Patterned assembly of genetically modified viral nanotemplates via nucleic acid hybridization.

The patterning of nanoparticles represents a significant obstacle in the assembly of nanoscale materials and devices. In this report, cysteine residues were genetically engineered onto the virion surface of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), providing attachment sites for fluorescent markers. To pattern these viruses, labeled virions were partially disassembled to expose 5' end RNA sequences and hybridized to virus-specific probe DNA linked to electrodeposited chitosan. Electron microscopy and RNAase treatments confirmed the patterned assembly of the virus templates onto the chitosan surface. These findings demonstrate that TMV nanotemplates can be dimensionally assembled via nucleic acid hybridization.