Journal: PLoS Pathog / Year: 2025 Title: Enterovirus-like particles encapsidate RNA and exhibit decreased stability due to lack of maturation. Authors: Louis Kuijpers / Evdokia-Anastasia Giannopoulou / Yuzhen Feng / Wouter van den Braak / Abbas Freydoonian / Ramon Ramlal / Hugo Meiring / Belén Solano / Wouter H Roos / Arjen J Jakobi / Leo ...Authors: Louis Kuijpers / Evdokia-Anastasia Giannopoulou / Yuzhen Feng / Wouter van den Braak / Abbas Freydoonian / Ramon Ramlal / Hugo Meiring / Belén Solano / Wouter H Roos / Arjen J Jakobi / Leo A van der Pol / Nynke H Dekker / Abstract: To counteract hand, foot, and mouth disease-causing viruses such as enterovirus A71 and coxsackievirus A6, virus-like particles (VLPs) have emerged as a leading contender for the development of a ...To counteract hand, foot, and mouth disease-causing viruses such as enterovirus A71 and coxsackievirus A6, virus-like particles (VLPs) have emerged as a leading contender for the development of a multivalent vaccine. However, VLPs have shown rapid conversion from a highly immunogenic state to a less immunogenic state and low particle integrity lifetimes compared to inactivated virus vaccines, thus raising concerns about their overall stability. Here, we produce VLPs to investigate capsid stability using cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), mass spectrometry (MS), biochemical assays, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). In contrast to prior studies and prevailing hypotheses, we show that insect-cell produced enterovirus VLPs include encapsidated RNA fragments with viral protein coding sequences. Our integrated approach reveals that CVA6 VLPs do not undergo viral maturation, in contrast to virions; that they can encapsidate RNA fragments, similarly to virions; and that despite the latter, they are more brittle than virions. Interestingly, this indicates that CVA6 VLP stability is more affected by lack of viral maturation than the presence of RNA. Our study highlights how the development of VLPs as vaccine candidates should encompass probing for unwanted (viral) RNA content and establishing control of their maturation to enhance stability.
Model: Quantifoil R2/1 / Material: COPPER / Mesh: 200 / Support film - Material: CARBON / Support film - topology: HOLEY / Pretreatment - Type: GLOW DISCHARGE / Pretreatment - Time: 90 sec. / Pretreatment - Atmosphere: AIR / Details: 18 mA
Vitrification
Cryogen name: ETHANE / Chamber humidity: 99 % / Chamber temperature: 20 K / Instrument: LEICA EM GP / Details: Blotting for 10 seconds from the carbon side.
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Electron microscopy
Microscope
JEOL 3200FSC
Temperature
Min: 100.0 K / Max: 100.0 K
Specialist optics
Energy filter - Name: In-column Omega Filter / Energy filter - Slit width: 20 eV
Image recording
Film or detector model: GATAN K2 SUMMIT (4k x 4k) / Detector mode: COUNTING / Digitization - Dimensions - Width: 3838 pixel / Digitization - Dimensions - Height: 3710 pixel / Digitization - Frames/image: 1-40 / Number grids imaged: 1 / Number real images: 1828 / Average exposure time: 9.0 sec. / Average electron dose: 58.24 e/Å2
Electron beam
Acceleration voltage: 300 kV / Electron source: FIELD EMISSION GUN
In the structure databanks used in Yorodumi, some data are registered as the other names, "COVID-19 virus" and "2019-nCoV". Here are the details of the virus and the list of structure data.
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