Gag-FP (fluorescent protein) fusion constructs are commonly used to study human immunodeficiency virus type 1 assembly, yielding diffuse signals throughout the cytoplasm along with punctate signals routinely described as virus-like particles (VLPs) representing assembled but unprocessed Gag. However, these particles cannot be accurately described as VLPs, since fluorescence microscopy cannot pr...

The interaction between human papillomavirus (HPV) particles and cell surface heparan sulfate requires intact conformation of the HPV particles. Type-specific HPV serology is currently based on virus-like particles (VLPs) with intact conformation. Presence of incorrectly folded VLPs in VLP preparations is recognized as an important cause of cross-reactivity in HPV serology. Heparin-coated micro...

Virus-like particles (VLPs) composed of the truncated capsid protein of swine hepatitis E virus (HEV) were developed and immune responses of mice immunized with the VLPs were evaluated. IgG titers specific for the capsid protein of swine HEV were significantly higher for all groups of mice immunized with the VLPs than those of the negative control mice. Splenocytes from mice immunized with the ...

Six randomly selected isolates of Thielaviopsis basicola were found to contain spherical virus-like particles (VLPs) approximately 40 nm in diameter. One isolate, ATCC 34114, selected for further analysis contained a complex of VLPs that sedimented as eight or more bands in sucrose density gradients and contained five size classes of double-stranded RNA. Five discrete precipitation lines were o...

Ty3, a member of the Metaviridiae family of long-terminal-repeat retrotransposons found in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, encodes homologs of retroviral Gag and Gag-Pol proteins, which, together with genomic RNA, assemble into virus-like particles (VLPs) that undergo processing and reverse transcription. The Ty3 structural proteins, capsid and nucleocapsid, contain major homology and nucleocapsid mo...

Flaviviruses, such as dengue, zika, yellow fever, West Nile, and Japanese encephalitis virus, are RNA viruses belonging to the Flaviviridae family (genus Flavivirus). They represent an important global health concern, since most areas of world endemic for at least one these viruses. Although vaccines five flaviviruses currently exist, there is a need new protect from established, emerging, reem...

The expression of the single capsid protein of Norwalk virus (NV) in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells infected with recombinant baculovirus results in the assembly of virus-like particles (VLPs) of two sizes, the predominant 38-nm, or virion-size VLPs, and smaller, 23-nm VLPs. Here we describe the purification and biochemical characterization of the 23-nm VLPs. The 23-nm VLPs were purif...

Lamellocytes are specialized larval blood cells of Drosophila that carry out encapsulation of metazoan pathogens such as parasitoid wasps. Large virus-like particles (VLPs) from two closely related virulent parasitoid wasp species, Leptopilina heterotoma and Leptopilina victoriae, suppress the host encapsulation response by promoting lysis of lamellocytes. The molecular basis of VLP-lamellocyte...

Bluetongue virus (BTV) causes severe disease in domestic and wild ruminants, and has recently caused several outbreaks in Europe. Current vaccines include live-attenuated and inactivated viruses; while these are effective, there is risk of reversion to virulence by mutation or reassortment with wild type viruses. Subunit or virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines are safer options: VLP vaccines prod...

Two strains of Aspergillus flavus, non-toxigenic NRRL 6550 and toxigenic NRRL 5940, were studied over a period of 44 days, in order to detect the presence of virus-like particles (VLPs) by means of electron microscopy (EM) and nucleic acids electrophoresis. Only the toxigenic strain contained VLPs, presenting three-segmented dsRNA. An increase in VLPs number was observed during the exponential ...