Immunoinformatic-guided novel mRNA vaccine designing to elicit immunogenic responses against the endemic Monkeypox virus
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics
Abstract
Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is an orthopoxvirus, causing zoonotic infections in humans with smallpox-like symptoms. The WHO reported MPXV cases in May 2022 and the outbreak caused significant morbidity threats to immunocompromised individuals and children. Currently, no clinically validated therapies are available against MPXV infections. The present study is based on immunoinformatics approaches to design mRNA-based novel vaccine models against MPXV. Three proteins were prioritized based on high antigenicity, low allergenicity, and toxicity values to predict T- and B-cell epitopes. Lead T- and B-cell epitopes were used to design vaccine constructs, linked with epitope-specific linkers and adjuvant to enhance immune responses. Additional sequences, including Kozak sequence, MITD sequence, tPA sequence, Goblin 5’, 3’ UTRs, and a poly(A) tail were added to design stable and highly immunogenic mRNA vaccine construct. High-quality structures were predicted by molecular modeling and 3D-structural validation of the vaccine construct. Population coverage and epitope-conservancy speculated broader protection of designed vaccine model against multiple MPXV infectious strains. MPXV-V4 was eventually prioritized based on its physicochemical and immunological parameters and docking scores. Molecular dynamics and immune simulations analyses predicted significant structural stability and binding affinity of the top-ranked vaccine model with immune receptors to elicit cellular and humoral immunogenic responses against the MPXV. The pursuance of experimental and clinical follow-up of these prioritized constructs may lay the groundwork to develop safe and effective vaccine against MPXV. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
DOI
10.1080/07391102.2023.2233627
Publication Date
1-1-2023
Recommended Citation
Aiman, Sara; Ali, Yasir; Malik, Abdul; Alkholief, Musaed; Ahmad, Abbas; Akhtar, Suhail; Ali, Sajid; Khan, Asifullah; Li, Chunhua; and Shams, Sulaiman, "Immunoinformatic-guided novel mRNA vaccine designing to elicit immunogenic responses against the endemic Monkeypox virus" (2023). Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications. 8.
https://scholarworks.atsu.edu/biomed-faculty/8