Identification and Analysis of Unstructured, Linear B-Cell Epitopes in SARS-CoV-2 Virion Proteins for Vaccine Development.

ABSTRACT: The efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid-based vaccines may be limited by proteolysis of the translated product due to anomalous protein folding. This may be the case for vaccines employing linear SARS-CoV-2 B-cell epitopes identified in previous studies since most of them participate in secondary structure formation. In contrast, we have employed a consensus of predictors for epitopic zones plus a structural filter for identifying 20 unstructured B-cell epitope-containing loops (uBCELs) in S, M, and N proteins. Phylogenetic comparison suggests epitope switching with respect to SARS-CoV in some of the identified uBCELs. Such events may be associated with the reported lack of serum cross-protection between the 2003 and 2019 pandemic strains. Incipient variability within a sample of 1639 SARS

SUBMITTER: Corral-Lugo A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7564417 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature