Spindles of insect viruses: structure, function and engineering of natural protein crystals as microparticles for vaccine delivery

Spindles, protein crystals produced by insect poxviruses, are among the most intriguing objects to virologists and biochemists alike. Using innovative microcrystallography techniques, we will study the structure of these in vivo crystals to understand how they participate to the virulence of a range of unrelated bioinsecticide agents and to uncover the molecular basis for their in vivo self-assembly.
Unlike other in vivo viral crystals, spindles form inside the secretory pathway of infected cells and are not infectious, which provides opportunities to engineer them as novel microparticles for vaccine delivery, particularly suited for viral surface glycoproteins such as the Env protein of HIV.