Structural and Physico-chemical Analysis of the Matrix Protein of Nipah Virus (NiV): Implications for Drug Design

The Nipah virus, a zoonotic pathogen with high mortality rates, poses a significant public health concern. This research focuses comprehensive analysis of its structural and physico-chemical properties, this study aims to contribute valuable insights for drug design and therapeutic interventions. The matrix protein's amino acid sequence was accessed and subjected to physicochemical characterization, revealing stable features with an instability index of 29.53 and a high aliphatic index of 90.26. Secondary structure prediction using SOPMA indicated a prevalence of random coils (51.70%), while PHYRE 2 provided additional insights into disorder prediction. Homology modeling through Swiss Model generated a three-dimensional structure, exhibiting good stereochemical quality validated by a Ramachandran plot. Approximately 92.2% of residues were located in favourable regions, indicating the reliability of the predicted model.