Analysis of Zika virus’ electrostatic features

The Zika (ZIKV) virus is one of the most dangerous flavivirus diseases, which is usually transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes. ZIKV can cause several disorders in adults which are mostly mild. However, it is of higher concern in pregnant women since it can develop deformations in the neonates’ brains and other organs. The study of Envelope (E) protein is fundamental since is the primary focus of the immune response against Zika. Therefore, the study of its structural characterization and the conformation changes during the infection is important to find potential cures or vaccines. By using several computational methods, we calculated electrostatic properties that allowed us to understand the interactions among multiple E proteins on the Zika virus capsid. The findings in our study may help the future drug design for the Zika virus.