Immunoinformatics and Immunogenetics-Based Design of Immunogenic Peptides Vaccine against the Emerging Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus (TBEV) and Its Validation through In Silico Cloning and Immune Simulation
Muhammad Suleman,
Muhammad Tahir ul Qamar,
Kiran,
Samreen Rasool,
Aneela Rasool,
Aqel Albutti,
Noorah Alsowayeh,
Ameen S. S. Alwashmi,
Mohammad Abdullah Aljasir,
Sajjad Ahmad,
Zahid Hussain,
Muhammad Rizwan,
Syed Shujait Ali,
Abbas Khan,
Dong-Qing Wei
Affiliations
Muhammad Suleman
Centre for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat 19200, Pakistan
Muhammad Tahir ul Qamar
College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Kiran
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Samreen Rasool
Department of Biochemistry, Government College University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
Aneela Rasool
Department of Botany, University of Okara, Okara 56300, Pakistan
Aqel Albutti
Department of Medical Biotechnology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Noorah Alsowayeh
Department of Biology, College of Education, Majmaah University, Al Majma’ah 15341, Saudi Arabia
Ameen S. S. Alwashmi
Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Mohammad Abdullah Aljasir
Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
Sajjad Ahmad
Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25120, Pakistan
Zahid Hussain
Centre for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat 19200, Pakistan
Muhammad Rizwan
Centre for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat 19200, Pakistan
Syed Shujait Ali
Centre for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat 19200, Pakistan
Abbas Khan
Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Dong-Qing Wei
Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), belonging to the Flaviviridae family, is transmitted to humans via infected tick bites, leading to serious neurological complications and, in some cases, death. The available vaccines against the TBEV are reported to have low immunogenicity and are associated with adverse effects like swelling, redness and fever. Moreover, these vaccines are whole-organism-based, carry a risk of reactivation and potential for significant mortality. Consequently, to design a potential antigenic and non-allergenic multi-epitope subunit vaccine against the TBEV, we used an immunoinformatic approach to screen the Tick-borne virus proteome for highly antigenic CTL, HTL and B cell epitopes. The proper folding of the constructed vaccine was validated by a molecular dynamic simulation. Additionally, the molecular docking and binding free energy (−87.50 kcal/mol) further confirmed the strong binding affinity of the constructed vaccine with TLR-4. The vaccine exhibited a CAI value of 0.93 and a GC content of 49%, showing a high expression capability in E coli. Moreover, the analysis of immune simulation demonstrated robust immune responses against the injected vaccine and clearance of the antigen with time. In conclusion, our vaccine candidate shows promise for both in vitro and in vivo analyses due to its high immunogenicity, non-allergenicity and stable interaction with the human TLR-4 receptor.
