IBI-5 Seminar: Effects of enveloped-virus morphology on their translational and rotational diffusion

Nicolas Moreno

BCAM - Basque Center for Applied Mathematics, Bilbao, Spain

Join us in person in Building 04.16, Room 2001

Abstract:

Enveloped viruses possess a characteristic morphology constituted by an envelope decorated with spike proteins localised on the surface. Spike proteins are responsible for specific virus/cell interactions and binding. However, they can provide relevant information about the microrheological features of the viruses.

Here, we investigate the passive transport of enveloped viruses to elucidate the effect of their morphology on their infectivity. The translational and rotational diffusivity of the virions were computed using the rigid multiblob method (RMB). Virions of different spike morphology and number (SARS-CoV-2, HIV, Herpes, Influenza) were investigated. We identified that the diffusion of the virus significantly reduces for viruses with bulkier spikes. Moreover, the mobility reached a saturation condition, where increasing the spikes number no longer affected their diffusion.

Our findings indicate that the diffusional mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 are controlled by the characteristic size and distribution of its spikes. Remarkably, the evidence suggests that the low number of spikes in viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 stems from geometrical constraints preserved in a variety of viruses with a larger number of spikes. These findings can provide tools for designing microrheological devices to screen, detect, and characterise viruses.