Japanese encephalitis virus envelope protein (JEV E protein) (JEV E)

The Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) envelope (E) protein is the major structural glycoprotein on the surface of the virus and is the primary mediator of viral entry into host cells. It facilitates initial attachment to host receptors and undergoes a pH-triggered conformational change to drive the fusion of the viral and host cell membranes within endosomes (Nayak et al., 2015, PubMed: 25891468). The protein is organized into three distinct domains (DI, DII, and DIII), with DIII being particularly significant as it contains the primary receptor-binding site and is the target for many potent neutralizing antibodies (Luca et al., 2012, PubMed: 22437641). As the most immunologically relevant protein of JEV, it serves as the central target for vaccine development, including inactivated and live-attenuated vaccines like Ixiaro and IMOJEV (WHO, 2019). Therapeutic research also focuses on identifying specific epitopes within the E protein for the development of monoclonal antibodies that can neutralize the virus and prevent the progression of Japanese encephalitis, a severe neurological disease.

Other names

JEV E proteinJapanese encephalitis virus E proteinEnvelope glycoprotein EJEV E protein epitopes

Induction of neutralizing antibodies that bind to specific epitopes on the E protein, thereby blocking viral attachment to host receptors and inhibiting the conformational changes necessary for membrane fusion (Nayak et al., 2015, PubMed: 25891468).