Tiny viruses connect and bloom into amazing sunflower structures

In the world of scientific discovery, some of the most exciting breakthroughs happen by accident. Researchers often start with a clear plan, only to discover that nature has its own surprises, such as sunflower-like viruses.

This is exactly what happened to a group of scientists who, while working with bacteriophages – viruses that infect and eat bacteria – stumbled upon something unexpected. They have discovered tiny sunflower-like viruses that could change the way we identify and treat disease.

Viruses that look like sunflowers?

It seems that even the tiniest life forms like to get a little creative sometimes. McMaster’s team was stunned to see their lab slides as they watched bacteriophages, often called phages, form into three-dimensional configurations that closely resembled sunflowers.

But these tiny “flowers” ​​were no ordinary garden variety. Their diameter was only two tenths of a millimeter.

Isn’t it amazing that sometimes important discoveries can appear in the most unexpected places?

Unexpected formation of phages

What was the impetus for this peculiar metamorphosis? The answer lies in the process the researchers used to prepare the phages for screening.

To keep the viruses alive, the researchers took the route less traveled, using high-pressure carbon dioxide instead of the standard and more lethal methods of heat or solvents.

And the result? An unexpected but promising microstructure that they have been striving to synthesize for years.

Lead study author Lei Tian, ​​who led the study while in graduate school and later became a postdoctoral fellow at McMaster, said his original intention was only to preserve the structure of the virus. But nature, as always, had other plans.

The meaning of sunflower formations

What makes this random structure so important? Well, it turns out that it is 100 times more capable than unrelated phages at detecting their bacterial targets.

This means that these sunflower-like formations could open up a world of possibilities in detecting and combating numerous diseases. And the best part is that all this is achieved using natural materials and processes.

Incredible insight into sunflower-like viruses

“This was an accidental discovery,” said study co-author and mechanical engineer Tohid Didar. “When we pulled them out of the pressure chamber and saw these beautiful flowers, it absolutely blew us away.”

“It took us two years to understand how and why this happened, and to open up the possibility of creating similar structures with other protein-based materials.”

Zeinab Hosseinidust, senior author of the study, has been studying the potential of phages in her laboratory for many years.

The team has made significant advances, such as getting viruses to combine to form microscopic living tissue and even developing a gel that is visible to the naked eye.

Previously, it was impossible to give this material any depth or shape. But with the emergence of sunflower-like viral structures, with all their wrinkles, peaks and crevices, the barrier appears to have been broken.

Nature’s masterpiece: viruses similar to sunflowers

“It’s really about building with nature,” Hosseinidoust said. “This beautiful wrinkled structure is found everywhere in nature.”

“The mechanical, optical and biological properties of these types of structures have inspired engineers for decades to create similar structures artificially in the hope of obtaining the same properties from them.”

This discovery opened the door to shaping phages in a variety of ways, increasing their efficiency, and creating opportunities for innovative biological applications.

For example, the team was able to mix these flower-like structures with DNAzymes, allowing them to detect low concentrations of Legionella bacteria in water from commercial cooling towers.

Endless source of inspiration

As antibiotic resistance continues to be a serious problem, there has been renewed interest in bacteriophages as a treatment for various infections.

Thanks to their ability to target specific bacteria while leaving others unharmed, the potential of these tiny viruses holds far more promise than we could ever imagine.

“Nature is so powerful and so intelligent. Our job as engineers is to study how it works so that we can use similar processes and put them into practice,” Hosseinidoust said.

The study was published in the journal Advanced functional materials.

Image credit: McMaster University

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