In vitro reconstituted plant virus capsids for delivering RNA genes to mammalian cells

A composition of matter comprising:

• a mammalian cell;
• cowpea chlorotic mottle virus capsid proteins;
• and
• ribonucleic acid;
• wherein:
• the ribonucleic acid is at least 100 nucleotides in length;
• the ribonucleic acid is not a cowpea chlorotic mottle virus ribonucleic acid;
• the cowpea chlorotic mottle virus capsid proteins form a capsid that envelops the ribonucleic acid, thereby inhibiting degradation of the ribonucleic acid;
• and
• relative amounts of cowpea chlorotic mottle virus capsid protein and ribonucleic acid are such that there are at least 10 cowpea chlorotic mottle virus capsid proteins for every 100 nucleotides of ribonucleic acid length.

A composition of matter comprising:

• cowpea chlorotic mottle virus capsid proteins;
• and
• ribonucleic acid;
• wherein:
• the ribonucleic acid is at least 100 nucleotides in length;
• the ribonucleic acid is not a cowpea chlorotic mottle virus ribonucleic acid;
• relative amounts of cowpea chlorotic mottle virus capsid protein and ribonucleic acid are such that there are at least 10 cowpea chlorotic mottle virus capsid proteins for every 100 nucleotides of ribonucleic acid length;
• the cowpea chlorotic mottle virus capsid proteins form a capsid that envelops the ribonucleic acid, thereby inhibiting degradation of the ribonucleic acid;
• and
• relative amounts of cowpea chlorotic mottle virus capsid protein and ribonucleic acid are such that the mass ratio of cowpea chlorotic mottle virus capsid proteins to ribonucleic acids is at least 6:1.