Abstract
Polyomaviruses and papillomaviruses are small non-enveloped tumorigenic viruses. Since the early 1970s, the potential of empty polyoma viral particles as carriers of genes into mammalian cells has been recognized.
Research into papillomaviruses has lagged behind due to the difficulty of their cultivation. DNA recombinant technology has helped to regain research interest in papillomaviruses, especially with the discovery of the presence of two types of human papillomaviruses (HPVs), HPV16 and 18, in human cervical tumors.
Consequently, several studies have demonstrated that more than a dozen HPV types are important etiological agents in human cancer. These findings accelerated papillomavirus research and led to the development of virus-like particle (VLP) technology, mainly for vaccine production.
On the contrary, well-known human polyomaviruses, BK virus (BKPyV) and JC virus (JCPyV) were never recognized as oncogenic in humans and research focused on non-human polyomaviruses as vectors for gene and immune therapy in polyomavirus-unrelated cancers. However, the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), the newly-discovered polyomavirus found in biopsies of the rare and aggressive human neuroendocrine skin cancer Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), changed the view of the oncogenic potential of polyomaviruses in humans, and protective vaccines may soon become an important area of research.
This chapter summarizes the important developments in polyomavirus- and papillomavirus-based nanotechnology. It compares both systems for different applications when the biology and structure of the virus, interactions between the virus and its host cell, and vector production facilities are taken into account.
The suitability of these viral nanotechnology tools as gene, protein, drug, or other compound nanocarriers as well as vaccines are discussed for both virus families together with the advantages and disadvantages connected to specific uses.