In-silico epitope prediction of small ruminant morbillivirus proteins as potential vaccine candidates
Abstract
Small ruminant morbillivirus or Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute and highly contagious viral disease affecting ruminants, especially sheep (Ovis aries) and goats (Capra aegagrus), with goats being more adversely affected. In silico techniques offer a promising and cost-effective approach for identifying potential epitopes as a vaccine candidate. The objective of the
studywas to predict effective multi-epitope candidates against Peste des petits ruminants’ virus (PPRV) from two immunogenic proteins Haemagglutinin (H), and Fusion (F). An immuno-informatics approach was used to design a multi-epitope subunit vaccine peptide consisting of linear B- and T-cell epitopes that reported potential novel vaccine candidates. Multiple sequence alignment (MSA) as done using MEGA 10.2.4., Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) resource was then used to select the conserved B and T cell epitopes. Potential antigens were then selected using VaxiJen v2.0 server at a threshold value of 0.4. Conservancy and homology modelling was also predicted, and allergenicity was anticipated through AllerTOP v. 2.0 with 88.7% accuracy. The toxicity of the peptides was predicted using the Toxin Pred server. Finally, homology modelling of the 3D structures of the vaccine candidate for PPRV was performed using the raptorX server and visualized using PyMOL molecular graphics system version 4.0. Conservation of the proteins and predicted epitopes suggested that the generated chimera could be used for cross-protection. The predicted epitopes offered a promising vaccine candidate for the control and management of PPR in small ruminants.
Copyright Notices
1. Policy for Journals That Offer Open Access
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Proposed Policy for Journals That Offer Delayed Open Access
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication, with the work [SPECIFY PERIOD OF TIME] after publication simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
