Experimental and Theoretical Determination of the pH inside the Confinement of a Virus-Like Particle

Stan J. Maassen, Paul van der Schoot, Jeroen J.L.M. Cornelissen* (Corresponding Author)

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)
31 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In biology, a variety of highly ordered nanometer-size protein cages is found. Such structures find increasing application in, for example, vaccination, drug delivery, and catalysis. Understanding the physiochemical properties, particularly inside the confinement of a protein cage, helps to predict the behavior and properties of new materials based on such particles. Here, the relation between the bulk solution pH and the local pH inside a model protein cage, based on virus-like particles (VLPs) built from the coat proteins of the cowpea chlorotic mottle virus, is investigated. The pH is a crucial parameter in a variety of processes and is potentially significantly influenced by the high concentration of charges residing on the interior of the VLPs. The data show a systematic more acidic pH of 0.5 unit inside the VLP compared to that of the bulk solution for pH values above pH 6, which is explained using a theoretical model based on a Donnan equilibrium. The model agrees with the experimental data over almost two orders of magnitude, while below pH 6 the experimental data point to a buffering capacity of the VLP. These results are a first step in a better understanding of the physiochemical conditions inside a protein cage.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1802081
JournalSmall
Volume14
Issue number36
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Sept 2018

Keywords

  • UT-Hybrid-D
  • nanotechnology
  • pH measurements
  • physical chemistry
  • virus capsids
  • confinement
  • 2023 OA procedure

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