Structural and Antigenic Features of Powassan Virus Envelope Protein

摘要: Flaviviruses, such as West-Nile virus and Dengue virus, are insect-transmitted positive-sense RNA viruses that cause substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. Powassan virus is an emerging encephalitic tick-borne flavivirus endemic to the northern United States, and is currently the only tick-transmitted flavivirus known to infect humans in North America. In cases of severe neurological disease, up to 10% of patients die of Powassan encephalitis, while many survivors are left with long-term neurological sequelae. Despite this, no vaccines or therapeutics are currently available to treat Powassan virus infection. Flaviviral vaccination efforts are commonly foiled by an inability to generate potent neutralizing responses, and by genesis of cross-reactive antibodies that paradoxically enhance infection by heterologous flaviviruses. These neutralizing antibodies, and their cross-reactive counterparts, commonly target …