Expression and Purification of MS2-ZDC Viral-Like Particles

The pET47b(+)-MS2-ZDC vector was transformed into NiCo21(DE3)-competent Escherichia coli in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions (New England Biolabs, USA). The protocol for expression and purification was described previously by Zambenedetti et al. [12 (link)], with some modifications. The expression of pET47b(+)-MS2-ZDC was induced by the addition of 0.5 mM isopropyl-1-β-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG), and after centrifugation, the supernatant was collected and processed with filtration for viral-like particles purification. After purification, viral-like particles were stored at –20°C.