Collaborative Research: Protein engineering and processing of plant viral templates for controlled nanoparticle synthesis

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Nano-scaled materials have unique properties that are tied to their size. The properties of these materials are controlled by their architecture. As a result, their manufacture must be tightly controlled. A uniform template would be extremely useful in such processes. Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) is a plant virus with highly uniform structure. Using templates derived from BSMV is proposed as an economical alternative to current processes. Virus-like particles (VLPs) derived from BSMV will be designed to act as templates for the production of metallic nanomaterials. Graduate and undergraduate students in will be trained to design and produce these templates. High school students from underrepresented groups and the general public will be engaged through innovative workshops that teach them about the power of biological engineering and nanomaterials. BSMV is an attractive biotemplate for synthesis of metallic nanomaterials. It can be more densely coated with metal than other biotemplates. It interacts electrostatically with metal precursor ion solutions to deposit a wider range of metals. It requires fewer processing steps to coat fully. The role of key BSMV amino acid residues in mediating metal mineralization on the VLP surface will be investigated. Protein and RNA engineering strategies to control biotemplate properties and facilitate biotemplate robustness will be pursued. Surface residues will be altered to facilitate metal-template interactions. Thermal processing to create biotemplated-materials with high electrical conductivities will be optimized. If successful, the techniques developed will create an economical bacterial expression and purification pipeline for designer BSMV biotemplates. The range of metals that ca be deposited on them will be broadened. Key insights into organic-inorganic interactions involved in metal deposition on biotemplates will be uncovered. The project results may elucidate structural details about how BSMV capsid proteins self-assemble, having implications for the infection and treatment of cereal crops that are susceptible to BSMV.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.