Team:Wageningen UR/Project

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= Introduction =
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The Wageningen UR [[Team:Wageningen_UR/Team|team]] has worked on the modification of virus-like particles ([[Team:Wageningen_UR/VLPs|VLPs]]) to make them interesting platforms for [[Team:Wageningen_UR/Applications|vaccine production and/or site specific drug delivery.]] [[Team:Wageningen_UR/VLPs|VLPs]] are empty virus capsids, meaning that they do not contain any viral genome and proteins except for the coat proteins. Coat proteins of some viruses have shown the ability to self-assemble in absence of its viral genome and other viral proteins, and thus form VLPs. Our [[Team:Wageningen_UR/HumanBody|human body model]] gives us an inside about how our drug delivery system would improve drug application. <br />
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Besides the work done in the wet lab on VLPs, the team developed a web based tool that simplifies the design of the best cloning strategy: [[Team:Wageningen_UR/TheConstructor|The Constructor]]. The team cooperated with the 2011 Wageningen UR iGEM team for this project. Their experiences were used to further develop the tool adding features and making a user-friendly and easily accessible tool. This work has already been [[Team:Wageningen_UR/TheConstructor#Our_Publication|published]].
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Our Virus-Like particle will guide you through the project.
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<p>Plug 'n Apply<br />System</p>
 
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<p>Virus Like<br />Particles</p>
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<p>Outside<br />Modification</p>
 
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  <a href="https://2012.igem.org/Team:Wageningen_UR/Coil_system#The_Plug_and_Apply_.28PnA.29_System" title="Plug 'n Apply System">2. Plug 'n Apply System</a>
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= Introduction =
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The Wageningen UR [[Team:Wageningen_UR/Team|team]] 2012 has worked on the modification of [[Team:Wageningen_UR/VLPs|virus-like particles]] ([[Team:Wageningen_UR/VLPs|VLPs]]) to make them interesting platforms for [[Team:Wageningen_UR/Applications|vaccine production and/or site specific drug delivery.]] [[Team:Wageningen_UR/VLPs|VLPs]] are empty virus capsids, meaning that they do not contain any viral genome and proteins except for the coat proteins. Coat proteins of some viruses have shown the ability to self-assemble in absence of its viral genome and other viral proteins, and thus form VLPs.
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Besides the work done in the wet lab on VLPs, the team developed a web based tool that simplifies the design of the best cloning strategy: [[Team:Wageningen_UR/TheConstructor|The Constructor]]. The team cooperated with the 2011 Wageningen UR iGEM team for this purpose. Their experiences were used to further develop the tool adding features and making a user-friendly and easily accessible tool. This work has already been [[Team:Wageningen_UR/TheConstructor#Our_Publication|published]]. 
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== The Virus-Like Particle project ==
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To facilitate the attachment of ligands and epitopes, we want to attach anchors on the outside and inside of the VLP. Medicine can be attached to the anchors inside the VLP, which then is encapsulated inside the VLP.
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The anchors that we want to use are charged coils, which are already being used to encapsulate GFP into Cowpea Chlorotic Mottle Virus ([[Team:Wageningen_UR/ModifyingtheCCMV|CCMV]]) VLPs. This technique relies on [[Team:Wageningen_UR/Coil_system|charged peptide coils]] (negatively charged E-coil and positively charged K-coil) that can form ion bonds together. We want to use this technique to obtain a [[Team:Wageningen_UR/Coil_system|universal attachment system]] with which we can attach all kinds of epitopes to the VLPs.
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We selected [[Team:Wageningen_UR/VLPs|3 viruses]] that we want to use to produce VLPs with an universal attachment system on the inside and outside of the VLPs. We have selected them based on the availability of literature that discribes the characteristics of the VLPs, increasing the probability of success and their promising structure. Besides CCMV, we will use the [[Team:Wageningen_UR/ModifyingtheHepatitisB|Hepatitis B]] core antigen VLP for the production of vaccines. The ''Polerovirus'' ([[Team:Wageningen_UR/ObtainingthePoleroVLP|PLRV]]) will be used to yield a newly expressed VLP in ''Escherichia coli'' (''E.coli''), because of its promising structure with outside spikes that are easy to modify. All three VLPs will be expressed in ''E. coli'' and all three will need to be submitted in the same standardized form for the iGEM competition.
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Formation of VLPs is usually confirmed using Electron Microscopy ([[Team:Wageningen_UR/MethodsDetection|EM]]). This is rather time consuming and expensive, so Dynamic Light Scattering ([[Team:Wageningen_UR/MethodsDetection|DLS]]) is investigated as an alternative method. DLS can provide an indication of VLP formation but conclusive evidence should be obtained by EM.
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VLPs can have many applications in the health industry, but they can also find their way in the development of bio-nano materials and processing engineering.
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Latest revision as of 15:51, 26 October 2012


