Imaging Viral Behavior in Mammalian Cells with Self‐Assembled Capsid–Quantum‐Dot Hybrid Particles

• Published in: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Vol. 5; no. 6; pp. 718 - 726
• Main Authors: Li, Feng, Zhang, Zhi‐Ping, Peng, Jun, Cui, Zong‐Qiang, Pang, Dai‐Wen, Li, Ke, Wei, Hong‐Ping, Zhou, Ya‐Feng, Wen, Ji‐Kai, Zhang, Xian‐En
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY‐VCH Verlag 20.03.2009
• Subjects: Animals; Capsid - chemistry; Capsid - ultrastructure; Cercopithecus aethiops; hybrid materials; Image Enhancement - methods; Microscopy, Fluorescence - methods; Quantum Dots; self‐assembly; simian virus 40; Simian virus 40 - physiology; Simian virus 40 - ultrastructure; Vero Cells - cytology; virus tracing
• ISSN: 1613-6810; 1613-6829
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.200801303

Unique spectral properties of quantum dots (QDs) enable ultrasensitive and long‐term biolabeling. Aiming to trace the infection, movement, and localization of viruses in living cells, QD‐containing virus‐like particles (VLPs) of simian virus 40 (SV40), termed SVLP‐QDs, are constructed by in vitro self‐assembly of the major capsid protein of SV40. SVLP‐QDs show homogeneity in size (≈24 nm), similarity in spectral properties to unencapsidated QDs, and considerable stability. When incubated with living cells, SVLP‐QDs are shown to enter the cells by caveolar endocytosis, travel along the microtubules, and accumulate in the endoplasmic reticulum. This process mimics the early infection steps of SV40. This is the first paradigm of imaging viral behaviors with encapsidated QDs in living cells. The method may provide a new alternative for various purposes, such as tracing viruses or viral components, targeted nanoparticle delivery, and probing of drug delivery. Virus imaging: New chimeric nanostructures, quantum dots (QDs) encapsidated in virus‐like particles of a mammalian virus, simian virus 40 (SV40), are constructed through molecular self‐assembly. The hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) behave like the wild‐type SV40 in entering host cells (see image). This is a novel type of virus tracing strategy based on NP encapsidation.