SARS-CoV-2 Gut-Targeted Epitopes: Sequence Similarity and Cross-Reactivity Join Together for Molecular Mimicry.

ABSTRACT: The gastrointestinal tract can be heavily infected by SARS-CoV-2. Being an auto-immunogenic virus, SARS-CoV-2 represents an environmental factor that might play a role in gut-associated autoimmune diseases. However, molecular mimicry between the virus and the intestinal epitopes is under-investigated. The present study aims to elucidate sequence similarity between viral antigens and human enteric sequences, based on known cross-reactivity. SARS-CoV-2 epitopes that cross-react with human gut antigens were explored, and sequence alignment was performed against self-antigens implicated in enteric autoimmune conditions. Experimental SARS-CoV-2 epitopes were aggregated from the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB), while enteric antigens were obtained from the UniProt Knowledgebase. A Pairwise Local

SUBMITTER: Lerner A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10376948 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature