Production of cytoplasmic type citrus leprosis virus-like particles by plant molecular farming

Oscar A Ortega-Rivera; Veronique Beiss; Elizabeth O Osota; Soo Khim Chan; Sweta Karan; Nicole F Steinmetz

doi:10.1016/j.virol.2022.11.004

Production of cytoplasmic type citrus leprosis virus-like particles by plant molecular farming

Virology. 2023 Jan:578:7-12. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2022.11.004. Epub 2022 Nov 15.

Authors

Oscar A Ortega-Rivera¹, Veronique Beiss¹, Elizabeth O Osota¹, Soo Khim Chan¹, Sweta Karan¹, Nicole F Steinmetz²

Affiliations

¹ Department of NanoEngineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92039, USA; Center for Nano-ImmunoEngineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92039, USA.
² Department of NanoEngineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92039, USA; Center for Nano-ImmunoEngineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92039, USA; Institute for Materials Discovery and Design, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92039, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92039, USA; Department of Radiology, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92039, USA; Moores Cancer Center, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92039, USA. Electronic address: nsteinmetz@ucsd.edu.

Abstract

Many plant virus-like particles (VLPs) utilized in nanotechnology are 30-nm icosahedrons. To expand the VLP platforms, we produced VLPs of Cytoplasmic type citrus leprosis virus (CiLV-C) in Nicotiana benthamiana. We were interested in CiLV-C because of its unique bacilliform shape (60-70 nm × 110-120 nm). The CiLV-C capsid protein (p29) gene was transferred to the pTRBO expression vector transiently expressed in leaves. Stable VLPs were formed, as confirmed by agarose gel electrophoresis, transmission electron microscopy and size exclusion chromatography. Interestingly, the morphology of the VLPs (15.8 ± 1.3 nm icosahedral particles) differed from that of the native bacilliform particles indicating that the assembly of native virions is influenced by other viral proteins and/or the packaged viral genome. The smaller CiLV-C VLPs will also be useful for structure-function studies to compare with the 30-nm icosahedrons of other VLPs.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Citrus*
Molecular Farming
RNA Viruses* / genetics
Rhabdoviridae*
Virion / genetics

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding