Virus-like particle

<p>Virus-like particles (VLPs) are molecules that closely resemble <a href="/facts/Virus/mf88Bcbl">viruses</a>, but are non-infectious because they contain no viral genetic material. They can be naturally occurring or synthesized through the individual expression of viral structural proteins, which can then self assemble into the virus-like structure. Combinations of structural capsid proteins from different viruses can be used to create recombinant VLPs. Both in-vivo assembly (i.e., assembly inside E. coli bacteria via recombinant co-expression of multiple proteins) and in-vitro assembly (i.e., protein self-assembly in a reaction vessel using stoichiometric quantities of previously purified proteins) have been successfully shown to form virus-like particles. VLPs derived from the <a href="/facts/Hepatitis_B/qqPTEY3p">Hepatitis B</a> virus (HBV) and composed of the small HBV derived surface antigen (<a href="/facts/HBsAg/PBxJ0fve">HBsAg</a>) were described in 1968 from patient sera. VLPs have been produced from components of a wide variety of virus families including <a href="/facts/Parvoviridae/n9yUQEYL">Parvoviridae</a> (e.g. <a href="/facts/Adeno-associated_virus/zUxAB45G">adeno-associated virus</a>), <a href="/facts/Retroviridae/GWAx3C3o">Retroviridae</a> (e.g. <a href="/facts/HIV/ulY2rgzu">HIV</a>), <a href="/facts/Flaviviridae/2JIfheYD">Flaviviridae</a> (e.g. <a href="/facts/Hepatitis_C_virus/DFUwAzlB">Hepatitis C virus</a>), <a href="/facts/Paramyxoviridae/IAXXKum6">Paramyxoviridae</a> (e.g. <a href="/facts/Henipavirus/0d5HAxWm">Nipah</a>) and <a href="/facts/Bacteriophages/L2Ll0T3q">bacteriophages</a> (e.g. Qβ, <a href="/facts/Bacteriophage_AP205/uP9moKUF">AP205</a>). VLPs can be produced in multiple cell culture systems including bacteria, mammalian cell lines, insect cell lines, yeast and plant cells. VLPs can be produced by a single viral protein such as the Z matrix protein of <a href="/facts/Mammarenavirus/tABStvlK">mammarenaviruses</a>, and it is used as scientific tool to investigate <a href="/facts/Viral_shedding/hD4bor7J">budding</a> activity, vRNP inhibition, <a href="/facts/Myristoylation/KbEstnBu">myristoylation</a> and <a href="/facts/Protein_quaternary_structure/ukuyKJfj">oligomerization</a>. 
</p><p>VLPs can also refer to structures produced by some <a href="/facts/LTR_retrotransposon/l2SNhrNC">LTR retrotransposons</a> (under <a href="/facts/Ortervirales/VDemYIl6">Ortervirales</a>) in nature. These are defective, immature <a href="/facts/Virion/mf88Bcbl">virions</a>, sometimes containing genetic material, that are generally non-infective due to the lack of a <a href="/facts/Env_(gene)/VeNqBmy4">functional viral envelope</a>. In addition, wasps produce <a href="/facts/Polydnavirus/R18mt46h">polydnavirus</a> vectors with pathogenic genes (but not core viral genes) or gene-less VLPs to help control their host.
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Virus-like particle open-in-new

Virus-like particle