Tobacco Mosaic Virus as a Carrier for Small Molecules I. The preparation and characterization of a TMV/α‐melanotropin conjugate

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Abstract
The use of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) covalently loaded with hormones or other small molecules for various purposes including receptor detection and isolation is proposed. The basic principle is that of cooperative affinity interactions involving (large) numbers of artificially introduced sites (e.g. hormones) of the modified virus on the one hand and membrane‐bound sites (e.g. receptors) of a cell or of a cellmembrane particle on the other. In order to test the feasibility of such TMV/hormone conjugates, TMV carrying about 500 molecules of a biologically active α‐melanotropin analogue was synthesized, and characterized by its aspect under the electron microscope, by its infectivity, its melanophore‐stimulating activity, and its reaction with antisera against α‐melanotropin. The observed hormonal activity is in accordance with the idea of cooperative affinity interactions.