Rational design of a multi-epitope vaccine targeting the stress-associated proteins for Mycoplasma fermentans via immunoinformatics
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Mycoplasma fermentans : ( M. fermentans ) is a clinically important opportunistic pathogen with intrinsic antibiotic resistance, highlighting the need for targeted intervention strategies. To address this, we applied immunoinformatics and reverse vaccinology to develop a multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) directed against its heat shock proteins (HSPs). The final construct comprised six computationally predicted linear B-cell epitopes, four cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes, and five helper T lymphocyte (HTL) epitopes, sequentially joined by the specific linkers KK, AAY, and GPGPG. For improved antigen presentation, the vaccine was further equipped with a beta-defensin at the N-terminus and a dendritic cell-targeting signal peptide at the C-terminus. The MEV demonstrated promising antigenicity, as well as favorable structural stability and solubility. In silico cloning into pET-28a (+) indicated that efficient heterologous expression is feasible. Immune simulations predicted that a three-dose immunization schedule would trigger a robust and long-lasting secondary immune response. Additionally, the predicted mRNA secondary structure exhibited high thermodynamic stability, supporting the feasibility of the proposed construct for further expression evaluation. Although experimental validation and clinical evaluation are still required, these computational results strongly support the vaccine candidate’s potential.
Source: Frontiers in Bioinformatics
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,077
OpenAlex ID: W7223088454