AUTHOR=Zhang Taoping , Chen Zhixin , Xie Lyu , Xu Ruixian , Chen Lu , Jia Ting , Shi Wengang , Wang Yongbo , Song Yuzhu , Han Qinqin , Xia Xueshan , Yuan Tao , Zhang Jinyang TITLE=A fusion protein of vimentin with Fc fragment inhibits Japanese encephalitis virus replication JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science VOLUME=11 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1368725 DOI=10.3389/fvets.2024.1368725 ISSN=2297-1769 ABSTRACT=

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a member of the Flaviviridae family and a flavivirus, is known to induce acute encephalitis. Vimentin protein has been identified as a potential receptor for JEV, engaging in interactions with the viral membrane protein. The Fc fragment, an integral constituent of immunoglobulins, plays a crucial role in antigen recognition by dendritic cells (DCs) or phagocytes, leading to subsequent antigen presentation, cytotoxicity, or phagocytosis. In this study, we fused the receptor of JEV vimentin with the Fc fragment of IgG and expressed the resulting vimentin-Fc fusion protein in Escherichia coli. Pull-down experiments demonstrated the binding ability of the vimentin-Fc fusion protein to JEV virion in vitro. Additionally, we conducted inhibition assays at the cellular level, revealing the ability of vimentin-Fc protein suppressing JEV replication, it may be a promising passive immunotherapy agent for JEV. These findings pave the way for potential therapeutic strategies against JEV.