Universidad Autónoma de Occidente, Unidad Regional Los Mochis. Departamento Académico de Ciencias de la Salud. Blvd. Macario Gaxiola y Carretera Internacional, México 15, C.P. 81223, Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico.
Atta ur Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan; School of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
J Mol Graph Model. 2024 Nov;132:108848. doi: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2024.108848. Epub 2024 Aug 23.
Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacterium that causes a variety of infections in humans. This microorganism produces several virulence factors, including hemolysins, which contribute to its disease-causing ability. The treatment of S. aureus infections typically involves the use of antibiotics. However, the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains has become a major concern. Therefore, vaccination against S. aureus has gained attention as an alternative approach. Vaccination has the advantage of stimulating the immune system to produce specific antibodies that can neutralize bacteria and prevent infection. However, developing an effective vaccine against S. aureus has proven to be challenging. This study aimed to use in silico methods to design a multi-epitope vaccine against S. aureus infection based on hemolysin proteins. The designed vaccine contained four B-cell epitopes, four CTL epitopes, and four HTL epitopes, as well as the ribosomal protein L7/L12 and pan-HLA DR-binding epitope, included as adjuvants. Furthermore, the vaccine was non-allergenic and non-toxic with the potential to stimulate the TLR2-, TLR-4, and TLR-6 receptors. The predicted vaccine exhibited a high degree of antigenicity and stability, suggesting potential for further development as a viable vaccine candidate. The population coverage of the vaccine was 94.4 %, indicating potential widespread protection against S. aureus. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the design of an effective multi-epitope vaccine against S. aureus infection and pave the way for future experimental validations.
金黄色葡萄球菌是一种常见的细菌，可引起人类多种感染。这种微生物产生多种毒力因子，包括溶血性素，这有助于其致病能力。金黄色葡萄球菌感染的治疗通常涉及使用抗生素。然而，抗生素耐药菌株的出现已成为一个主要问题。因此，针对金黄色葡萄球菌的疫苗接种作为一种替代方法引起了关注。疫苗接种的优点是刺激免疫系统产生特异性抗体，从而中和细菌并预防感染。然而，开发针对金黄色葡萄球菌的有效疫苗已被证明具有挑战性。本研究旨在使用计算机方法基于溶血性蛋白设计针对金黄色葡萄球菌感染的多表位疫苗。设计的疫苗包含四个 B 细胞表位、四个 CTL 表位和四个 HTL 表位，以及核糖体蛋白 L7/L12 和泛 HLA-DR 结合表位作为佐剂。此外，该疫苗无过敏原性和毒性，有潜力刺激 TLR2、TLR-4 和 TLR-6 受体。预测的疫苗具有高度的抗原性和稳定性，表明有进一步开发为可行疫苗候选物的潜力。疫苗的人群覆盖率为 94.4%，表明对金黄色葡萄球菌具有广泛的潜在保护作用。总体而言，这些发现为设计针对金黄色葡萄球菌感染的有效多表位疫苗提供了有价值的见解，并为未来的实验验证铺平了道路。
