Accelerating Cancer Vaccine Development for Human T-Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV) Using a High-Throughput Molecular Dynamics Approach

Abstract

Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV), a retrovirus belonging to the oncovirus family, has long been linked to be associated with various inflammatory and immunosuppressive disorders. To combat the devastating impact of this virus, our study employed a reverse vaccinology approach to design a multi-epitope-based vaccine targeting the highly virulent subtypes of HTLV. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the molecular interactions between the vaccine and Toll-like receptors (TLRs), providing valuable insights for future research on preventing and managing HTLV-related diseases and any possible outbreaks. The vaccine was designed by focusing on the envelope glycoprotein gp62, a crucial protein involved in the infectious process and immune mechanisms of HTLV inside the human body. Epitope mapping identified T cell and B cell epitopes with low binding energies, ensuring their immunogenicity and safety. Linkers and adjuvants were incorporated to enhance the vaccines stability, antigenicity, and immunogenicity. Two vaccine constructs were developed, both exhibiting high antigenicity and conferring safety. Vaccine construct 2 demonstrated expected solubility and structural stability after disulfide engineering. Molecular docking analyses revealed strong binding affinity between the vaccine construct 2 and both TLR2 and TLR4. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that the TLR2-vaccine complex displayed enhanced stability, compactness, and consistent hydrogen bond formation, suggesting a favorable affinity. Contact analysis, Gibbs free energy landscapes, and DCC analysis further supported the stability of the TLR2-vaccine complex, while DSSP analysis confirmed stable secondary structures. MM-PBSA analysis revealed a more favorable binding affinity of the TLR4-vaccine complex, primarily due to lower electrostatic energy. In conclusion, our study successfully designed a multi-epitope-based vaccine targeting HTLV subtypes and provided valuable insights into the molecular interactions between the vaccine and TLRs. These findings should contribute to the development of effective preventive and treatment approaches against HTLV-related diseases.