Immunoinformatics approach to Rift Valley fever virus vaccine design in ruminants

Abstract

Abstract Rift Valley fever is a new arboviral illness with serious public health implications. The disease, which is brought on by the Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), is linked to severe economic losses in animals as well as a number of human ailments. There are currently no authorized live attenuated vaccines for human use, and they have been linked to increased risks of abortion in ruminants. In this study, the use of reverse vaccination was applied in creating a vaccine using a segment for use in ruminants by exploring proteins in the M-glycoprotein segment. Glycoprotein sequences were retrieved from cattle, sheep and goats from endemic countries across Africa and subjected to computational analysis for B and T cell epitope prediction. Highly conserved, immunodominant epitopes were obtained and connected with the ideal linkers for proper conformation. A Bos taurus-specific beta-defensin was also added to increase immunogenicity. The secondary as well as tertiary structures of the vaccine were then determined by SOPMA and alphafold2, respectively. Analysis of the vaccine’s physicochemical properties all yielded favorable results regarding its potential effectiveness and safety. Furthermore, molecular docking analysis was carried out using Toll-like receptors 7 and 8 to show molecular binding interactions. While in-silico analyses have yielded satisfactory results, translational research may be required to validate the vaccines’ effectiveness in animals.