SARS-CoV-2 Nucleoprotein 2 (261-275) – COVID-19 Peptides

The coronavirus (CoV) nucleoprotein is the major component of CoV structural proteins. Also known as the nucleocapsid protein, it is an abundant RNA-binding protein critical for viral genome packaging. These factors make nucleoprotein a good target for developing new antiviral drugs. In addition, the identification of epitopes within the nucleoprotein sequence can help design more effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Models have predicted epitopes exhibiting antigenicity, stability and interactions with MHC class-I and class-II molecules. Nucleoprotein (261-275) is an epitope candidate with various HLA restrictions. This epitope can be used to better vaccine design for more durable CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses for long-lasting immunity.