Isolation of Tobacco Mosaic Virus‐Binding Peptides for Biotechnology Applications

• Published in: Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology 2022-06, Vol.23 (11), p.e202200040-n/a
• Main Authors: Chan, Soo Khim, Steinmetz, Nicole F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Binding; Biological research; Biotechnology; Display devices; Genetic Engineering; Nanoparticles; Nicotiana - genetics; noncovalent display; Peptides; Peptides - chemistry; peptides• biopanning; Phage display; Phages; Tobacco; tobacco mosaic virus; Tobacco Mosaic Virus - genetics; Tobacco Mosaic Virus - metabolism; Viruses
• ISSN: 1439-4227; 1439-7633; 1439-7633
• DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200040

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was the first virus to be discovered and it is now widely used as a tool for biological research and biotechnology applications. TMV particles can be decorated with functional molecules by genetic engineering or bioconjugation. However, this can destabilize the nanoparticles, and/or multiple rounds of modification may be necessary, reducing product yields and preventing the display of certain cargo molecules. To overcome these challenges, we used phage display technology and biopanning to isolate a TMV‐binding peptide (TBPT25) with strong binding properties (IC50=0.73 μM, KD=0.16 μM), allowing the display of model cargos via a single mixing step. The TMV‐binding peptide is specific for TMV but does not recognize free coat proteins and can therefore be used to decorate intact TMV or detect intact TMV particles in crude plant sap. Biopanning led to the identification of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)‐binding peptides that can be utilized for diagnostic assays to detect TMV in plant sap or for biotechnology applications such as adding functional moieties to the TMV used as nanocarrier.