Rational design of modifications to the interior and exterior surfaces of virus-like particles (VLPs) for future therapeutic and materials applications is based on structural information about the capsid. Existing cryo-electron microscopy based models suggest that the C-terminus of the bacteriophage P22 coat protein (CP) extends towards the capsid exterior. Our biochemical analysis through genetic manipulations of the C-terminus supports the model where the CP C-terminus is exposed on the exterior of the P22 capsid. Capsids displaying a 6xHis tag appended to the CP C-terminus bind to a Ni affinity column, and the addition of positively or negatively charged coiled coil peptides to the capsid results in associat... More
Rational design of modifications to the interior and exterior surfaces of virus-like particles (VLPs) for future therapeutic and materials applications is based on structural information about the capsid. Existing cryo-electron microscopy based models suggest that the C-terminus of the bacteriophage P22 coat protein (CP) extends towards the capsid exterior. Our biochemical analysis through genetic manipulations of the C-terminus supports the model where the CP C-terminus is exposed on the exterior of the P22 capsid. Capsids displaying a 6xHis tag appended to the CP C-terminus bind to a Ni affinity column, and the addition of positively or negatively charged coiled coil peptides to the capsid results in association of these capsids upon mixing. Additionally, a single cysteine appended to the CP C-terminus results in the formation of intercapsid disulfide bonds and can serve as a site for chemical modifications. Thus, the C-terminus is a powerful location for multivalent display of peptides that facilitate nanoscale assembly and capsid modification.