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Virus Isolation and Homogenization
After the inoculation of the viral strain of interest into the appropriate host cells, and once incubated under the appropriate conditions, the infected cell culture can be treated with a sonicator - typically for a few minutes - in order to release the viruses from the host cells. This happens thanks to the mechanical disruption of the host cell membranes via the pressure created by the high-frequency sound waves generated by the sonicator. This can be followed by both centrifugation to yield a virus pellet, and purification to remove any remaining contaminants. Should your goals be to homogenize the viral particles themselves, longer, higher-intensity sonication is an efficient means of doing so.
When sonicating different viral samples, it’s worth keeping in mind that different viruses have varying sensitivities to ultrasonic lysis. In other words, the optimal conditions for virus isolation vary depending both on the virus itself and the host cells used. At Qsonica, we offer a wide variety of Sonicators that are reliable, powerful, and proven. Combined with a broad selection of horns, the Sonicator line enables you to process a wide range of volumes with varying ultrasonic intensities. When you need a trustworthy instrument for virus isolation and homogenization, do what tens of thousands of scientists have done for half a century: rely on a Sonicator.
Product applications
- Vaccine development
- Diagnostics
- Antiviral drug development
- Gene therapy
- Bioprocessing
- Agriculture
Videos
Virus Isolation and Homogenization Publications and Protocols
Protocols
Publications
- The HSV-1 Latency-Associated Transcript Functions to Repress Latent Phase Lytic Gene Expression and Suppress Virus Reactivation from Latently Infected Neurons:
- European Bluetongue Serotype 8: Disease Threat Assessment for U.S. Sheep:
- Experimental infection of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with Northern European bluetongue virus serotype 8:
- A protein of the metallo-hydrolase/oxidoreductase superfamily with both beta-lactamase and ribonuclease activity is linked with translation in giant viruses:
- How to dissect viral infections and their interplay with the host-proteome by immunoaffinity and mass spectrometry: A tutorial:
Tips & Info for Virus Isolation and Homogenization
- For viral isolation from another sample, follow the suggestions for the type of sample in which they are residing (for instance tissue homogenization or bacterial lysis).
- Viral capsids are small and tough. If you need to lyse them to extract their nucleic acid contents, using a probe with a small tip at a high amplitude will most efficiently lyse them.
- Use of a viral lysis buffer will help make virion homogenization much faster and easier. Buffers with low quantities of detergent are recommended to prevent foaming.
- Whether you are looking to isolate or homogenize the viral particles, do not over-homogenize! Running for longer than necessary may degrade RNA, denature proteins, and shear DNA, or may homogenize virions when you only mean to extract them.
- For general best practices, see Best Practices for Ultrasonic Homogenization.
