Modification with expanding monomer

The varieties of copolymers that can be prepared with styrene have greatly expanded the use of the monomer. Dramatic improvements or modifications of physical properties can be achieved by choosing the right comonomer. The dynamic mechanical properties of these copolymers are strongly influenced by the characteristics of the comonomer, the copolymer composition and the miscibility parameter of the constituents parts to function as separable identities. 

In two back-to-back follow-up papers, Finn, Johnson, and coworkers expanded on this work and explored the modification of additional residues on CPMV. They were able to modify a lysine residue on the capsid selectively, installing up to 60 copies of an NHS-ester dye on the surface. Using more equivalents of dye, up to four chromophores could be introduced onto each monomer. Furthermore, biotin-NHS could be used to coat the capsids with affinity tags, resulting in the formation of extended aggregates in the presence of avidin. The authors also demonstrated the modification of an... 

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