Immunoinformatics-aided rational design of a multi-epitope vaccine targeting feline infectious peritonitis virus

Mohit Chawla; Andrés Felipe Cuspoca; Nahid Akthar; Jorge Samuel Leon Magdaleno; Siriluk Rattanabunyong; Chonticha Suwattanasophon; Nathjanan Jongkon; Kiattawee Choowongkomon; Abdul Rajjak Shaikh; Tabarak Malik; Luigi Cavallo

doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1280273

Immunoinformatics-aided rational design of a multi-epitope vaccine targeting feline infectious peritonitis virus

Front Vet Sci. 2023 Dec 13:10:1280273. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1280273. eCollection 2023.

Affiliations

¹ Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Kaust Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
² Grupo de Investigación en Epidemiología Clínica de Colombia (GRECO), Universidad Pedagógica yTecnológica de Colombia, Tunja, Colombia.
³ Centro de Atención e Investigación Médica-CAIMED, Chía, Colombia.
⁴ Department of Research and Innovation, STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited, Faridabad, Haryana, India.
⁵ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand.
⁶ Department of Social and Applied Science, College of Industrial Technology, King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand.
⁷ Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a grave and frequently lethal ailment instigated by feline coronavirus (FCoV) in wild and domestic feline species. The spike (S) protein of FCoV assumes a critical function in viral ingress and infection, thereby presenting a promising avenue for the development of a vaccine. In this investigation, an immunoinformatics approach was employed to ascertain immunogenic epitopes within the S-protein of FIP and formulate an innovative vaccine candidate. By subjecting the amino acid sequence of the FIP S-protein to computational scrutiny, MHC-I binding T-cell epitopes were predicted, which were subsequently evaluated for their antigenicity, toxicity, and allergenicity through in silico tools. Our analyses yielded the identification of 11 potential epitopes capable of provoking a robust immune response against FIPV. Additionally, molecular docking analysis demonstrated the ability of these epitopes to bind with feline MHC class I molecules. Through the utilization of suitable linkers, these epitopes, along with adjuvants, were integrated to design a multi-epitope vaccine candidate. Furthermore, the stability of the interaction between the vaccine candidate and feline Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was established via molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation analyses. This suggests good prospects for future experimental validation to ascertain the efficacy of our vaccine candidate in inducing a protective immune response against FIP.

Keywords: feline coronavirus; feline infectious peritonitis; immunoinformatics; reverse vaccinology; spike protein; vaccine.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) funded the research. This research used the Supercomputing Laboratory at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia for computer time. Team members from STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited are acknowledged for the critical reading of the manuscript and computational support. Furthermore, this work was financially supported by the Office of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation; and the Thailand Science Research and Innovation through the Kasetsart University Reinventing University Program 2022. Kasetsart University Research and Development Institute (KURDI) Bangkok, Thailand, KURDI (FF(KU)16.66) is also acknowledged.