Abstract/Summary

A de novo ultra-small topology of viral assembly is reported. The design is a tri-faceted coiled-coil peptide helix, which self-assembles into monodisperse, anionic virions able to encapsulate and transfer both RNA and DNA into human cells. Unlike existing artificial systems, the virions share the same physical characteristics of viruses being anionic, non-aggregating, abundant, hollow and uniform in size, while effectively mediating gene silencing and transgene expression. These are the smallest virions reported to date with the ability to adapt and transfer small and large nucleic acids thus offering a promising solution for engineering bespoke artificial viruses with desired functions.