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Chou RT, Ouattara A, Adams M, Berry AA, Takala-Harrison S, Cummings MP. Positive-unlabeled learning identifies vaccine candidate antigens in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. NPJ Syst Biol Appl 2024; 10:44. [PMID: 38678051 PMCID: PMC11055854 DOI: 10.1038/s41540-024-00365-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Malaria vaccine development is hampered by extensive antigenic variation and complex life stages of Plasmodium species. Vaccine development has focused on a small number of antigens, many of which were identified without utilizing systematic genome-level approaches. In this study, we implement a machine learning-based reverse vaccinology approach to predict potential new malaria vaccine candidate antigens. We assemble and analyze P. falciparum proteomic, structural, functional, immunological, genomic, and transcriptomic data, and use positive-unlabeled learning to predict potential antigens based on the properties of known antigens and remaining proteins. We prioritize candidate antigens based on model performance on reference antigens with different genetic diversity and quantify the protein properties that contribute most to identifying top candidates. Candidate antigens are characterized by gene essentiality, gene ontology, and gene expression in different life stages to inform future vaccine development. This approach provides a framework for identifying and prioritizing candidate vaccine antigens for a broad range of pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renee Ti Chou
- Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Amed Ouattara
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Matthew Adams
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrea A Berry
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shannon Takala-Harrison
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Michael P Cummings
- Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD, USA.
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2
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Veisi R, Nazarian S, Fathi J, Hadi N. Expression and purification of TolC as a recombinant protein vaccine against Shigella flexneri and evaluation of immunogenic response in mice. Microb Pathog 2024; 188:106539. [PMID: 38211835 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2024.106539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Shigella is one of the major causes of dysenteric diarrhea, which is known shigelosis. Shigelosis causes 160,000 deaths annually of diarrheal disease in the global scale especially children less than 5 years old. No licensed vaccine is available against shigelosis, therefore, efforts for develop an effective and safe vaccine against Shigella as before needed. The reverse vaccinology (RV) is a novel strategy that evaluate genome or proteome of the organism to find a new promising vaccine candidate. In this study, immunogenicity of a designed-recombinant antigen is evaluated through the in silico studies and animal experiments to predict a new immunogenic candidate against Shigella. METHODS In the first step, proteome of Shigella flexneri was obtained from UniProtKB and then the outer membrane and extracellular proteins were predicted. In this study TolC as an outer membrane protein was selected and confirmed among candidates. In next steps, pre-selected protein was evaluated for transmembrane domains, homology, conservation, antigenicity, solubility, and B- and T-cell prediction by different online servers. RESULT TolC as a conserved outer membrane protein, using different immune-informatics tools had acceptable scores and was selected as the immunogenic antigen for animal experiment studies. Recombinant TolC protein after expression and purification, was administered to BALB/c mice over three intraperitoneal routes. The sera of mice was used to evaluate the IgG1 production assay by indirect-ELISA. The immunized mice depicted effective protection against 2LD50 of Shigella. Flexneri ATCC12022 (challenge study). CONCLUSION Therefore, the reverse vaccinology approach and experimental test results demonstrated that TolC as a novel effective and immunogenic antigen is capable for protection against shigellosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Razieh Veisi
- Department of Bacteriology and Virology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Shahram Nazarian
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Imam Hossein University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Javad Fathi
- Department of Bacteriology and Virology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Nahal Hadi
- Department of Bacteriology and Virology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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3
