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Updated: Jan 10, 2026
Studying Triple Negative Breast Cancer Using Orthotopic Breast Cancer Model
Published on: March 20, 2020
Targeting SOX9: designing a novel vaccine against triple-negative breast cancer
Ghazaleh Hatamian1, Amirali Ebrahimpour2, Mojgan Nejabat3
1Department of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, School of Biological Science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract:
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive breast cancer subtype that lacks targeted therapies. This study aimed to design a novel multi-epitope peptide vaccine targeting SOX9, a transcription factor associated with TNBC progression. Using an immunoinformatic approach, B-cell, helper T lymphocyte (HTL), and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes with high antigenicity, non-toxicity, and non-allergenicity were identified. These epitopes were linked with appropriate spacers and fused to the 50 S ribosomal protein L7/L12 adjuvant to construct the vaccine. Physicochemical analysis predicted the construct to be stable, soluble, and suitable for expression. Structural modeling and refinement confirmed its quality, while molecular docking and dynamics simulations demonstrated favorable interactions with TLR2 and TLR4 receptors. Immune simulations predicted the strong cellular and humoral immune responses. These findings suggest that the designed vaccine holds substantial promise as a candidate for TNBC immunotherapy and merits further experimental validation.
Insights
Researchers designed a novel multi-epitope peptide vaccine targeting SOX9 for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) immunotherapy. Computational analysis predicted strong immune responses, suggesting potential for TNBC treatment.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Oncology
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype lacking targeted therapies.
- SOX9 is a transcription factor implicated in TNBC progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design a novel multi-epitope peptide vaccine targeting SOX9 for TNBC immunotherapy.
- To evaluate the vaccine construct's immunogenicity and potential efficacy using immunoinformatics.
Main Methods:
- Immunoinformatics approach to identify B-cell, helper T lymphocyte (HTL), and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes.
- Epitope linkage with spacers and fusion to a ribosomal protein adjuvant (50S ribosomal protein L7/L12).
- Physicochemical analysis, structural modeling, molecular docking, molecular dynamics, and immune simulations.
Main Results:
- Identified high-antigenicity, non-toxic, and non-allergenic epitopes.
- Designed a stable, soluble vaccine construct with favorable interactions with TLR2 and TLR4.
- Immune simulations predicted robust cellular and humoral immune responses.
Conclusions:
- The designed multi-epitope peptide vaccine shows promise for TNBC immunotherapy.
- Further experimental validation is warranted to confirm its therapeutic potential.
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