bc0c00240_si_001.pdf (1.57 MB)
The Protein Corona Does Not Influence Receptor-Mediated Targeting of Virus-like Particles
journal contribution
posted on 2020-05-08, 13:11 authored by Jirina Zackova Suchanova, Alzbeta Hejtmankova, Jitka Neburkova, Petr Cigler, Jitka Forstova, Hana SpanielovaProtein
corona formation has been regarded as an obstacle to developing
diagnostic and therapeutic nanoparticles for in vivo applications. Serum proteins that assemble around nanoparticles
can hinder their targeting efficiency. Virus-based nanoparticles should
be naturally predisposed to evade such barriers in host organisms.
Here, we demonstrate that virus-like particles derived from mouse
polyomavirus do not form a rich protein corona. These particles can
be efficiently targeted to cells that overproduce transferrin receptors,
e.g., cancer cells, by conjugating transferrin to the particle surface.
In this study, we provide evidence that the interaction of virus-like
particles with their newly assigned target receptor is not obstructed
by serum proteins. The particles enter target cells via a clathrin-dependent
endocytic pathway that is not naturally used by the virus. Our results
support the notion that the natural properties of virus-like particles
make them well-suited for development of nanosized theranostic tools
resistant to detargeting by protein coronas.