Exploring the Paths of Self-Assembly and Disassembly of Virions and Virus-Like Particles
A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "General Virology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 6762
Special Issue Editor
Interests: physical virology; self-assembly; disassembly; antivirals; mechanical properties; infectivity; human rhinoviruses; human immunodeficiency virus
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The development of effective antivirals requires a thorough understanding of the molecular details involved in the viral life cycle. Among the functions performed by viral capsids is that of enclosing the genetic content immediately after viral morphogenesis and until a new cell is infected, then the viral genes must exit the capsid to continue with the subsequent steps of infection. Every virus must deal with these two critical and antagonist steps that, in some cases, have profound similarities in their molecular downhill transition toward less energetic states.
To decipher how these processes occur, experimental and theoretical approaches have been carried out, obtaining complementary data that enable us to determine how to interfere with these processes, so finely tuned by nature. Structural and time-resolved experimental techniques (especially single-molecule methodologies), in combination with theoretical modeling, have boosted our knowledge about the molecular details of such complex processes. By gaining the understanding of how a virus assembles or dismantles, it becomes possible to design efficient and broad antivirals targeted to interfere with these two processes. Furthermore, the acquired knowhow would allow the use of virus-like particles in vaccine design and for other nanotechnological purposes.
This Special Issue will explore the fundamental basis of virus assembly and disassembly processes. As this multidisciplinary research field prominently includes physics, biology, and chemistry, original papers in these areas investigating the fundamental basis of self-assembly (and disassembly) processes are welcome, especially those proposing new models, antiviral strategies or implications for nanotechnological use.
Dr. Alejandro Valbuena
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- virus self-assembly
- nucleic acid–protein interactions
- virus disassembly
- viral capsid dynamics
- antivirals
- infectivity
- virus-like particles
- nanoparticles
- nanomaterials
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