Systematic analysis of biological roles of charged amino acid residues located throughout the structured inner wall of a virus capsid

Identification and computational analysis of mutations in SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 infection has become a worldwide pandemic and is spreading rapidly to people across the globe. To combat the situation, vaccine design is the essential solution. Mutation in the virus genome plays an important role in limiting the working life of a vaccine. In this study, we have identified several mutated clusters in the structural proteins of the virus through our novel 2D Polar plot and qR characterization descriptor. We have also studied several biochemical properties of the proteins to explore the dynamics of evolution of these mutations. This study would be helpful to understand further new mutations in the virus and would facilitate the process of designing a sustainable vaccine against the deadly virus.

Surface Charge Mapping on Virions and Virus-Like Particles of Helical Plant Viruses

Currently, the assembly of helical plant viruses is poorly understood. The viral assembly and infection may be affected by the charge distribution on the virion surface. However, only the total virion charge (isoelectric point) has been determined for most plant viruses. Here, we report on the first application of positively charged magnetic nanoparticles for mapping the surface charge distribution of helical plant viruses. The charge was demonstrated to be unevenly distributed on the surface of viruses belonging to different taxonomic groups, with the negative charge being predominantly located at one end of the virions. This charge distribution is mainly controlled by viral RNA.