Viruses 2017, 9(5), 112; doi:10.3390/v9050112
In Silico Analysis of Epitope-Based Vaccine Candidates against Hepatitis B Virus Polymerase Protein
1
Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, China
2
Department of Gastroenterology, Wenzhou People’s Hospital, Wenzhou 325000, China
3
Department of Ultrasonography, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Curt Hagedorn
Received: 12 February 2017 / Revised: 6 May 2017 / Accepted: 10 May 2017 / Published: 16 May 2017
(This article belongs to the Section Antivirals & Vaccines)
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has persisted as a major public health problem due to the lack of an effective treatment for those chronically infected. Therapeutic vaccination holds promise, and targeting HBV polymerase is pivotal for viral eradication. In this research, a computational approach was employed to predict suitable HBV polymerase targeting multi-peptides for vaccine candidate selection. We then performed in-depth computational analysis to evaluate the predicted epitopes’ immunogenicity, conservation, population coverage, and toxicity. Lastly, molecular docking and MHC-peptide complex stabilization assay were utilized to determine the binding energy and affinity of epitopes to the HLA-A0201 molecule. Criteria-based analysis provided four predicted epitopes, RVTGGVFLV, VSIPWTHKV, YMDDVVLGA and HLYSHPIIL. Assay results indicated the lowest binding energy and high affinity to the HLA-A0201 molecule for epitopes VSIPWTHKV and YMDDVVLGA and epitopes RVTGGVFLV and VSIPWTHKV, respectively. Regions 307 to 320 and 377 to 387 were considered to have the highest probability to be involved in B cell epitopes. The T cell and B cell epitopes identified in this study are promising targets for an epitope-focused, peptide-based HBV vaccine, and provide insight into HBV-induced immune response. View Full-TextKeywords:
bioinformatics; epitope; hepatitis B virus; polymerase; vaccine
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Zheng, J.; Lin, X.; Wang, X.; Zheng, L.; Lan, S.; Jin, S.; Ou, Z.; Wu, J. In Silico Analysis of Epitope-Based Vaccine Candidates against Hepatitis B Virus Polymerase Protein. Viruses 2017, 9, 112.
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