Immunoinformatic Approaches to Identify Immune Epitopes and Design an Epitope-Based Subunit Vaccine against Emerging Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV)

Abstract

Tilapia tilapinevirus, known worldwide as tilapia lake virus (TiLV), is a single-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the Amnoonviridae family. The virus attacks the fish species’ external and internal organs, such as the eyes, brain, and liver. Syncytial cells develop in the liver cells of infected fish, which are characterized by widespread hepatocellular necrosis and karyolytic nuclei. It is a highly infectious virus that spreads both horizontally and vertically. Despite these devastating complications, there is still no cure or vaccine for the virus. Therefore, a vaccine based on epitopes developed using immunoinformatics methods was developed against TiLV in fish. The putative polymerase basic 1 (PB1) gene was used to identify immunodominant T- and B-cell epitopes. Three probable epitopes were used to design the vaccine: CTL, HTL, and LBL. Testing of the final vaccine revealed that it was antigenic, non-allergenic, and has improved solubility. Molecular dynamics simulation revealed significant structural compactness and binding stability. Furthermore, the computer-generated immunological simulation indicated that immunization might stimulate real-life immune responses following injection. Overall, the findings of the study imply that the designed epitope vaccine might be a good option for prophylaxis for TiLV.

Computational design of novel chimeric multiepitope vaccine against bacterial and viral disease in tilapia (Oreochromis sp.)

“…Herein, the vaccine constructs were capable of clearly interacting within the pocket of the TLR4 receptors through several hydrogen bonds, salt bridges, and hydrophobic interaction. As the previous reports on designing the epitope-based vaccine against Vibrio harveyi and TiLV, the Toll-like receptor4 (TLR4) receptors were docked with the CMEVs to con rm the ligand-receptor interaction 11,14 . The TLR signaling pathway is signi cant in sh's innate immune response against infectious pathogens.…”

Riding the wave of innovation: immunoinformatics in fish disease control

“…In addition, the functional similarities of immune cell receptors (B- and T-cell receptors) between fish and human enables the application of these tools to predict potential epitopes that are immunogenic in fish, based on the knowledge of B- and T-cell receptors in human. These tools have been utilized and demonstrated success in predicting epitopes for vaccine design against tilapia lake virus ( Islam et al, 2022a ) and Edwardsiella ictaluri in Nile tilapia ( Machimbirike et al, 2022a ), Streptococcus iniae ( Forouharmehr et al, 2022a ), Flavobacterium columnare ( Mahendran et al, 2016b ), and against Ichthyophthirius multifiliis ( Ghosh et al, 2023 ). Nonetheless, experimental validation studies are indispensable.…”

“…Identification of immune epitopes within fish pathogens is one of the most important applications. Using immunoinformatics, researchers can effectively identify these epitopes: sections of the pathogen’s genetic sequences with the potential to elicit an immune response in fish ( Forouharmehr et al, 2022a ; Islam et al, 2022a ; Islam et al, 2022b ). This essential knowledge guides the development of vaccines based on epitopes, allowing for targeted immunisation that induces a specific protective immune response.…”

“…This essential knowledge guides the development of vaccines based on epitopes, allowing for targeted immunisation that induces a specific protective immune response. In addition, immunoinformatics contributes substantially to the development of epitope-based vaccines by enabling scientists to select the most immunogenic and conserved epitopes ( Forouharmehr et al, 2022b ; Islam et al, 2022a ). This strategic approach paves the way for the development of broad-spectrum vaccines, thereby protecting against multiple pathogen strains or variants.…”

Transforming Aquaculture Through Vaccination: A Review on Recent Developments and Milestones

“…It is rather encouraging to witness the implementation of increasingly sophisticated methodologies being used in the pursuit of epitope identification and the development of aquaculture vaccines, as recently, in 2022, Islam et al explored an immunoinformatics and integrated core proteomics approach to identify and develop epitope vaccines against Edwardsiella tarda and Aeromonas veronii [147,148]. In the realm of viral pathogens, attempts have been primarily focused on betanodaviruses [149][150][151][152], iridoviruses [153], and the tilapia lake virus (TiLV) [154,155]. The exploration efforts have also similarly been extended towards the direction of aquatic invertebrate vaccine development, as demonstrated by the endeavors of Momtaz et al [156], Shine et al [157], and Islam et al [158].…”