In silico Design and Immunoinformatic Evaluation of a Chimeric mRNA Vaccine Candidate against Ebola Virus

Background and Aim: Several Ebola outbreaks have been recorded worldwide, with most occurring in Central Africa. Given the 50-90% mortality rate among infected individuals and the lack of a specific treatment, there is an urgent need for an effective vaccine to control this disease. In this study, we focus on designing an mRNA vaccine, conducting bioinformatics analyses, predicting structural features, and evaluating the immunological response of a chimeric protein. Materials and Methods: The Ebola virus genome encodes various proteins. Given the functional and protective roles of the glycoprotein (GP) and nucleoprotein (NP), they were used to design a chimeric immunogen, whereas other studies have primarily focused on GP alone. In this study, the conservation of protein and nucleotide sequences was evaluated across different species. Additionally, the allergenicity, antigenicity, toxicity, and physicochemical properties of a recombinant fusion protein resulting from the fusion of these two proteins were analyzed using bioinformatics, and its secondary structure was predicted. Linear and conformational epitopes for B cells, MHC-I, MHC-II, and TCD4 cells were identified using immunoinformatics approaches, and the immune response in a mammalian host was simulated. An mRNA vaccine construct corresponding to the Recombinant Fusion protein was designed, its secondary structure was analyzed, and its sequence was optimized.