Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41785290›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

Immunoinformatics approach to engineer a multi-epitope vaccine against SdrG in skin commensal Staphylococcus epidermidis.

Shahina Akter, Gabriel Vinícius Rolim Silva, Jonas Ivan Nobre Oliveira, Umberto Laino Fulco, Xianyang Xu, Yu Vincent Fu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Pangenome-GuidedPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Shahina AkterBangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Dhaka, Bangladesh.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7776-6686
Gabriel Vinícius Rolim SilvaDepartment of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Bioscience Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal/RN, Brazil.
Jonas Ivan Nobre OliveiraDepartment of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Bioscience Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal/RN, Brazil.
Umberto Laino FulcoDepartment of Biophysics and Pharmacology, Bioscience Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal/RN, Brazil.
Xianyang XuState Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity and Innovative Utilization, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Yu Vincent FuState Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity and Innovative Utilization, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The human skin serves as a dynamic ecosystem for beneficial commensal bacteria such as Staphylococcus epidermidis, which play a crucial role in maintaining skin barrier integrity and modulating immune responses. Remarkably, recent research has demonstrated that the skin can function as a natural vaccination site, producing specific antibodies against commensal microbes without inducing inflammation. However, S. epidermidis can transition into an opportunistic pathogen in clinical settings, forming resilient biofilms on medical implants and exhibiting increasing resistance to antibiotics (MRSE), posing a significant healthcare challenge. To address this challenge, advanced immunoinformatics strategies were leveraged to design a novel multi-epitope vaccine targeting the SdrG protein, a key mediator of S. epidermidis biofilm formation. The vaccine's binding dynamics with Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) were evaluated through computational analyses, including molecular docking and 500-nanosecond molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Stability assessments via Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD), Root Mean Square Fluctuation (RMSF), and Radius of Gyration (Rg) confirmed that the vaccine-TLR4 complex achieved structural equilibrium, with TLR4 maintaining rigidity while the vaccine exhibited adaptive flexibility for optimal binding. The Molecular Mechanics/Generalized Born Surface Area (MM/GBSA) method revealed a strong binding affinity, with a peak free energy of -52.73 kcal/mol and an average of -24.72 ± 9.5989 kcal/mol over the last 50 ns, indicating a thermodynamically favorable interaction. Furthermore, in silico cloning validated the vaccine's expressibility, with successful integration into the pET-Sangamo-His vector (8560 bp) for optimal E. coli production. These findings underscore the vaccine's potential to elicit a robust immune response by stably engaging TLR4, a critical step in innate immune activation. By combining computational precision with immunological insights, this study lays a foundation for developing an effective prophylactic strategy against S. epidermidis biofilm-associated infections.

Indexed as

Bacterial ProteinsEpitopesSkinStaphylococcal VaccinesStaphylococcus epidermidisBiofilmsHumansImmunoinformaticsMolecular Docking SimulationMolecular Dynamics SimulationProtein Subunit VaccinesSkin MicrobiomeToll-Like Receptor 4Bacterial ProteinsEpitopesProtein Subunit VaccinesStaphylococcal VaccinesTLR4 protein, humanToll-Like Receptor 4

Identifiers

PMID41785290
PMCPMC12962517

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.