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Research Article


Engineering a multiepitope self-amplifying mRNA vaccine against infectious bronchitis virus infection in chicken: Bioinformatics and molecular modeling approaches

Abbas Hadi Jasim Al-mahmoudi, Hayder Naji Ayyez, Amjed Alsultan.


Abstract
Background:
Infectious bronchitis is an acute and highly transmissible respiratory illness that causes substantial economic losses in poultry farming. Vaccination remains the primary control strategy; however, frequent mutations in the key structural protein of the virus, specifically the spike glycoprotein, reduce the effectiveness of vaccines.

Aim:
In this study, we used reverse vaccinology and molecular modeling approaches to design a safe and effective vaccine against infectious bronchitis in chickens.

Methods:
Infectious bronchitis virus-like protein was selected as the antigen target. Five multiepitope cytotoxic T cell epitopes, 6 helper T cell epitopes, and 4 linear epitopes were selected from the S1 and S2 protein sequences. The nonstructural protein sequence (nsp1-nsp4) from the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus as a copy machinery system and the cholera toxin B subunit as a build-in adjuvant were added to the proposed vaccine.

Results:
Based on immunoinformatic analysis, the designed vaccine is predicted to be antigenic (antigenic score of 0.827), non-allergic, nontoxic, and stable with basic PI (9.78). The proposed model exhibits good structural integrity and a favorable binding profile. Analysis of the Ramachandran plot showed that 72% of the amino acids were located in the favored area, which is a strong indicator of a stable protein fold. A Z-score of −10.6 further validates the model’s overall geometry’s high quality. Furthermore, molecular docking showed that the proposed protein has affinity for TLR3 binding in chickens.

Conclusion:
Our results indicate that the proposed vaccine is a potentially effective solution for chickens with infectious bronchitis. However, additional laboratory studies are required to verify its efficacy and safety.

Key words: Infectious bronchitis, self-amplifying mRNA, multiepitope vaccine and Immunoinformatic approaches


 
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How to Cite this Article
Pubmed Style

Al-mahmoudi AHJ, Ayyez HN, Alsultan A. Engineering a multiepitope self-amplifying mRNA vaccine against infectious bronchitis virus infection in chicken: Bioinformatics and molecular modeling approaches. Open Vet. J.. 2026; 16(6): 3777-3785. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i6.49

Web Style

Al-mahmoudi AHJ, Ayyez HN, Alsultan A. Engineering a multiepitope self-amplifying mRNA vaccine against infectious bronchitis virus infection in chicken: Bioinformatics and molecular modeling approaches. https://www.openveterinaryjournal.com/?mno=304435 [Access: June 16, 2026]. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i6.49

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Al-mahmoudi AHJ, Ayyez HN, Alsultan A. Engineering a multiepitope self-amplifying mRNA vaccine against infectious bronchitis virus infection in chicken: Bioinformatics and molecular modeling approaches. Open Vet. J.. 2026; 16(6): 3777-3785. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i6.49


Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Al-mahmoudi AHJ, Ayyez HN, Alsultan A. Engineering a multiepitope self-amplifying mRNA vaccine against infectious bronchitis virus infection in chicken: Bioinformatics and molecular modeling approaches. Open Vet. J.. (2026), [cited June 16, 2026]; 16(6): 3777-3785. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i6.49


Harvard Style

Al-mahmoudi, A. H. J., Ayyez, . H. N. & Alsultan, . A. (2026) Engineering a multiepitope self-amplifying mRNA vaccine against infectious bronchitis virus infection in chicken: Bioinformatics and molecular modeling approaches. Open Vet. J., 16 (6), 3777-3785. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i6.49


Turabian Style

Al-mahmoudi, Abbas Hadi Jasim, Hayder Naji Ayyez, and Amjed Alsultan. 2026. Engineering a multiepitope self-amplifying mRNA vaccine against infectious bronchitis virus infection in chicken: Bioinformatics and molecular modeling approaches. Open Veterinary Journal, 16 (6), 3777-3785. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i6.49


Chicago Style

Al-mahmoudi, Abbas Hadi Jasim, Hayder Naji Ayyez, and Amjed Alsultan. "Engineering a multiepitope self-amplifying mRNA vaccine against infectious bronchitis virus infection in chicken: Bioinformatics and molecular modeling approaches." Open Veterinary Journal 16 (2026), 3777-3785. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i6.49


MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Al-mahmoudi, Abbas Hadi Jasim, Hayder Naji Ayyez, and Amjed Alsultan. "Engineering a multiepitope self-amplifying mRNA vaccine against infectious bronchitis virus infection in chicken: Bioinformatics and molecular modeling approaches." Open Veterinary Journal 16.6 (2026), 3777-3785. Print. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i6.49


APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Al-mahmoudi, A. H. J., Ayyez, . H. N. & Alsultan, . A. (2026) Engineering a multiepitope self-amplifying mRNA vaccine against infectious bronchitis virus infection in chicken: Bioinformatics and molecular modeling approaches. Open Veterinary Journal, 16 (6), 3777-3785. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i6.49


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