Arizona State University

Structural studies of human viruses at XFEL facilities require biosafety considerations that are usually not a concern in similar studies with proteins. Such virus samples must first be biologically inactivated prior to entering facilities. Means of inactivating viruses that do not involve physical disassembly include irradiating the particles with ultra-violet light, and chemical treatment with glutaraldehyde. Although both methods can effectively sterilize intact virus particles, both may also physically alter protein and nucleic acid structures. We report on the extent and mechanisms of such alterations as they occur in the Sindbis alphavirus, and how such treatments affect the crystallization of virus samples. Developing an effective means of inactivating virus samples will be necessary in order to enable future studies of viruses that have relevance to the medical field at XFEL facilities.