"Making Viruses, and Virus-like Particles"

William M. Gelbart
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of California, Los Angeles

Abstract
        Viruses are the simplest examples of evolving systems; at the same time, they are arguably the deadliest disease agents.  Unlike any living system, they have, for example, been reconstituted in vitro from purified components and -- in most cases -- their structures have high symmetry, most often icosahedral.   Also, whereas the genomes of living organisms are exclusively double-stranded (ds) DNA molecules, the genomes of viruses are predominantly single-stranded (ss) RNA, a molecule with very different physical (as well as chemical) properties.

        All viruses involve a genome packaged inside a protein shell, some with an extra layer of protection in the form of a lipid bilayer envelope.  In this talk I discuss the physical considerations involved in making viruses "from scratch" and what these experiments can tell us about in vivo viral "life cycles".  I also describe our ongoing efforts to synthesize "artificial viruses" and "virus-like particles", featuring the physical differences between dsDNA (a stiff, linear, polyelectrolyte), ssRNA (flexible, branched), and charged homopolymers (flexible, linear).

Thursday, April 10th
337 Towne Bldg.
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.