Introduction

The Wageningen UR team has worked on the modification of virus-like particles (VLPs) to make them interesting platforms for vaccine production and/or site specific drug delivery. VLPs are empty virus capsids, meaning that they do not contain any viral genome and proteins except for the coat proteins. Coat proteins of some viruses have shown the ability to self-assemble in absence of its viral genome and other viral proteins, and thus form VLPs. Our human body model gives us an inside about how our drug delivery system would improve drug application.

Besides the work done in the wet lab on VLPs, the team developed a web based tool that simplifies the design of the best cloning strategy: The Constructor. The team cooperated with the 2011 Wageningen UR iGEM team for this project. Their experiences were used to further develop the tool adding features and making a user-friendly and easily accessible tool. This work has already been published.

Our Virus-Like particle will guide you through the project.

1. Introduction

The Wageningen UR team has worked on the modification of virus-like particles (VLPs) to make them interesting platforms for vaccine production and/or site specific drug delivery. VLPs are empty virus capsids, meaning that they do not contain any viral genome and proteins except for the coat proteins. Coat proteins of some viruses have shown the ability to self-assemble in absence of its viral genome and other viral proteins, and thus form VLPs. Our human body model gives us an inside about how our drug delivery system would improve drug application.

2. Plug 'n Apply
System

A big challenge of our project is the attachment of ligands and functional proteins on either the outside or inside of a virus-like particle (VLP). We decided to use a noncovalent anchor-like system, which consists of two different coiled-coil proteins. We call it the Plug-and-Apply-system (PnA-system).

3. Virus Like
Particles

A Virus-Like Particle (VLP) is a shell of viral Coat Proteins (CPs) that spontaneously assemble with the right conditions. Although a VLP resembles the original virus in shape and size, it lacks both the external sites that are usually required for the infection of cells and the internal machinery needed for viral replication. Moreover, they also lack the viral genetics to be transcribed and replicated.

4. Outside
Modification

The monomers of virus-like particles (VLPs) have been subject to many modifications of which some are aimed at changing the appearance of the particle. By changing the outside, the VLP acquires new properties which have been used mainly in vaccine development . The modification we pursue is adding a coil to the protein subunits, at any location that is exposed on the outside of the VLP. This can be a fusion to a C or N-terminal, but a modification in a loop is possible as well.

5. Inside
Modification

Since virus-like particles (VLPs) lack genetic content, they enclose an empty space. This space can be filled with proteins such as antibiotics, hormones, and all sorts of pharmaceuticals. Modifications on the inside of the VLPs can increase binding affinity to the loaded substance. The first modifications we pursue is adding the K-coil to the protein subunits at any location that is exposed on the inside of the VLP.

6. Detection

A key part of our project is the detection of VLPs. We need sufficient visualization to get conclusive evidence of VLP formation. Besides standard approaches, we will investigate alternative methods to detect the formation and stability of Virus-Like Particles.

7. Applications

The goal of our project is to construct standardized self-assembling particles with a simple and versatile attachment system for either packaging molecules, presenting ligands/epitopes, or both. By combining the PnA (Plug 'n Apply) System and Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), we create a tool that can be applied in numerous applications.

8. The Constructor

The registry is the substrate to make complex devices. We designed a web tool that facilitates an automatic cloning recommendation which outcompetes manual querying of the BioBrick parts from the registry. Besides constructing the best cloning strategy, The Constructor also allows the user to select for BioBrick quality and availability.

9. Final
Overview

"If it turns out that the combination of delivery and medicine has a superior ability to cure, everything is achievable in the modern world." Senior Project Leader in veterinary medicine at MSD. "Having in place a system that can rapidly develop a vaccine against unexpected viral agents would be of great importance for public health." ECDC Program Leader Vaccine Preventable Diseases

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