Immunoinformatics-Driven Engineering of a Chimeric E0/E2 Epitope Vaccine TargetingBovine Viral Diarrhea Virus

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) poses substantial economic burdens to global cattle industries.To address this, we designed an innovative multi-epitope vaccine targeting BVDV via immuno-informatics.Seven cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL), five helper T lymphocyte (HTL), and seven B-cell epitopes from E0/E2 glycoproteins were strategically connected using AAY, GPGPG, and KK linkers.To boost immunogenicity, a -defensin adjuvant was incorporated at the N-terminal of the vaccine using a short peptide linker EAAAK.Computational analysis confirmed favorable physiochemical properties, antigenicity, solubility, and safety (non-allergenic, non-toxic).Structural optimization yielded a stable vaccine's 3D model with improved Z-score (-2.67).Molecular docking revealed strong interactions between the vaccine and bovine TLR2 and TLR4.Molecular dynamics analysis confirmed the stability of the docked vaccine-TLR complexes.Immune simulation predicted robust humoral responses (elevated IgG/IgM) and cellular immunity (increased IFN-/IL-2).The codon-optimized sequence showed significant potential for high-level expression in E. coli.The newly designed chimeric E0/E2 epitope vaccine shows promise for triggering dual immune responses, offering a viable strategy for BVDV control.