Abstract
The membrane protein M of the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) is the most abundant component of the viral envelope. The M protein plays a central role in the morphogenesis and assembly of the virus through protein interactions of the M-M, M-Spike (S) and M-nucleocapsid (N) type. The M protein is known to induce protective antibodies in pigs and to participate in the antagonistic response of the cellular antiviral system coordinated by the type I and type III interferon pathways. The 3D structure of the PEDV M protein is still unknown. The present work exposes a predicted 3D model of the M protein generated using the Robetta protocol. The M protein model is organized into a transmembrane and a globular region. The obtained 3D model of the PEDV M protein was compared with 3D models of the SARS-CoV-2 M protein created using neural networks and with initial machine learning-based models created using trRosetta. The 3D model of the present study predicted four linear B-cell epitopes (RSVNASSGTG and KHGDYSAVSNPSALT peptides are noteworthy), six discontinuous B-cell epitopes, forty weak binding and fourteen strong binding T-cell epitopes in the CV777 M protein. A high degree of conservation of the epitopes predicted in the PEDV M protein was observed among different PEDV strains isolated in different countries. The data suggest that the M protein could be a potential candidate for the development of new treatments or strategies that activate protective cellular mechanisms against viral diseases.
Highlights
The Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) is the causative agent of porcine epidemic diarrhea, a highly contagious disease that affects farm animals
To generate the 3D model of PEDV M protein, the amino acid sequence was selected based on a comparison of amino acid sequences from different strains using the M protein sequence of the CV777 prototype virulent strain as a reference
The identity between the different sequences analyzed was recorded in the range of 97.35 to 99.56% corresponding to the minimum and maximum identity values related to the CV777 M protein
Summary
The Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) is the causative agent of porcine epidemic diarrhea, a highly contagious disease that affects farm animals. Control strategies have been oriented to the establishment in farms of rigorous biosecurity programs, adequate zootechnical management and vaccination [2]. These strategies have been effective in controlling disease, specific treatments are needed, which would require molecular knowledge of each stage of the viral replication cycle, as well as information on the biochemical characteristics of all the viral proteins. The functions described for the PEDV M protein include assembly and budding of virions, inhibition of innate immune response by blocking type I and III interferon pathways in infected cells and induction of protective antibodies in pigs [5–9]. The M protein performs its functions by interacting with other viral proteins. An immunoinformatics analysis was carried out to determine the potential antigenic regions of the M protein
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