| The survival of most natural viruses is dependent upon the existence of spherical capsids---shells of various sizes composed of protein subunits, which serve as a protective coat for the virus. Since capsids are employed in almost all aspects of the viral life cycle, understanding both structural and dynamical features of capsids remain imperative. In this thesis, we will employ theory into understanding such properties.;From a geometric, topological and physical perspective, we uncovered aspects of the spherical virus capsid at various levels of structure (subunit properties [1] and capsid scalability [2]), function (maturation [2] and rigidity [2, 3]), design (from first principles [1--3]) and evolution [3].;The resulting theories show that virus capsids, although famously diverse, may be unified by a mathematical framework (which culminates in a periodic table). This framework provides an opportunity to explore a large number of capsids to benefit our understanding of an integral player in the virus life cycle, while informing the field of nanotechnology of general assembly design requirements. Our hope is that these theoretical understandings may further be employed in designing antiviral therapeutics and completely artificial high-order molecular assemblies. |
