Document Type : Original Article
Author
Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Biotechnology, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: Mycoplasma genitalium and Mycoplasma hominis are among the major pathogens of the human urogenital tract that play a significant role in infertility. This study aimed to design a bivalent vaccine containing epitopes derived from both pathogens and to evaluate its physicochemical properties and potential to stimulate host immune cells.
Methods: Using several bioinformatics tools, cell-surface proteins of both pathogens were selected, and their corresponding B-cell and T-cell epitopes were predicted. Specific, non-toxic, non-allergenic, and highly antigenic epitopes were identified and chosen for vaccine construction. The peptide linkers AAY, GPGPG, and KK were used to connect the selected epitopes, and the EAAK linker was used to attach the immunogenic β-defensin adjuvant to the final vaccine construct. Then, the structural characteristics of the designed vaccine, including secondary and tertiary structures, polarity, solubility, and molecular docking with host immune system receptors, were evaluated.
Results: Analysis of the secondary structure of the designed vaccine revealed favorable proportions of random coils, extended strands, and α-helices, indicating good stability and epitope-forming potential. Furthermore, evaluation of the three-dimensional structure confirmed the desirable polarity and solubility of the vaccine protein. Additionally, molecular docking results demonstrated the high potential of this vaccine to interact with host immune cell receptors.
Conclusion: The bivalent multi-epitope vaccine designed in this study exhibited favorable stability and a high potential to stimulate an immune response, suggesting its applicability in the development of targeted vaccines against these pathogens.
Keywords
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