SAV E2 Epitope Vaccine for Fish Immunization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current SAV vaccines based on whole viral proteins are inefficient due to the burden on expression systems and often include immunodominant regions that do not provide effective immune protection, while existing epitope-based vaccines lack a specific virus-neutralizing epitope for salmonid alphaviruses.
Innovation Solution
Identification and utilization of a conformational virus-neutralizing epitope spanning amino acids 158-252 of the SAV E2 protein, which is more efficient to express and induces a potent immune response, allowing for the development of improved vaccines and diagnostics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If whole viral proteins are used for vaccine production, then the vaccine can provide broad immune coverage, but the expression system becomes overloaded and production efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the E2 protein into a specific epitope region (amino acids 158-252) that contains the virus-neutralizing activity. This segmentation allows the expression system to produce only the functional portion needed for immune protection, reducing the expression burden while maintaining vaccine efficacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and isolates the specific epitope region (158-252) from the full E2 protein sequence. This extracted epitope is then used as the vaccine antigen, removing unnecessary portions of the protein that would burden the expression system while retaining the critical neutralizing function.
2Reliability
If whole viral proteins are used for vaccination, then immune coverage is broad, but immunodominant regions may mask protective epitopes and reduce immune response effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and isolates the specific epitope region (amino acids 158-252) from the full E2 protein sequence. This extracted epitope is then used as the vaccine antigen, removing unnecessary portions of the protein that would burden the expression system while retaining the critical neutralizing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent focuses the vaccine antigen on a specific local region (epitope 158-252) of the E2 protein that is known to contain virus-neutralizing activity. This local quality approach ensures that the immune response is directed toward the critical protective region rather than being diluted by immunodominant regions elsewhere in the full protein.
3Reliability
If full E2 protein is expressed, then complete viral antigen is provided, but the expression load increases and immunogenic potency per unit protein decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the E2 protein into a specific epitope region (amino acids 158-252) that contains the virus-neutralizing activity. This segmentation allows the expression system to produce only the functional portion needed for immune protection, reducing the expression burden while maintaining vaccine efficacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of protein size from the full E2 protein (approximately 400 amino acids) to a reduced epitope fragment (95 amino acids). This parameter change increases the expression efficiency by reducing the transcriptional and translational load while maintaining the essential immunogenic properties through the preserved neutralizing epitope.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to veterinary immunology, namely to the immunological response of fish to a virus. More specifically, the invention provides an epitope of salmonid alphaviruses which epitope is capable of inducing a virus neutralising immune response. In particular the invention relates to a polypeptide comprising a certain amino acid sequence, a protein comprising such polypeptide, to a carrier comprising such protein, and to a method of producing antibodies. Further the invention relates to a nucleic acid encoding such polypeptide or such protein, and to a carrier comprising such a nucleic acid. Also, the invention relates to a vaccine and a diagnostic kit comprising such a polypeptide, protein, carrier, or nucleic acid.