Berkala PENELITIAN HAYATI 15 ISSN: 08526834 | E-ISSN:2337-389X Volume 27| No. 1| December | 2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.23869/bphjbr.27.1.20213 Published by © PBI East Java. Open Access  www.berkalahayati.org  Corresponding Author: Fatchiyah Fatchiyah Research Center of Smart Molecule of Natural Genetics Resources (SMONAGENES), Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia Phone: +62 341 554401 Fax: +62 341 554403 E-mail: fatchiya@ub.ac.id Original Article Zyana Fithri Nur Faizah 1,2,3 , Nia Kurniawan 1,3 , Fatchiyah Fatchiyah 1,2* 1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia 2 Research Center of Smart Molecule of Natural Genetics Resources (SMONAGENES), Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia 3 NK Research, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia Abstract Vaccines based on epitope are alternative treatments for snakebite aside from anti-venom immunoglobulin, which is specific and not cross-reaction. However, the potential kistomin epitope has not been known. This study identified the region of T cells epitope and evaluated their immunogenicity to induce an immune response by in-silico. Sequences of kistomin were collected from Swiss-Prot with ID P0CB14. The physico-chemical and conserved domain of kistomin were predicted by using ProtParam and the NCBI database. The T cell epitope was predicted by using the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) method on the IEDB website. Epitopes with MHC-IC50 values >250 nM were further analyzed for conservation and immunogenicity on the IEDB website as well. After that, the candidate 9-mer epitope was interacted by simulated docking with four Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules (5ENW, 6VB0, 3PGD, 6DIG). The conserved 9-mer epitope candidates with high immunogenicity and having similarities with the 15-mer epitope candidates are 4-VLLVTICLA-12 and 27-NVNDYEVVY-35. The 4-VLLVTICLA-12 candidate epitope interacted at β-sheet structure of four MHC. In contrast, The 27-NVNDYEVVY-35 candidate epitope interacted at α-helix and β-sheet structures of HLA-B*15:02 MHC. This study suggested 27-NVNDYEVVY-35 is potentially used as vaccine from envenomation Calloselasma rhodhostoma. In future studies, other alelles can be used to predict epitope from metalloproteinase domain in kistomin. Keywords: Epitope, kistomin, MHC, vaccine Received: July 12, 2021 Revised: September 15, 2021 Accepted: September 15, 2021 Cases of envenomation in Indonesia were estimated to be >100,000 cases annually with a mortality rate of 101-1000 people per year (Kasturiratne et al., 2008). One of the envenomation was caused by Calloselasma rhodostoma. C. rhodostoma is classified in the category of high medical importance and is spread in Southeast Asia and in Indonesia spread over on Java, Karimun, and Kangean (Tang et al., 2019; Das, 2010). C. rhodostoma snake venom from various geographical locations is dominated by kistomin (Tang et al., 2019). Kistomin belongs to the Snake Venom Metalloproteinase (SVMP) group whose it has hemorrhagic activity (Tang et al., 2016). Kistomin is included in P-I subfamily of SVMPs. Kistomin have metalloproteinase domains, pro-domains and signal sequences. Metalloproteinase enzymes are active when the peptide signal and pro-domain sequences were released (Olaoba et al., 2020). The SVMP activation causes Extracellular Matrix (ECM) degradation and eliminate cell viability (Gutiérrez et al., 2016) ECM degradation and cell viability cannot stop if SVMP are not neutralized or inactivated. The technology has been developed that is anti-venom immunoglobulin. Anti-venom immunoglobulin works specifically and causes cross reaction (León et al., 2011). Indonesia has been developed anti-venoms immunoglobulin which is SABU (Serum Bisa Ular) (WHO, 2010). SABU can neutralize protein venom from Calloselasma rhodostoma. SABU contains albumin which it can induces hypersensitivity in respiratory disorders and shock due to anaphylactoid. The cost of purified albumin production by maximum purification is significantly high. In addition, giving antivenom should be done every time if get bitten by a snake (Bermúdez-Méndez et al., 2018). One of the innovation strategy to treat envenomation was the immunization vaccine methods. Epitope-based vaccine has several advantages, including specific response, no unwanted immune response, an adjustable composition and easier production (Khan et al., 2015; Li et al., 2014; Parvizpour et al., 2020; Sette & Fikes, 2003). It can increase efficacy, safety, and affordability, and treatment is only done once to induce immunity (Bermúdez-Méndez et al., 2018). Epitope-based vaccine production has three important steps, including epitope mapping, immunogen construction, and evaluation of vaccine effectiveness. Recently, computational epitope mapping methods have been used to reduce time, cost and failure (Parvizpour et al., 2020). The mapping has several stages to evaluate immunogenicity, evaluate epitope conservation, and eliminate epitope which to have side effects. These stages can be solved by using the immunoinformatics method (Bui et al., 2007; León et al., 2011). Immunoinformatics was used to mapping epitope for PLA2 from Bungarus candidus and Bungarus caerules (Kurniawan & Kurniasari, 2020; Muhammad Ashraf et al., 2014). Epitope-based vaccine for kistomin hasn’t yet researched. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the epitope region of kistomin (the venom of Calloselasma Introduction Prediction of protein venom epitope (kistomin) from Calloselasma rhodostoma using immunoinformatics to design vaccine based on epitope