Design of a novel multiepitope vaccine with CTLA-4 extracellular domain against Mycoplasma pneumoniae: A vaccine-immunoinformatics approach

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia often stems from the macrolide-resistant strain of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, yet no effective vaccine exists against it. Methods: This study proposes a vaccine-immunoinformatics strategy for Mycoplasma pneumoniae and other pathogenic microbes. Specifically, dominant B and T cell epitopes of the Mycoplasma pneumoniae P30 adhesion protein were identified through immunoinformatics method. The vaccine sequence was then constructed by coupling with CTLA-4 extracellular region, a novel molecular adjuvant for antigen-presenting cells. Subsequently, the vaccine's physicochemical properties, antigenicity, and allergenicity were verified. Molecular dynamics modeling was employed to confirm interaction with TLR-2, TLR-4, B7-1, and B7-2. Finally, the vaccine underwent in silico cloning for expression. Results: The vaccine exhibited both antigenicity and non-allergenicity. Molecular dynamics simulation, postdocking with TLR-2, TLR-4, B7-1, and B7-2, demonstrated stable interaction between the vaccine and these molecules. In silico cloning confirmed effective expression of the vaccine gene in insect baculovirus vectors. Conclusion: This vaccine-immunoinformatics approach holds promise for the development of vaccines against Mycoplasma pneumoniae and other pathogenic non-viral and non-bacterial microbes.