Immuno-informatics design of a multimeric epitope peptide-based vaccine against dengue virus serotype-2

Introduction

Dengue viral infection affects approximately 130 countries worldwide. According to WHO reports, 40% of the global population lives in rural areas with a high risk of contracting dengue. Researchers have identified four distant strains of the dengue virus, and a single vaccine has not permanently controlled the emergence of all four distant strains. Therefore, a vaccine is required for each of the four strains to address the current situation.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to design a multi-epitope-based vaccine for the dengue virus-2 strain that elicits a robust immune response while being safe and non-allergenic.

Results

Firstly, we analyzed the envelope protein for its physicochemical and antigenic properties. Next, we predicted MHC I, MHC II, and B-cell epitopes with high accuracy and evaluated their properties. Then, we constructed a vaccine using a suitable adjuvant and linkers, and predicted the secondary and tertiary structure of the vaccine, and the tertiary structure was validated. After conducting molecular docking with toll-like receptors, we utilized the best-docked result for molecular stimulation. Finally, we analyzed the immune stimulation against the vaccine, and the results showed positive immune responses from macrophages, DC cells, T-cells, and B-cells. Additionally, we found that the vaccine was excreted from the human body.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrates the potential of using immunoinformatic tools and immunological knowledge to design a multi-epitope-based vaccine for the dengue virus-2 strain. This approach could be applied to designing vaccines for other diseases, and further studies are required to validate its effectiveness in vivo.