Question

I basically want the virus to fall apart into pieces. I want the capsid proteins to separate from the tail proteins and the DNA to all tumble out. I want all of the virus proteins, structural and DNA, simply to disassemble. If this were bacteria, I'd just use the freeze-thaw process to cause the bacteria to spill its contents into the solution it was suspended int. But apparently freeze-thaw doesn't work with viruses(?). Is there a way to do this by heating them up to a certain temperature?

Answer 1

Heating a virus to a certain temperature can cause it to become inactivated or denatured, leading to disassembly. This is applicable to both enveloped and non-enveloped viruses.

Step-by-step explanation:

In order to disassemble a virus, you would need to disrupt the structure of the virus. Unlike bacteria, freeze-thaw does not work with viruses. However, heating the virus up to a certain temperature can cause the virus to become inactivated or denatured, which can lead to the disassembly of the virus. For example, enveloped animal viruses may bud from the cell membrane as they assemble and can be disrupted by heating, causing the virus to fall apart. Non-enveloped viral progeny, like rhinoviruses, accumulate in infected cells until there is a signal for lysis or apoptosis, and heating can also trigger the release and disassembly of these virions.