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Single particle analysis of herpes simplex virus: comparing the dimensions of one and the same virions via atomic force and scanning electron microscopy

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Abstract

Currently, two types of direct methods to characterize and identify single virions are available: electron microscopy (EM) and scanning probe techniques, especially atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM in particular provides morphologic information even of the ultrastructure of viral specimens without the need to cultivate the virus and to invasively alter the sample prior to the measurements. Thus, AFM can play a critical role as a frontline method in diagnostic virology. Interestingly, varying morphological parameters for virions of the same type can be found in the literature, depending on whether AFM or EM was employed and according to the respective experimental conditions during the AFM measurements. Here, an inter-methodological proof of principle is presented, in which the same single virions of herpes simplex virus 1 were probed by AFM previously and after they were measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Sophisticated chemometric analyses then allowed a calculation of morphological parameters of the ensemble of single virions and a comparison thereof. A distinct decrease in the virions’ dimensions was found during as well as after the SEM analyses and could be attributed to the sample preparation for the SEM measurements.

The herpes simplex virus is investigated with scanning electron and atomic force microscopy in view of varying dimensions

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Acknowledgments

Financial support of the research from the EU via the project “HemoSpec” (FP 7, CN 611682), from the Thüringer Aufbaubank under the support codes 2011FE9051 and 2011SE9048 (“FastVirus”) as well as from COST Action MP1302 Nanospectroscopy is gratefully acknowledged. We thank Steffen Trautmann for creating the primary scheme of viruses for the table of content figure/graphical abstract.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Institute of Physical Chemistry and Abbe Center of Photonics, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Helmholtzweg 4, 07743, Jena, Germany

      Evelyn Kämmer, Thomas Bocklitz, Stephan Stöckel, Dana Cialla-May, Karina Weber, Volker Deckert & Jürgen Popp

    2. Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT), Albert-Einstein-Str. 9, 07745, Jena, Germany

      Evelyn Kämmer, Isabell Götz, Thomas Bocklitz, Andrea Dellith, Dana Cialla-May, Karina Weber, Jan Dellith, Volker Deckert & Jürgen Popp

    3. InfectoGnostics Forschungscampus Jena e.V., Zentrum für Angewandte Forschung, Philosophenweg 7, 07743, Jena, Germany

      Evelyn Kämmer, Isabell Götz, Thomas Bocklitz, Stephan Stöckel, Dana Cialla-May, Karina Weber, Volker Deckert & Jürgen Popp

    4. Department of Virology and Antiviral Therapy, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Hans-Knöll-Str. 2, 07745, Jena, Germany

      Roland Zell

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    1. Evelyn Kämmer
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    Correspondence to Thomas Bocklitz.

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    Evelyn Kämmer and Isabell Götz contributed equally to this work.

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    Kämmer, E., Götz, I., Bocklitz, T. et al. Single particle analysis of herpes simplex virus: comparing the dimensions of one and the same virions via atomic force and scanning electron microscopy. Anal Bioanal Chem 408, 4035–4041 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-016-9492-1

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