Icosahedral virus particles as polyvalent carbohydrate display platforms

Sugar-coated viruses behave as large dendrimeric poly(carbohydrates). Readily prepared from the icosahedral cowpea mosaic virus (one-twelfth of the structure of this scaffold is shown here, with attachment points in yellow) and electrophilic sugar derivatives, the resulting particles bind strongly to the lectin concanavalin-A, forming cross-linked networks. Measurements of binding strength demonstrate effective polyvalencies comparable to the most potent dendrimer- and polymer-based systems reported to date, with the added advantage of near atomic-resolution control over structure.