In silico analysis for identifcation of tick phagotopes selected by phage-displayed libraries

Abstract

Phage display techniques have been widely employed to map epitope structures which have served as the basis for developing molecular vaccines. We have applied this technique to map specifc epitopes of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. In the present study, we have identifed the potential immunogens using a process in which the selected phage clones were analyzed through bioinformatics, prior to fnal feld tests. Te present study demonstrates the feasibility of identifying important R. (B.) microplus phagotopes for vaccine development through screening of phage-displayed random peptide libraries and bioinformatics tools.