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Mechanical Properties of Viruses

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Structure and Physics of Viruses

Part of the book series: Subcellular Biochemistry ((SCBI,volume 68))

Abstract

Structural biology techniques have greatly contributed to unveil the relationships between structure, properties and functions of viruses. In recent years, classic structural approaches are being complemented by single-molecule techniques such as atomic force microscopy and optical tweezers to study physical properties and functions of viral particles that are not accessible to classic structural techniques. Among these features are mechanical properties such as stiffness, intrinsic elasticity, tensile strength and material fatigue. The field of virus mechanics is contributing to materials science by investigating some physical parameters of “soft” biological matter and biological nano-objects. Virus mechanics studies are also starting to unveil the biological implications of physical properties of viruses. Growing evidence indicate that viruses are subjected to internal and external forces, and that they may have adapted to withstand and even use those forces. This chapter describes what is known on the mechanical properties of virus particles, their structural determinants, and possible biological implications, of which several examples are provided.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Also especially recommended for further reading are references [6, 44, 51, 52, 67] listed above.

Abbreviations

AFM:

Atomic force microscopy

CCMV:

Cowpea chlorotic mottle virus

ds:

Double-stranded

EM:

Electron microscopy

FEA:

Finite-element analysis

FZ:

Force vs. z-piezo displacement

HBV:

Hepatitis B virus

HIV-1:

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1

HSV-1:

Herpes simplex virus type 1

MLV:

Murine leukemia virus

MVM:

Minute virus of mice

NV:

Norovirus (Norwalk virus)

ss:

Single-stranded

vdW:

Van der Waals

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge J.L. Carrascosa, J. Gómez-Herrero, D. Reguera, C. San Martín and N. Verdaguer for collaboration on virus mechanics, advice and fruitful discussions; C. Carrasco, P.J.P. Carrillo, M. Castellanos, M. Hernando-Pérez, A. Llauró, A. Ortega-Esteban and R. Pérez for excellent work on virus mechanics; M.A. Fuertes and A. Rodríguez-Huete for great experimental assistance. M.A.F. kindly provided Fig. 18.6. Work in P.J.P.’s laboratory is funded by the Spanish Government (grants PIB2010US-00233 and FIS2011-29493). Work in M.G.M.’s laboratory is funded by the Spanish Government (grants BIO2009-10092 and BIO2012-37649) and Comunidad de Madrid (S-2009/MAT/1467), and by an institutional grant from Fundación Ramón Areces. M.G.M. is an associate member of the Institute for Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems, Zaragoza, Spain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics of the Condensed Matter, C03, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain

    Pedro J. de Pablo

  2. Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” (CSIC-UAM) and Department of Molecular Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, c/Nicolás Cabrera 1, Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain

    Mauricio G. Mateu

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Correspondence to Pedro J. de Pablo or Mauricio G. Mateu .

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  1. "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC_UAM), And Dept. of Molecular Biology, Centro de Biología Molecular, Cantoblanco, Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain

    Mauricio G. Mateu

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de Pablo, P.J., Mateu, M.G. (2013). Mechanical Properties of Viruses. In: Mateu, M. (eds) Structure and Physics of Viruses. Subcellular Biochemistry, vol 68. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6552-8_18

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