Abstract
Photoinduced structural changes in peptides can dynamically control the formation and dissociation of supramolecular peptide materials. However, the existence of photoresponsive viral capsids in nature remains unknown. In this study, we constructed an artificial viral capsid possessing a photochromic azobenzene moiety on the peptide backbone. An azobenzene-containing β-annulus peptide derived from the tomato bushy stunt virus was prepared through solid-phase synthesis using Fmoc-3-[(3-aminomethyl)-phenylazo]phenylacetic acid. The azobenzene-containing β-annulus (β-Annulus-Azo) peptide showed a reversible trans/cis isomerization property. The β-annulus-azo peptide self-assembled at 25 μM into capsids with the diameters of 30–50 nm before UV irradiation (trans-form rich), whereas micrometer-sized aggregates were formed after UV irradiation (cis-form rich). The artificial viral capsid possessing azobenzene facilitated the encapsulation of fluorescent-labeled dextrans and their photoinduced release from the capsid.
Highlights
IntroductionNatural viral capsids are attractive organic materials with discrete sizes and hollow interior nanospaces, which are applied as nanocarriers for drug delivery, nanoreactors, and vaccine platforms [1,2,3,4,5]
We reported that 24-mer β-annulus peptides of tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) spontaneously selfassembled into artificial viral capsids with sizes of 30–50 nm in water [18]
The synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) profile of artificial viral capsid indicated the existence of a hollow inside of the particle [18]
Summary
Natural viral capsids are attractive organic materials with discrete sizes and hollow interior nanospaces, which are applied as nanocarriers for drug delivery, nanoreactors, and vaccine platforms [1,2,3,4,5]. Exogenous stimuli responsiveness has been recognized as a promising property beneficial for controlled drug delivery [6]. Most viral capsids have static and stable capsule structures, only a few stimuli-responsive viral capsids are known. The cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) capsid shows pH-responsive swelling behavior attributed to its significant conformational changes [7,8]
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