Vaccines (Aug 2024)

The Flavivirus Non-Structural Protein 5 (NS5): Structure, Functions, and Targeting for Development of Vaccines and Therapeutics

  • Jarvis Z. H. Goh,
  • Lachlan De Hayr,
  • Alexander A. Khromykh,
  • Andrii Slonchak

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12080865
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 8
p. 865

Abstract

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Flaviviruses, including dengue (DENV), Zika (ZIKV), West Nile (WNV), Japanese encephalitis (JEV), yellow fever (YFV), and tick-borne encephalitis (TBEV) viruses, pose a significant global emerging threat. With their potential to cause widespread outbreaks and severe health complications, the development of effective vaccines and antiviral therapeutics is imperative. The flaviviral non-structural protein 5 (NS5) is a highly conserved and multifunctional protein that is crucial for viral replication, and the NS5 protein of many flaviviruses has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of interferon (IFN) signalling. In this review, we discuss the functions of NS5, diverse NS5-mediated strategies adopted by flaviviruses to evade the host antiviral response, and how NS5 can be a target for the development of vaccines and antiviral therapeutics.

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