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Almanaa TN. Design of a novel multi-epitopes vaccine against Escherichia fergusonii: a pan-proteome based in- silico approach. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1332378. [PMID: 38143752 PMCID: PMC10739491 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1332378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Escherichia fergusonii a gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium in the Enterobacteriaceae family, infect humans, causing serious illnesses such as urinary tract infection, cystitis, biliary tract infection, pneumonia, meningitis, hemolytic uremic syndrome, and death. Initially treatable with penicillin, antibiotic misuse led to evolving resistance, including resistance to colistin, a last-resort drug. With no licensed vaccine, the study aimed to design a multi-epitope vaccine against E. fergusonii. The study started with the retrieval of the complete proteome of all known strains and proceeded to filter the surface exposed virulent proteins. Seventeen virulent proteins (4 extracellular, 4 outer membranes, 9 periplasmic) with desirable physicochemical properties were identified from the complete proteome of known strains. Further, these proteins were processed for B-cell and T-cell epitope mapping. Obtained epitopes were evaluated for antigenicity, allergenicity, solubility, MHC-binding, and toxicity and the filtered epitopes were fused by specific linkers and an adjuvant into a vaccine construct. Structure of the vaccine candidate was predicted and refined resulting in 78.1% amino acids in allowed regions and VERIFY3D score of 81%. Vaccine construct was docked with TLR-4, MHC-I, and MHC-II, showing binding energies of -1040.8 kcal/mol, -871.4 kcal/mol, and -1154.6 kcal/mol and maximum interactions. Further, molecular dynamic simulation of the docked complexes was carried out resulting in a significant stable nature of the docked complexes (high B-factor and deformability values, lower Eigen and high variance values) in terms of intermolecular binding conformation and interactions. The vaccine was also reported to stimulate a variety of immunological pathways after administration. In short, the designed vaccine revealed promising predictions about its immune protective potential against E. fergusonii infections however experimental validation is needed to validate the results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taghreed N. Almanaa
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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4
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Aiman S, Ahmad A, Khan A, Ali Y, Malik A, Alkholief M, Akhtar S, Khan RS, Li C, Jalil F, Ali Y. Vaccinomics-aided next-generation novel multi-epitope-based vaccine engineering against multidrug resistant Shigella Sonnei: Immunoinformatics and chemoinformatics approaches. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289773. [PMID: 37992050 PMCID: PMC10664945 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Shigella sonnei is a gram-negative bacterium and is the primary cause of shigellosis in advanced countries. An exceptional rise in the prevalence of the disease has been reported in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. To date, no preventive vaccine is available against S. sonnei infections. This pathogen has shown resistances towards both first- and second-line antibiotics. Therefore, an effective broad spectrum vaccine development against shigellosis is indispensable. In the present study, vaccinomics-aided immunoinformatics strategies were pursued to identify potential vaccine candidates from the S. sonnei whole proteome data. Pathogen essential proteins that are non-homologous to human and human gut microbiome proteome set, are feasible candidates for this purpose. Three antigenic outer membrane proteins were prioritized to predict lead epitopes based on reverse vaccinology approach. Multi-epitope-based chimeric vaccines was designed using lead B- and T-cell epitopes combined with suitable linker and adjuvant peptide sequences to enhance immune responses against the designed vaccine. The SS-MEVC construct was prioritized based on multiple physicochemical, immunological properties, and immune-receptors docking scores. Immune simulation analysis predicted strong immunogenic response capability of the designed vaccine construct. The Molecular dynamic simulations analysis ensured stable molecular interactions of lead vaccine construct with the host receptors. In silico restriction and cloning analysis predicted feasible cloning capability of the SS-MEVC construct within the E. coli expression system. The proposed vaccine construct is predicted to be more safe, effective and capable of inducing robust immune responses against S. sonnei infections and may be worthy of examination via in vitro/in vivo assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Aiman
- Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Abbas Ahmad
- Department of Biotechnology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Asifullah Khan
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Yasir Ali
- National Center for Bioinformatics, Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Abdul Malik
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Musaed Alkholief
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Suhail Akhtar
- A.T. Still University of Health Sciences, Kirksville, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Raham Sher Khan
- Department of Biotechnology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Chunhua Li
- Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Fazal Jalil
- Department of Biotechnology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Yasir Ali
