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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Antibiotic Resistance and New Antimicrobial drugs
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1503944
This article is part of the Research Topic Advances in New Combinational Therapies for Treatment of MDR Pathogens View all 4 articles

Innovative Epitopes in Staphylococcal Protein-A An Immuno-Informatics Approach to Combat MDR-MRSA Infections

Provisionally accepted
Pengjun Zhou Pengjun Zhou 1Xing Shi Xing Shi 2Jinquan Xia Jinquan Xia 1Yi Fei Wang Yi Fei Wang 3Shaowei Dong Shaowei Dong 2*
  • 1 Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 2 Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, China
  • 3 Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) poses a significant challenge in clinical environments due to its resistance to standard antibiotics. Staphylococcal Protein A (SpA), a crucial virulence factor of MRSA, undermines host immune responses, making it an attractive target for vaccine development. This study aimed to identify potential epitopes within SpA that could elicit robust immune responses, ultimately contributing to the combat against multidrug-resistant (MDR) MRSA. Methods: The SpA protein sequence was retrieved from the UniProt database, with various bioinformatics tools employed for epitope prediction. T-cell epitopes were identified using the Tepitool server, focusing on high-affinity interactions with prevalent human leukocyte antigens (HLAs). B-cell epitopes were predicted using the BepiPred tool. Predicted epitopes underwent docking studies with HLA molecules to evaluate binding properties. In-silico analyses confirmed the antigenicity, promiscuity, and non-glycosylated nature of the selected epitopes. Results: Several T and B cell epitopes within SpA were identified, showcasing high binding affinities and extensive population coverage. A multi-epitope vaccine construct, linked by synthetic linkers and an adjuvant, was modelled, refined, and validated through various bioinformatics assessments. The vaccine candidate was subsequently docked with Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) to evaluate its potential for immunogenicity. Conclusion: This study lays the groundwork for developing epitope-based vaccines targeting SpA in MRSA, identifying promising candidates for experimental validation and contributing to innovative immunotherapeutic strategies against MRSA infections.

    Keywords: human leukocyte antigen, immuno-informatics, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcal Protein A, Toll-like receptor, vaccine development

    Received: 30 Sep 2024; Accepted: 09 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhou, Shi, Xia, Wang and Dong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Shaowei Dong, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.