Towards an Ensemble Vaccine against the Pegivirus Using Computational Modelling Approaches and Its Validation through In Silico Cloning and Immune Simulation
Bowen Zheng,
Muhammad Suleman,
Zonara Zafar,
Syed Shujait Ali,
Syed Nouman Nasir,
Namra,
Zahid Hussain,
Muhammad Waseem,
Abbas Khan,
Fakhrul Hassan,
Yanjing Wang,
Dongqing Wei
Affiliations
Bowen Zheng
School of Life Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
Muhammad Suleman
Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat 01923, Pakistan
Zonara Zafar
Centre of Agricultural Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Syed Shujait Ali
Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat 01923, Pakistan
Syed Nouman Nasir
National Center for Bioinformatics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Namra
Faculty of Rehabilitation and Allied Health Science, Riphah International University, Islamabad 46000, Pakistan
Zahid Hussain
Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat 01923, Pakistan
Muhammad Waseem
Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Abbas Khan
Faculty of Rehabilitation and Allied Health Science, Riphah International University, Islamabad 46000, Pakistan
Fakhrul Hassan
School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
Yanjing Wang
Faculty of Rehabilitation and Allied Health Science, Riphah International University, Islamabad 46000, Pakistan
Dongqing Wei
Faculty of Rehabilitation and Allied Health Science, Riphah International University, Islamabad 46000, Pakistan
Pegivirus, HPgV, which was earlier known as Gb virus and hepatitis G virus, is an enveloped, positive-stranded RNA and lymphotropic virus classified into the Flaviviridae family. The transmission routes primarily involve blood products, and infections are worldwide, leading up to 25% of persistent infections. To date, no effective therapeutic means are available to clear Pegivirus infections. Effective vaccine therapeutics is the best alternative to manage this disease and any associated potential pandemic. Thus, whole proteome-based mining of immunogenic peptides, i.e., CTL (cytotoxic T lymphocytes), HTL (helper T lymphocytes), and B cell epitopes, was mapped to design a vaccine ensemble. Our investigation revealed that 29 different epitopes impart a critical role in immune response induction, which was also validated by exploring its physiochemical properties and experimental feasibility. In silico expression and host immune simulation were examined using an agent-based modeling approach and confirmed the induction of both primary and secondary immune factors such as IL, cytokines, and antibodies. The current study warrants further lab experiments to demonstrate its efficacy and safety.
