses

Division of Structural Biology, University of Oxford, The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Headington, Oxford, UK. dave.stuart@strubi.ox.ac.uk.

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