CD171 multi‑epitope peptide design based on immunoinformatics approach as a cancer vaccine candidate for glioblastoma

The Central Nervous System ◽

Cellular Immune ◽

Informatics Tools ◽

The Brain

Abstract Glioblastoma (GB) is a common primary malignancy of the central nervous system, and one of the highly lethal brain tumors. GB cells can promote therapeutic resistance and tumor angiogenesis. The CD171 is an adhesion molecule in neuronal cells that is expressed in glioma cells; it is a regulator of the brain development. CD171 is one of the immunoglobulin-like CAMs (cell adhesion molecules) families that can be associated with prognosis in a variety of human tumors. The multi-epitope peptide vaccines are based on synthetic peptides with a combination of both B-cell epitopes and T-cell epitopes, which can induce specific humoral or cellular immune responses. In the present study, several immune-informatics tools were used for analyzing the CD171 sequence and studying the important characteristics of a designed vaccine. The results included the prediction and validation of the secondary and tertiary structure, physicochemical properties, solubility, conservancy, toxicity as well as antigenicity and allergenicity of the promising candidate for a vaccine against CD171. The immunoinformatic analysis suggested 12 predicted multi-epitope peptides, whose construction consists of 582 residues long. Therewith, cloning adaptation of designed vaccine was performed and eventually sequence was inserted into pET30a (+) vector for the application of the anti-glioblastoma vaccine development.

CD171 multi‑epitope peptide design based on immunoinformatics approach as a cancer vaccine candidate for glioblastoma

10.21203/rs.3.rs-198797/v3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Seyed Amir Hossein Mohammadzadeh Hosseini Moghri ◽

Ghanbar Mahmoodi Chalbatani ◽

Mojtaba Ranjbar ◽

Arefeh Abbasian

Keyword(s):

Tertiary Structure ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

T Cell Epitopes ◽

T Helper 1 ◽

Epitope Peptide ◽

Primary Malignancy ◽

Cholera Toxin Subunit B ◽

Tlr Agonist ◽

The Central Nervous System ◽

Abstract Glioblastoma (GB) is a common primary malignancy of the central nervous system, and one of the highly lethal brain tumors. GB cells can promote therapeutic resistance and tumor angiogenesis. The CD171 is an adhesion molecule in neuronal cells that is expressed in glioma cells as a regulator of brain development during the embryonic period. CD171 is one of the immunoglobulin-like CAMs (cell adhesion molecules) families that can be associated with prognosis in a variety of human tumors. The multi-epitope peptide vaccines are based on synthetic peptides with a combination of both B-cell epitopes and T-cell epitopes, which can induce specific humoral or cellular immune responses. Moreover Cholera toxin subunit B (CTB), a novel TLR agonist was utilized in the final construct to polarize CD4+ T cells toward T-helper 1 to induce strong cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) responses. In the present study, several immune-informatics tools were used for analyzing the CD171 sequence and studying the important characteristics of a designed vaccine. The results included the molecular docking, prediction and validation of the secondary and tertiary structure, physicochemical properties, solubility, conservancy, toxicity as well as antigenicity and allergenicity of the promising candidate for a vaccine against CD171. The immuno-informatic analyze suggested 12 predicted multi-epitope peptides, whose construction consists of 582 residues long. Therewith, cloning adaptation of designed vaccine was performed and eventually sequence was inserted into pET30a (+) vector for the application of the anti-glioblastoma vaccine development.

CD171 multi‑epitope peptide design based on immunoinformatics approach as a cancer vaccine candidate for glioblastoma

10.21203/rs.3.rs-198797/v2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Seyed Amir Hossein Mohammadzadeh Hosseini Moghri ◽

Ghanbar Mahmoodi Chalbatani ◽

Mojtaba Ranjbar ◽

Arefeh Abbasian

Keyword(s):

