{
  "abstract": "La Crosse virus (LACV) is a mosquito-borne Orthobunyavirus responsible for pediatric encephalitis, with no currently approved vaccine or targeted antiviral therapy. This study aimed to design a multi-epitope subunit vaccine targeting the conserved nucleoprotein of LACV using an integrated immunoinformatics approach. The nucleoprotein exhibited strong antigenicity and favorable physicochemical properties, including stability and hydrophilicity. Highly conserved CTL, HTL, and B-cell epitopes were initially predicted, from which high-affinity, non-allergenic, and non-toxic epitopes were selected. Population coverage analysis revealed extensive global applicability, with MHC class I and II coverage of 98.55% and 81.81%, respectively. Three vaccine constructs (V1, V2 and V3) were developed, while construct V1 demonstrated superior performance, with the highest antigenicity (0.7846) and solubility (0.709). Structural validation confirmed stability, with over 93% of residues in favored regions of the Ramachandran plot. Molecular docking with the TLR8 receptor revealed strong interactions. This was further supported by MD simulations, DCCM analysis, binding free energy calculations, and PCA, all of which confirmed stable binding between the vaccine construct V1 and TLR8, exhibiting a docking score of −1212.6. Molecular dynamics simulations further confirmed stability, with consistent RMSD, stable radius of gyration, and persistent hydrogen bonding (40–60 bonds). Codon optimization demonstrated favorable translational efficiency and confirmed the suitability of the construct V1 for heterologous expression in E. coli. Immune simulation predicted robust humoral and cellular responses, including elevated IgM, IgG, and cytokines. Overall, the proposed vaccine candidate V1 demonstrates strong immunogenic potential and structural stability, warranting further experimental validation for potential clinical application.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh",
    "Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh",
    "Department of Medicine, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Md. Shamiron Hasnat"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ahsanul Siddique Saim"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Mst. Farhana Akter Sarmin"
    },
    {
      "name": "Probir Mitro"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sabrina Sarker"
    },
    {
      "name": "Md. Hasan Ali"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shalauddin"
    },
    {
      "name": "Omar Faruk Talukder"
    },
    {
      "name": "Md Bashir Uddin"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b63jy8fvhx57r.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0359567",
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  "id": "b63jy8fvhx57r",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
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  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
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      "openalex",
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    ],
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      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Biochemistry/Proteins/Immune system proteins/Antigens"
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      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Biochemistry/Proteins/Nucleoproteins"
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      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Cell biology/Cellular types/Animal cells/Blood cells/White blood cells/B cells"
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      "/Biology and life sciences/Cell biology/Cellular types/Animal cells/Immune cells/Antibody-producing cells/B cells"
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      "/Biology and life sciences/Immunology/Immune system proteins/Antigens"
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      "/Biology and life sciences/Immunology/Immune system proteins/Immune receptors/Toll-like receptors"
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      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immune cells/Antibody-producing cells/B cells"
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      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immune cells/White blood cells/B cells"
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    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immune system proteins/Antigens"
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      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Immune system proteins/Immune receptors/Toll-like receptors"
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      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Major histocompatibility complex"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Immunology/Vaccination and immunization/Vaccine development"
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      "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Infectious diseases/Infectious disease control/Vaccines"
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    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Medical conditions/Infectious diseases/Infectious disease control/Vaccines/Viral vaccines"
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    [
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      "/Medicine and health sciences/Public and occupational health/Preventive medicine/Vaccination and immunization/Vaccine development"
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  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0359567&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-13",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b63jy8fvhx57r.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:30Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0359567",
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      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359567"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:immunology",
      "subfield": "immunology"
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  "title": "Designing a multi-epitope vaccine against La Crosse virus using immunoinformatics approach",
  "title_text": "Designing a multi-epitope vaccine against La Crosse virus using immunoinformatics approach",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:30Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b63jy8fvhx57r",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}