The Effect of Dimethyladipimidate on the Stability of Cowpea Chlorotic Mottle and Brome Mosaic Viruses

Cross-linking lysyl residues of brome mosaic and cowpea chlorotic mottle viruses with dimethyladipimidate at pH 8.5 in the presence of MgCl2 resulted in particles that were stable under conditions in which the viruses normally came apart. Virus substituted in the absence of MgCl2 was not stabilized nor would it reassociate into normal particles. Substitution of isolated coat protein subunits did not, however, interfere with the assembly of capsids.