Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Vaccines and Molecular Therapeutics
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1451538
This article is part of the Research Topic Advancements in Understanding Zoonotic Parasitic Diseases View all 11 articles

Optimizing Sheep B-Cell Epitopes in Echinococcus granulosus Recombinant Antigen P29 for Vaccine Development

Provisionally accepted
Jihui Yang Jihui Yang 1Yongxue Lv Yongxue Lv 1Yazhou Zhu Yazhou Zhu 1*Jiahui Song Jiahui Song 1*Mingxing Zhu Mingxing Zhu 1*Changyou Wu Changyou Wu 2YONG FU YONG FU 3Wei Zhao Wei Zhao 1*Yinqi Zhao Yinqi Zhao 1*
  • 1 Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
  • 2 Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
  • 3 Qinghai Academy of Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, Qinghai Province, China

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

    Background: Echinococcus granulosus is a widespread zoonotic parasitic disease, significantly impacting human health and livestock development; however, no vaccine is currently available for humans. Our preliminary studies indicate that recombinant antigen P29 (rEg.P29) is a promising candidate for vaccine. Methods: Sheep were immunized with rEg.P29, and venous blood was collected at various time points. Serum was isolated, and the presence of specific antibodies was detected using ELISA. We designed and synthesized a total of 45 B cell monopeptides covering rEg.P29 using the overlap method. ELISA was employed to assess the serum antibodies of the immunized sheep for recognition of these overlapping peptides, leading to the preliminary identification of B cell epitopes. Utilizing these identified epitopes, new single peptides were designed, synthesized, and used to optimize and confirm B-cell epitopes. Results: rEg.P29 effectively induces a sustained antibody response in sheep, particularly characterized by high and stable levels of IgG. Eight B-cell epitopes of were identified, which were mainly distributed in three regions of rEg.P29. Finally, three B cell epitopes were identified and optimized: rEg.P2971-90, rEg.P29151-175, and rEg.P29211-235. These optimized epitopes were well recognized by antibodies in sheep and mice, and the efficacy of these three epitopes significantly

    Keywords: Echinococcus granulosus, Sheep, recombinant antigen P29, B cell epitopes, Vaccine

    Received: 19 Jun 2024; Accepted: 01 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yang, Lv, Zhu, Song, Zhu, Wu, FU, Zhao and Zhao. 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:
    Yazhou Zhu, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
    Jiahui Song, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
    Mingxing Zhu, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
    Wei Zhao, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
    Yinqi Zhao, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 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.