A chemoselective biomolecular template for assembling diverse nanotubular materials

We describe the design and production of a tobacco mosiac virus mutant that provides for specific and stoichiometric attachment of a wide variety of ligand-linker groups. As a result, specific ligands could be chemoselectively linked to the virion to produce highly diverse nanomolecular materials. These included semi-crystalline protein arrays and metallic ‘nanopipes’, as well as nanomolecular ‘light sticks’. The method described is facile and inexpensive with potential uses in such diverse areas as nanofabrication and biomolecular structure determination.