The Liposome Reconstitution of SARS-CoV-2 Envelope Proteins in Pursuit of a Virus-Like Particle

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly infectious virus that targets the human respiratory system and continues to be a major challenge facing the world. This research looks to develop a SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particle (VLP) composed of envelope proteins inserted into a liposome to mimic the virus and serve as a platform for further research into the currently understudied envelope protein. A detergent-mediated reconstitution strategy was employed to develop the VLP in which the proteins were reconstituted into liposomes with a lipid composition designed to resemble the viral particle. Through the use of two-photon excitation fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (TPE-FCCS) it will be shown that VLPs can be created with 15-30 proteins per particle, mirroring that of the virus. This work serves as both a first step in creating a more comprehensive VLP incorporating multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins, as well as a potential platform to study the protein's properties.