Tertiary Structure ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

T Cell Epitopes ◽

T Helper 1 ◽

Epitope Peptide ◽

Primary Malignancy ◽

Cholera Toxin Subunit B ◽

Tlr Agonist ◽

The Central Nervous System ◽

Abstract Glioblastoma (GB) is a common primary malignancy of the central nervous system, and one of the highly lethal brain tumors. GB cells can promote therapeutic resistance and tumor angiogenesis. The CD171 is an adhesion molecule in neuronal cells that is expressed in glioma cells as a regulator of brain development during the embryonic period. CD171 is one of the immunoglobulin-like CAMs (cell adhesion molecules) families that can be associated with prognosis in a variety of human tumors. The multi-epitope peptide vaccines are based on synthetic peptides with a combination of both B-cell epitopes and T-cell epitopes, which can induce specific humoral or cellular immune responses. Moreover Cholera toxin subunit B (CTB), a novel TLR agonist was utilized in the final construct to polarize CD4+ T cells toward T-helper 1 to induce strong cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) responses. In the present study, several immune-informatics tools were used for analyzing the CD171 sequence and studying the important characteristics of a designed vaccine. The results included the molecular docking, prediction and validation of the secondary and tertiary structure, physicochemical properties, solubility, conservancy, toxicity as well as antigenicity and allergenicity of the promising candidate for a vaccine against CD171. The immuno-informatic analyze suggested 12 predicted multi-epitope peptides, whose construction consists of 582 residues long. Therewith, cloning adaptation of designed vaccine was performed and eventually sequence was inserted into pET30a (+) vector for the application of the anti-glioblastoma vaccine development.

Multi-epitope vaccine design using an immunoinformatics approach for 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)

10.1101/2020.03.03.962332 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Ye Feng ◽

Min Qiu ◽

Liang Liu ◽

Shengmei Zou ◽

Yun Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cell ◽

B Cell ◽

Peptide Vaccine ◽

Human Leukocyte ◽

T Cell Epitopes ◽

Epitope Peptide ◽

Leukocyte Antigen ◽

Rapid Dissemination ◽

AbstractA new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has caused over 9.2 million infection cases and 475758 deaths worldwide. Due to the rapid dissemination and the unavailability of specific therapy, there is a desperate need for vaccines to combat the epidemic of SARS-CoV-2. An in silico approach based on the available virus genome was applied to identify 19 high immunogenic B-cell epitopes and 499 human-leukocyte-antigen (HLA) restricted T-cell epitopes. Thirty multi-epitope peptide vaccines were designed by iNeo Suite, and manufactured by solid-phase synthesis. Docking analysis showed stable hydrogen bonds of epitopes with their corresponding HLA alleles. When four vaccine peptide candidates from the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 were selected to immunize mice, a significantly larger amount of IgG in serum as well as an increase of CD19+ cells in ILNs was observed in peptide-immunized mice compared to the control mice. The ratio of IFN-γ-secreting lymphocytes in CD4+ or CD8+ cells in the peptides-immunized mice were higher than that in the control mice. There were also a larger number of IFN-γ-secreting T cells in spleen in the peptides-immunized mice. This study screened antigenic B-cell and T-cell epitopes in all encoded proteins of SARS-CoV-2, and further designed multi-epitope based peptide vaccine against viral structural proteins. The obtained vaccine peptides successfully elicited specific humoral and cellular immune responses in mice. Primate experiments and clinical trial are urgently required to validate the efficacy and safety of these vaccine peptides.ImportanceSo far, a new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has caused over 9.2 million infection cases and 475758 deaths worldwide. Due to the rapid dissemination and the unavailability of specific therapy, there is a desperate need for vaccines to combat the epidemic of SARS-CoV-2. Different from the development approaches for traditional vaccines, the development of our peptide vaccine is faster and simpler. In this study, we performed an in silico approach to identify the antigenic B-cell epitopes and human-leukocyte-antigen (HLA) restricted T-cell epitopes, and designed a panel of multi-epitope peptide vaccines. The resulting SARS-CoV-2 multi-epitope peptide vaccine could elicit specific humoral and cellular immune responses in mice efficiently, displaying its great potential in our fight of COVID-19.

Proteome-Wide Mapping and Reverse Vaccinology Approaches to Design a Multi-Epitope Vaccine against Clostridium perfringens

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9101079 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 1079

Author(s):

Fahad M. Aldakheel ◽

Amna Abrar ◽

Samman Munir ◽

Sehar Aslam ◽

Khaled S. Allemailem ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Docking ◽

