Investigation of Subunit Vaccine Candidates against African Swine Fever Virus Derived from Subdomains of the Transmembrane Protein CD2v Using Immunoinformatics and Molecular Dynamics Methods

African swine fever (ASF) has become a global threat to the pork industry, thus representing a great economic concern. A theoretical comparison of subunit vaccine candidates based on the transmembrane protein CD2v of the ASF virus was performed. Three outer-membrane subdomains of CD2v were evaluated using immunoinformatics, structure prediction, and molecular dynamics simulation methods. All candidates were shown to be non-toxic, non-allergenic and can induce a stable immune response, including the long-term antibody production. The subdomain А stands out as the most promising candidate due to its high immunogenicity despite potential difficulties in the expression in Escherichia coli. The immunomodulation confirmed the activation of both primary and secondary immune responses. An analysis of the structural stability showed the reliability of the candidates under physiological conditions. The study provides a theoretical basis for the further experimental development of subunit vaccines against ASF, combining the safety and efficacy.