1.Sustained antibody response to a linear epitope of Nipah virus fusion protein in human survivor serum samples
Ting L.J ; Tan X.L. ; Tiong V. ; Abubakar S. ; Abdullah I. ; Karsani S.A. ; Chan K-G. ; Chua K-O ; Yong H-S. ; Liew Y.J.M.
Tropical Biomedicine 2026;43(No. 1):5-15
Nipah virus (NiV), a pathogen with pandemic potential, lacks approved treatments or vaccines,
highlighting the urgent need for research on immune-targeted antigenic determinants. A significant
gap persists in NiV research, as studies on the fusion (F) protein critical for viral entry as well as the B
cells epitopes, have primarily focused on computational prediction rather than experimental validation
of immunogenic epitopes obtained through immunoinformatics approach. This study focused on the
conserved F protein across NiV human isolates and employed an immunoinformatics approach to
predict linear B-cell epitopes capable of direct immune activation. Predicted epitopes were screened
for antigenicity, toxicity, and allergenicity. Molecular docking analysis was performed to evaluate
its binding affinity with B-cell receptors (BCRs). To validate its immunogenicity, the LF6 peptide was
synthesized and used in an indirect ELISA to test sera from cohort previously infected with NiV as well
as with negative cohort. Epitope LF6 (LISNIEIGFCL) was identified as a strong candidate based on its
immunogenic properties. Molecular docking showed favorable binding of LF6 with BCR. ELISA results
revealed that one sera from the survival cohort showed positive response which is an IgG antibody
response 2-fold higher (0.343) than the cut-off value (0.0171). This study provides the first reported
evidence linking computational predictions with functional immune reactivity for a B-cell epitope of
NiV. The findings suggest that LF6 has the potential to elicit specific immune responses. However, given
the small sample size, further validation in larger cohorts is essential to confirm LF6’s vaccine relevance.


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