Computer-Aided Design of an Epitope-Based Vaccine against Epstein-Barr Virus

Figure 3

Strategy for experimental B cell epitope selection. Overview of the approach devised to select invariant experimental EBV-specific B cell epitopes for the B cell component of an epitope-based vaccine against EBV. The approach comprises 5 steps: (1) selection of unique epitopes from databases; (2) sequence variability filtering and testing for self-peptides; (3) selection of epitopes from viral envelope antigens; (4) progression of epitopes located to envelope protein ectodomains; (5) final output of epitopes that fulfill the flexibility and accessibility criteria established in the text. None of the epitopes that we selected were identical to human proteins or proteins from the human microbiome.