Reverse Vaccinology Analysis of B-cell Epitope against Nipah Virus using Fusion Protein

Abstract

Nipah virus (NiV) is an RNA virus, a pathogenic paramyxovirus that causes nonlethal respiratory illness in pigs. It was originally reported in Malaysia in 1998. NiV is considered a potential outbreak threat because it is zoonotic. However, no vaccines or antiviral drugs have been found against NiV. Therefore, the main objective is to develop effective vaccines by characterizing the fusion protein of NiV. We used a reference sequence retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), then 3D modeled it to obtain the conserved region of the fusion protein. The interaction between the conserved region and B-cell receptors has been evaluated through a molecular docking approach. The B-cell epitope was identified using the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) web server. As a result, we recommend Pep_D FANCISVTCQCQ as an epitope-based peptide vaccine candidate against Nipah virus. Pep D is highly immunogenic and does not cause autoimmune reactions. Pep D has the lowest binding energy for BCR molecular complexes, which can activate the transduction signal and direct B-cell immune response. However, further studies are required for confirmation (in vitro and in vivo).