Journal
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 11, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.587615
Keywords
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Coronavirus Disease 2019; epitopes; vaccine; T cells; B cells; nucleocapsid
Categories
Funding
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) [465229/2014-0, 401209/2020-2, 302660/2015-1]
- Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP) [2017/24832-6]
- Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES) [88887.506611/2020-00, 88887.504420/2020-00]
- National Institute of Health (NIH) [R01 AI 116453]
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COVID-19 is a worldwide emergency; therefore, there is a critical need for foundational knowledge about B and T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 essential for vaccine development. However, little information is available defining which determinants of SARS-CoV-2 other than the spike glycoprotein are recognized by the host immune system. In this study, we focus on the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein as a suitable candidate target for vaccine formulations. Major B and T cell epitopes of the SARS-CoV-2 N protein are predicted and resulting sequences compared with the homolog immunological domains of other coronaviruses that infect human beings. The most dominant of B cell epitope is located between 176-206 amino acids in the SRGGSQASSRSSSRSRNSSRNSTPGSSRGTS sequence. Further, we identify sequences which are predicted to bind multiple common MHC I and MHC II alleles. Most notably there is a region of potential T cell cross-reactivity within the SARS-CoV-2 N protein position 102-110 amino acids that traverses multiple human alpha and betacoronaviruses. Vaccination strategies designed to target these conserved epitope regions could generate immune responses that are cross-reactive across human coronaviruses, with potential to protect or modulate disease. Finally, these predictions can facilitate effective vaccine design against this high priority virus.
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