biological systems provide many examples of specifically tailored, nanostructured molecules with highly optimized properties and characteristics. these biomaterials are composite materials and consist of an inorganic component and a special organic matrix. crystalline bacterial cell surface layers (s-layers( are the outermost cell envelope component of many eubacteria and archaea and are compos...

The mechanism of entry of hepatitis C virus (HCV) through interactions between the envelope glycoproteins and specific cell surface receptors remains unclear at this time. We have previously shown with the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)/HCV pseudotype model that the hypervariable region 1 of the HCV E2 envelope glycoprotein helps in binding with glycosaminoglycans present on the cell surface....