In Silico ◽

Epitope Vaccine ◽

Ifn Gamma ◽

Medical Control ◽

Food Borne ◽

Food Borne Illness ◽

Cellular Immune ◽

The Brain

C. perfringens is a highly versatile bacteria of livestock and humans, causing enteritis (a common food-borne illness in humans), enterotoxaemia (in which toxins are formed in the intestine which damage and destroy organs, i.e., the brain), and gangrene (wound infection). There is no particular cure for the toxins of C. perfringens. Supportive care (medical control of pain, intravenous fluids) is the standard treatment. Therefore, a multiple-epitope vaccine (MEV) should be designed to battle against C. perfringens infection. Furthermore, the main objective of this in silico investigation is to design an MEV that targets C. perfringens. For this purpose, we selected the top three proteins that were highly antigenic using immuno-informatics approaches, including molecular docking. B-cells, IFN-gamma, and T cells for target proteins were predicted and the most conserved epitopes were selected for further investigation. For the development of the final MEV, epitopes of LBL5, CTL17, and HTL13 were linked to GPGPG, AAY, and KK linkers. The vaccine N-end was joined to an adjuvant through an EAAK linker to improve immunogenicity. After the attachment of linkers and adjuvants, the final construct was 415 amino acids. B-cell and IFN-gamma epitopes demonstrate that the model structure is enhanced for humoral and cellular immune responses. To validate the immunogenicity and safety of the final construct, various physicochemical properties, and other properties such as antigenicity and non-allergens, were evaluated. Furthermore, molecular docking was carried out for verification of vaccine compatibility with the receptor, evaluated in silico. Also, in silico cloning was employed for the verification of the proper expression and credibility of the construct.

A Combined Adjuvant TF–Al Consisting of TFPR1 and Aluminum Hydroxide Augments Strong Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses in Both C57BL/6 and BALB/c Mice

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9121408 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 1408

Author(s):

Qiao Li ◽

Zhihua Liu ◽

Yi Liu ◽

Chen Liang ◽

Jiayi Shu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Responses ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Inbred Mouse ◽

Effective Vaccine ◽

Mouse Strains ◽

Recombinant Hbsag ◽

TFPR1 is a novel adjuvant for protein and peptide antigens, which has been demonstrated in BALB/c mice in our previous studies; however, its adjuvanticity in mice with different genetic backgrounds remains unknown, and its adjuvanticity needs to be improved to fit the requirements for various vaccines. In this study, we first compared the adjuvanticity of TFPR1 in two commonly used inbred mouse strains, BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice, in vitro and in vivo, and demonstrated that TFPR1 activated TLR2 to exert its immune activity in vivo. Next, to prove the feasibility of TFPR1 acting as a major component of combined adjuvants, we prepared a combined adjuvant, TF–Al, by formulating TFPR1 and alum at a certain ratio and compared its adjuvanticity with that of TFPR1 and alum alone using OVA and recombinant HBsAg as model antigens in both BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. Results showed that TFPR1 acts as an effective vaccine adjuvant in both BALB/c mice and C57BL/6 mice, and further demonstrated the role of TLR2 in the adjuvanticity of TFPR1 in vivo. In addition, we obtained a novel combined adjuvant, TF–Al, based on TFPR1, which can augment antibody and cellular immune responses in mice with different genetic backgrounds, suggesting its promise for vaccine development in the future.

VLP-Based COVID-19 Vaccines: An Adaptable Technology against the Threat of New Variants

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9121409 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 1409

Author(s):

Wasim A. Prates-Syed ◽

Lorena C. S. Chaves ◽

Karin P. Crema ◽

Larissa Vuitika ◽

Aline Lira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Responses ◽

Immune Evasion ◽

Convergent Evolution ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Receptor Binding Domain ◽

Vaccine Platform ◽

Alpha Beta ◽

Cellular Immune ◽

Financial Losses

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are a versatile, safe, and highly immunogenic vaccine platform. Recently, there are developmental vaccines targeting SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic affected humanity worldwide, bringing out incomputable human and financial losses. The race for better, more efficacious vaccines is happening almost simultaneously as the virus increasingly produces variants of concern (VOCs). The VOCs Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta share common mutations mainly in the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD), demonstrating convergent evolution, associated with increased transmissibility and immune evasion. Thus, the identification and understanding of these mutations is crucial for the production of new, optimized vaccines. The use of a very flexible vaccine platform in COVID-19 vaccine development is an important feature that cannot be ignored. Incorporating the spike protein and its variations into VLP vaccines is a desirable strategy as the morphology and size of VLPs allows for better presentation of several different antigens. Furthermore, VLPs elicit robust humoral and cellular immune responses, which are safe, and have been studied not only against SARS-CoV-2 but against other coronaviruses as well. Here, we describe the recent advances and improvements in vaccine development using VLP technology.

