Two hydrophobic cations based on poly-N-ethyl-vinylpyridine were used to produce biologically active complexes. The complexes obtained from tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) spherical particles (SPs), hydrophobic polycation, and a model protein were stable and did not aggregate in solution, particularly at high ionic strengths. The nucleic acid-free SPs were generated by thermal remodeling of the TMV (helical rod-shaped plant virus). The model protein preserved its antigenic activity in the ternary complex (SP-polycation-protein). Immobilization of proteins on the surface of SPs coated with hydrophobic cation is a promising approach to designing biologically active complexes used in bionanotechnologies.
Keywords: biologically active complexes; hydrophobic polycations; spherical particles; tobacco mosaic virus.