A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Immunogenic SARS-CoV-2 Epitopes: In Silico Study Towards Better Understanding of COVID-19 Disease-Paving the Way for Vaccine Development
Authors: Vipin Ranga, Erik Niemelä, Mahlet Z. Tamirat, John E. Eriksson, Tomi. T. Airenne, Mark S. Johnson
Publisher: MDPI
Publication year: 2020
Journal: Vaccines
Journal name in source: VACCINES
Journal acronym: VACCINES-BASEL
Article number: ARTN 408
Volume: 8
Issue: 3
Number of pages: 19
eISSN: 2076-393X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines8030408
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/50377059
The emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak at the end of 2019, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has, to date, led to over 13.6 million infections and nearly 600,000 deaths. Consequently, there is an urgent need to better understand the molecular factors triggering immune defense against the virus and to develop countermeasures to hinder its spread. Using in silico analyses, we showed that human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I cell-surface molecules vary in their capacity for binding different SARS-CoV-2-derived epitopes, i.e., short sequences of 8-11 amino acids, and pinpointed five specific SARS-CoV-2 epitopes that are likely to be presented to cytotoxic T-cells and hence activate immune responses. The identified epitopes, each one of nine amino acids, have high sequence similarity to the equivalent epitopes of SARS-CoV virus, which are known to elicit an effective T cell response in vitro. Moreover, we give a structural explanation for the binding of SARS-CoV-2-epitopes to MHC molecules. Our data can help us to better understand the differences in outcomes of COVID-19 patients and may aid the development of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and possible future outbreaks of novel coronaviruses.
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