REVIEW: Structurally Modified Plant Viruses and Bacteriophages with Helical Structure. Properties and Applications

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Olga A. Kondakova¹, Ekaterina A. Evtushenko^1,a*, Oleg A. Baranov¹, Nikolai A. Nikitin¹, and Olga V. Karpova¹

¹Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received April 21, 2022; Revised May 16, 2022; Accepted May 16, 2022

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Structurally modified virus particles can be obtained from the rod-shaped or filamentous virions of plant viruses and bacteriophages by thermal or chemical treatment. They have recently attracted attention of the researchers as promising biogenic platforms for the development of new biotechnologies. This review presents data on preparation, structure, and properties of the structurally modified virus particles. In addition, their biosafety for animals is considered, as well as the areas of application of such particles in biomedicine. A separate section is devoted to one of the most relevant and promising areas for the use of structurally modified plant viruses – design of vaccine candidates based on them.

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KEY WORDS: structurally modified viruses, spherical particles, plant viruses, bacteriophages, vaccines, biotechnology, biomedicine

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297922060062

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