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

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 specific epitopes of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. In the present study, we have identified the potential immunogens using a process in which the selected phage clones were analyzed through bioinformatics, prior to final field tests. The 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.