Aug 2026· Discover Life· Vol 56· 0 citations· 108 references
TL;DR
The computationally designed vaccine meets all essential criteria and has shown immense potential to be an effective vaccine through in silico analysis, however, additional In-vitro and In-vivo validations are imperative.
Abstract
Livestock production is a major contributor to food security and livelihoods worldwide. Among the parasitic diseases affecting livestock, Taenia solium infection remains a significant veterinary and public health concern, causing substantial economic losses. Therefore, effective and affordable vaccine development is required for disease prevention and improved livestock health. A multi-epitopic chimeric vaccine for livestock against Taenia spp. was computationally designed using subtractive proteomics and immuno-informatics. Antigenic proteins were selected based on antigenicity, allergenicity, and physicochemical profiling. HTL, CTL, and B-cell epitopes were predicted and assembled into a chimeric structure along with a suitable adjuvant. Structure modeling and physical characteristics, such as docking tendency with TLRs, along with the immune stimulatory response, were analysed. Molecular dynamics simulations for the TLR4-Vaccine complexes were also done for 100 ns. Immune simulation and codon optimisation predicted immunogenicity and expression potential in E. coli. 11 epitopes were identified from 3 antigenic homologous proteins. A multiepitope chimeric vaccine was designed by adding β-defensin adjuvant to mount a robust immune response. The proposed vaccine construct had 272 Amino acid residues and a molecular weight of 28.94 kDa. Upon binding with TLR4 receptors, it establishes a stable conformation, and molecular dynamics simulations also demonstrated a dynamic interplay. A multi-epitope vaccine capable of disrupting the life cycle of Taenia species across all known hosts was designed. The computationally designed vaccine meets all essential criteria and has shown immense potential to be an effective vaccine through in silico analysis. However, additional In-vitro and In-vivo validations are imperative.
The rationally designed multi-epitope vaccine demonstrates robust theoretical potential to elicit comprehensive, long-lasting immunity in humans, although its safety and effectiveness require additional experimental validation.
Chenchen Yi, Yu Shen, Ye Luo et al.· Frontiers in Cellular and In...· 0 citations
Vc7 has been identified as a structurally stable and highly immunogenic construct, suggesting its potential as a universal multi-epitope vaccine candidate for the prevention of brucellosis.
Rhitam Biswas, Swapno Surabhi Sinha, Aditi Roy et al.· Frontiers in Bioinformatics· 0 citations
Introduction Toxoplasma gondii can cause toxoplasmosis. It is an important type of pathogen within the broad category of emerging and re-emerging zoonoses. As an infectious disease featuring a complex multi-host transmission cycle, it poses an increasingly severe threat to global public health. No licensed vaccines are currently available for pets and humans, and thus a novel high-efficiency vaccine is urgently required. Methods Six antigens (GRA1, MIC17A, OWP2, LEA880, LEA870, and a hypothetical protein LEA530) representing different stages of the parasite lifecycle were selected from ToxoDB. T-cell and B-cell epitopes were predicted using immunoinformatics tools and screened based on antigenicity, allergenicity, and toxicity. The multi-epitope peptide (MEP1) was evaluated using molecular docking with Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and immune simulation. The optimized sequence was expressed in HEK293T cells as a recombinant plasmid (MEP1-pcDNA3.1) and further evaluated in BALB/c mice. Results MEP1 contained 13 cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes, 16 helper T lymphocyte epitopes, and 12 B-cell epitopes, with a length of 732 amino acids and a predicted molecular weight of 75.73 kDa. The antigenicity score was 0.7343, and structural modeling indicated stable secondary and tertiary conformations. Molecular docking suggested strong binding affinity to TLR4. Immune simulation predicted increased B-cell and T-cell responses following vaccination. In vivo, MEP1-pcDNA3.1 immunization significantly increased serum IFN-γ levels (526.81 pg/mL) compared with PBS and pcDNA3.1 controls. Splenocyte proliferation was significantly enhanced in the MEP1-pcDNA3.1 group (SI = 1.58 ± 0.21) compared with PBS (1.10 ± 0.09) and pcDNA3.1 (1.12 ± 0.04) groups (P < 0.01). Following challenge with 5 × 10³ tachyzoites of the PLK strain, survival was markedly prolonged in vaccinated mice, whereas all control mice died within 2–4 days. Conclusion This study demonstrates an immunoinformatics-guided multi-epitope vaccine strategy against T. gondii, supported by in vivo immunogenicity and partial protective efficacy in a mouse model.
Wenyong Feng, Lu Sun, Chenglong Yang et al.· Frontiers in Immunology· 0 citations
The proposed multi-epitope vaccine shows promising immunological and structural properties, supporting its potential against S. typhimurium, pending experimental validation.
Mohammed Naveez Valathoor, A. P. Rajan· Scientific Reports· 0 citations
The results highlight the potential of the proposed multi-epitope construct as a promising vaccine candidate against HCMV, however, experimental validation is essential to confirm its immunogenicity, safety, and translational applicability.
O. P. Emmanuel, M. N. Y. Sandrine, Bilanda Danielle Claude et al.· Scientific Reports· 0 citations
Malaria associated with Plasmodium vivax is still one of the main public health concerns due to relapse-associated infections. Moreover, the absence of a broadly effective licensed vaccine makes the situation more alarming. In this scenario, epitope-based vaccine design helps to improve safety, immunogenicity, and population coverage. The integrated workflow of immune informatics and structural bioinformatics was used to establish a bivalent multi-epitope vaccine that targets pre-erythrocytic antigens, circumsporozoite protein (CSP), and thrombospondin-related adhesive protein (TRAP). Antigenicity, allergenicity, toxicity, and transmembrane topology were evaluated before epitope prediction. B-cell, MHC class I, and MHC class II epitopes were identified, screened, and their antigenic origins were suggested. The vaccine construct was assembled by using linkers and an adjuvant. Population coverage analysis, physicochemical characterization, three-dimensional structure prediction, refinement, and validation help to strengthen the goal. Molecular docking with Toll-like receptors (TLR2 and TLR4), immune response simulation, codon optimization, and in silico cloning were performed. The final construct was predicted to be antigenic, non-allergenic, nontoxic, and structurally stable, with broad global population coverage (98.8%). Docking analyses predicted potentially stable interactions with both TLR2 and TLR4. Immune simulation suggested coordinated innate and adaptive immune activation. The feasibility of expressing a protein was predicted using codon optimization and cloning analysis studies. The current study suggests a rationally engineered multi-epitope bivalent vaccine candidate against P. vivax, providing a base for future experimental validation.
Muharib Alruwaili, I. Alruwaili, Bayan Fallatah et al.· BMC Microbiology· 0 citations
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