Characterization of the Immune Response of MERS-CoV Vaccine Candidates Derived from Two Different Vectors in Mice

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v12010125 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 125 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Entao Li ◽

Feihu Yan ◽

Pei Huang ◽

Hang Chi ◽

Shengnan Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Responses ◽

Antibody Response ◽

Rabies Virus ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Vaccine Candidate ◽

Viral Vector ◽

Vaccine Vector ◽

Vaccine Candidates ◽

Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is an acute, high-mortality-rate, severe infectious disease caused by an emerging MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV) that causes severe respiratory diseases. The continuous spread and great pandemic potential of MERS-CoV make it necessarily important to develop effective vaccines. We previously demonstrated that the application of Gram-positive enhancer matrix (GEM) particles as a bacterial vector displaying the MERS-CoV receptor-binding domain (RBD) is a very promising MERS vaccine candidate that is capable of producing potential neutralization antibodies. We have also used the rabies virus (RV) as a viral vector to design a recombinant vaccine by expressing the MERS-CoV S1 (spike) protein on the surface of the RV. In this study, we compared the immunological efficacy of the vaccine candidates in BALB/c mice in terms of the levels of humoral and cellular immune responses. The results show that the rabies virus vector-based vaccine can induce remarkably earlier antibody response and higher levels of cellular immunity than the GEM particles vector. However, the GEM particles vector-based vaccine candidate can induce remarkably higher antibody response, even at a very low dose of 1 µg. These results indicate that vaccines constructed using different vaccine vector platforms for the same pathogen have different rates and trends in humoral and cellular immune responses in the same animal model. This discovery not only provides more alternative vaccine development platforms for MERS-CoV vaccine development, but also provides a theoretical basis for our future selection of vaccine vector platforms for other specific pathogens.

Profiling CD8+ T cell epitopes of COVID-19 convalescents reveals reduced cellular immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 variants

Cell Reports ◽

10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109708 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 36 (11) ◽

pp. 109708

Author(s):

Hang Zhang ◽

Shasha Deng ◽

Liting Ren ◽

Peiyi Zheng ◽

Xiaowen Hu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cell ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Cd8 T Cell ◽

T Cell Epitopes ◽

Humoral and cellular immunity and the safety of COVID-19 vaccines: a summary of data published by 21 May 2021

International Immunology ◽

10.1093/intimm/dxab061 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 33 (10) ◽

pp. 529-540

Author(s):

Kun Xu ◽

Lianpan Dai ◽

George F Gao

Keyword(s):

Immune Responses ◽

Viral Genome ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Published Data ◽

Humoral And Cellular Immunity ◽

Rapid Responses ◽

Study Results ◽

Protection Efficacy ◽

Abstract Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused millions of deaths, and serious consequences to public health, economies and societies. Rapid responses in vaccine development have taken place since the isolation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the release of the viral genome sequence. By 21 May 2021, 101 vaccines were under clinical trials, and published data were available for 18 of them. Clinical study results from some vaccines indicated good immunogenicity and acceptable reactogenicity. Here, we focus on these 18 vaccines that had published clinical data to dissect the induced humoral and cellular immune responses as well as their safety profiles and protection efficacy.

Recombinant protein subunit SARS-CoV-2 vaccines formulated with CoVaccine HT adjuvant induce broad, Th1 biased, humoral and cellular immune responses in mice

10.1101/2021.03.02.433614 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chih-Yun Lai ◽

Albert To ◽

Teri Ann S. Wong ◽

Michael M. Lieberman ◽

David E. Clements ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vaccine Development ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

Neutralizing Antibody ◽

Protein Subunit ◽

Oil In Water ◽

History Of ◽

Antibody Titers ◽

Outbred Mice ◽

ABSTRACTThe speed at which several COVID-19 vaccines went from conception to receiving FDA and EMA approval for emergency use is an achievement unrivaled in the history of vaccine development. Mass vaccination efforts using the highly effective vaccines are currently underway to generate sufficient herd immunity and reduce transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Despite the most advanced vaccine technology, global recipient coverage, especially in resource-poor areas remains a challenge as genetic drift in naïve population pockets threatens overall vaccine efficacy. In this study, we described the production of insect-cell expressed SARS-CoV-2 spike protein ectodomain and examined its immunogenicity in mice. We demonstrated that, when formulated with CoVaccine HT™adjuvant, an oil-in-water nanoemulsion compatible with lyophilization, our vaccine candidates elicit a broad-spectrum IgG response, high neutralizing antibody titers, and a robust, antigen-specific IFN-γ secreting response from immune splenocytes in outbred mice. Our findings lay the foundation for the development of a dry-thermostabilized vaccine that is deployable without refrigeration.