In silico design of a multiepitope candidate vaccine against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome

A. G. Galeeva^{1, 2}, Yu. A. Kuznetsova¹ , M. A. Efimova^{1, 2}, D. N. Mingaleev^{1, 2}

¹ Federal Center for Toxicological, Radiation and Biological Safety, Kazan, Russia

² Kazan State Agrarian University, Kazan, Russia

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Volume 26 No. 8

Date of paper submission: 06.07.2025, date of review: 19.09.2025, date of acceptance: 05.03.2026. 

Published: 08/31/2026

Abstract. The purpose of the study was in silico design of a candidate vaccine against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) based on epitopes of immunodominant antigens. Methods. Epizootically significant strains of the PRRS-1 virus (European genotype) were selected for analysis. Prediction of the most immunogenic epitopes in the structure of ORF1ab, GP5 (ORF5), M (ORF6), N (ORF7) antigens, assessment of physico-chemical and biochemical properties, stability of the multiepitope polypeptide, characterization of its secondary and tertiary structures, as well as molecular docking were carried out using classical methods of bioinformatics. Results. During the analysis, more than 30 B-cell, CTL, and HTL epitopes (predicted and experimentally confirmed), which are non-toxic and non-allergenic, were found in the structure of the above antigens. After evaluating their potential immunogenicity, a multiepitope construct was designed containing 6 B-cell, 6 CTL, and 4 HTL epitopes interconnected by various linkers. The multiepitope polypeptide (331 au) with a molecular weight of 36.2 kDa is stable, soluble and has a folded, predominantly ordered structure, and also has a high binding potential to porcine Toll-like receptors. The predicted half-life of the polypeptide in mammalian cells is 30 hours. The final amino acid sequence is 993 bp long. It was optimized for expression in both E. coli and mammalian cells, after which it was cloned into pET28a(+) and pcDNA_3.1 vectors. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the epitope composition of a potential candidate vaccine, which includes structures of several immunodominant proteins of the PRRS virus, different in its functional characteristics. This approach will significantly increase the overall immunogenicity of the vaccine due to the activation of both cellular and humoral immunity.

Keywords: porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, immunogenic epitopes, multiepitope vaccine, reverse vaccinology, bioinformatics, immunoinformatics

For citation: Galeeva A. G., Kuznetsova Yu. A., Efimova M. A., Mingaleev D. N. In silico design of a multiepitope candidate vaccine against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. Agrarian Bulletin of the Urals. 2026; 26 (08): 1445‒1459. https://doi.org/10.32417/1997-4868-2026-26-08-1445-1459. (In Russ.)  

 

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