DENV E Proteins

The envelope protein (E) of dengue virus is the class II fusion glycoprotein that tiles the mature virion surface as flat, antiparallel homodimers forming a smooth herringbone lattice. Each subunit comprises three beta-strand domains, DI, DII, and DIII, followed by a stem and membrane anchor; DIII adopts an immunoglobulin-like fold implicated in receptor attachment, while DII bears the conserved fusion loop that inserts into endosomal membranes when acidic pH triggers refolding of the dimer into fusogenic trimers. As the principal antigen of dengue, E elicits the bulk of neutralizing antibodies, and antigenic differences among the four serotypes underlie antibody-dependent enhancement of secondary heterotypic infections. E is the immunogen in licensed tetravalent vaccines and the basis of serotype-specific diagnostics.