Fast Ion Beam Inactivation of Viruses, Where Radiation Track Structure Meets RNA Structural Biology

Here we show an interplay between the structures present in ionization tracks and nucleocapsid RNA structural biology, using fast ion beam inactivation of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) virion as an example. This interplay is one of the key factors in predicting dose-inactivation curves for high energy ion beam inactivation of virions. We also investigate the adaptation of well-established cross-section data derived from radiation interactions with water to the interactions involving the components of a virion, going beyond the density-scaling approximation developed previously. We conclude that solving one of the grand challenges of structural biology — the determination of RNA tertiary/quaternary structure — is intimately linked to predicting ion-beam inactivation of viruses and that the two problems can be mutually informative. Indeed, our simulations show that fast ion beams have a key role to play in elucidating RNA tertiary/quaternary structure.