BIO

Hello, my name is Varshil Nunna, a current freshman here at Florida State University who is majoring in pre-biological sciences and is on the pre-med track. I was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, before moving to Tallahassee for college. I have research interests regarding anything in the biology field, and I am seeking job opportunities and positions within the medical area after college. I am a highly motivated, efficient, passionate, sociable, and competent student who has a keen interest in any type of biological interaction, including looking at how viruses interact within the human body, hence my involvement with this current project. I look forward to presenting this project to esteemed members of the center for undergraduate research and academic engagement!

Modeling the Interaction Between Dengue Virus NS2B3 and Human cGAS

Abstract

The dengue virus (DENV) is a mosquito-transmitted human virus that has remained a significant public health threat. This virus has affected 50 million people worldwide and causes around 20,000 deaths yearly (WHO). To proliferate in the cell, DENV has found ways to bypass the immune response. The NS2B3 protease (consisting of NS2B and NS3) specifically interacts with the cGAS immune sensor to successfully stop the activation of the immune response. In this study, we used protein docking and visualization software to model potential NS2B3-cGAS interactions. These results provide a useful starting point for the experimental validation of NS2B-cGAS interactions, which will deepen our understanding of the disease and lay the foundation for future vaccine and therapeutic developments.

Keywords: Protein, Dengue, Virus, Immune, Interaction