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DNA-protein interactions in virus-like nano-particles
I will present recent experimental results and their theoretical framework on DNA packing in viro, i.e. inside virus capsids and virus-like nanoparticles. I will present some examples of the interaction between the nucleic acids and the proteinaceous envelope in viruses. Confined polyelectrolyte theory and nematic nanodrop theory provide a suitable framework to describe the effects of osmotic pressure as well as interaction of RNA or DNA with the internal capsid wall - the hypotope. It seems that sometimes DNA can interact with the capsid wall with attractive and sometimes with repulsive interactions. I will present arguments that allow us to solve this problem and explain some features of experiments.