In silico design of recombinant IFNα/β receptor protein to combat antagonistic effects of Ebola VP35 protein

The VP35 protein in Ebola virus is one of the main pathogenic components interacting to host cells and interferes with natural cellular immune responses. This is done by antagonistic potential of the viral VP35 protein which inhibits interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3) protein in the infected cells and then induction of antiviral genes expression are disrupted. In the present in silico study, we have designed a novel recombinant IFNα/β receptor protein which can be secreted out by host cells and circulate in blood stream. When the body encounters the virus, the recombinant protein can binds to VP35 and inhibit its antagonistic effect on IRF-3 proteins. Evaluations made by bioinformatics softwares revealed that the novel recombinant protein show promise for ameliorating the virulence of Ebola. But the obtained results should be investigated in vitro and in vivo for further evaluation and possible approval as a therapeutic strategy.