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Ullah A, Ullah Khan S, Haq MU, Ahmad S, Irfan M, Asif M, Muhseen ZT, Alkeraidees MS, Allemailem KS, Alrumaihi F, Almatroudi A. Computational study to investigate Proteus mirabilis proteomes for multi-epitope vaccine construct design. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:10190-10201. [PMID: 36476074 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2153920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Proteus mirabilis is a gram-negative bacterium particularly known for its unique swarming ability. The swarming gives the bacteria ability to enhance adherence to the catheter surface and epithelium cells of the urethra to cause catheter associated urinary tract infections. P. mirabilis has evolved resistant to antibiotics. Additionally, there is an approved vaccine against P. mirabilis, thus demanding for identification of new vaccine targets. This gram-negative bacterium consists of 19,502 core proteins, out of which 19,063 are redundant proteins and remaining 439 are non-redundant proteins. The non-redundant proteins have 21 proteins present on the cell surface out of which 11 proteins are virulent. Antigenicity analysis predicted only 2 proteins as antigenic (fimbrial biogenesis outer membrane usher protein and ligand-gated channel protein). Four and seven B-cells epitopes were predicted from the former and later proteins, respectively. The predicted B-cells epitopes were used for T- cells epitopes prediction. The predicted epitopes were linked to each other through GPGPG linkers and joined with cholera toxin beta subunit adjuvant. A multi-epitopes vaccine construct consisting of 226 residues was docked with MHC-I, MHC-II and TLR-4. The best docked complex in each case has binding energy of -714.6, -744.6 and -829.5 kcal/mol, respectively. Moreover, the docking results were validated through molecular dynamics simulation and binding free energies estimation. The net energy of -137.2 kcal/mol was calculated for vaccine-MHC-I complex, -133.39 kcal/mol for vaccine-MHC-II and -158.68 kcal/mol for vaccine-TLR-4 complex. The designed vaccine construct could provoke immune responses against targeted pathogen and may be used in experimental testing.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asad Ullah
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Saif Ullah Khan
- Institute of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, Pakistan
| | - Mahboob Ul Haq
- Department of Pharmacy, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Sajjad Ahmad
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Irfan
- Department of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Muhammad Asif
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Ziyad Tariq Muhseen
- Department of Pharmacy, Al-Mustaqbal University College, Hillah, Babylon, Iraq
| | - Monerh Saleh Alkeraidees
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khaled S Allemailem
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Faris Alrumaihi
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad Almatroudi
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
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Devi SB, Kumar S. Designing a multi-epitope chimeric protein from different potential targets: A potential vaccine candidate against Plasmodium. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2023; 255:111560. [PMID: 37084957 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2023.111560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
Malaria is an infectious disease that has been a continuous threat to mankind since the time immemorial. Owing to the complex multi-staged life cycle of the plasmodium parasite, an effective malaria vaccine which is fully protective against the parasite infection is urgently needed to deal with the challenges. In the present study, essential parasite proteins were identified and a chimeric protein with multivalent epitopes was generated. The designed chimeric protein consists of best potential B and T cell epitopes from five different essential parasite proteins. Physiochemical studies of the chimeric protein showed that the modeled vaccine construct was thermo-stable, hydrophilic and antigenic in nature. And the binding of the vaccine construct with Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) as revealed by the molecular docking suggests the possible interaction and role of the vaccine construct in activating the innate immune response. The constructed vaccine being a chimeric protein containing epitopes from different potential candidates could target different stages or pathways of the parasite. Moreover, the approach used in this study is time and cost effective, and can be applied in the discoveries of new potential vaccine targets for other pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanasam Bijara Devi
- Department of Life science & Bioinformatics, Assam University, Silchar 788011 India.
| | - Sanjeev Kumar
- Department of Life science & Bioinformatics, Assam University, Silchar 788011 India
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7
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Rezvanirad A, Habibi M, Farokhi M, Asadi Karam MR. Immunogenic Potential and Therapeutic Efficacy of Multi-Epitope Encapsulated Silk Fibroin Nanoparticles against Pseudomonas aeruginosa-Mediated Urinary Tract Infections. Macromol Biosci 2023; 23:e2300074. [PMID: 37159936 DOI: 10.1002/mabi.202300074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) causing urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a major concern among hospital-acquired infections. The need for an effective vaccine that reduces the infections is imperative. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a multi-epitope vaccine encapsulated in silk fibroin nanoparticles (SFNPs) against P. aeruginosa-mediated UTIs. A multi-epitope is constructed from nine proteins of P. aeruginosa using immunoinformatic analysis, expressed, and purified in BL21 (DE3) cells. The encapsulation efficiency of the multi-epitope in SFNPs is 85% with a mean particle size of 130 nm and 24% of the encapsulated antigen is released after 35 days. The vaccine formulations adjuvanted with SFNPs or alum significantly improve systemic and mucosal humoral responses and the cytokine profile (IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-17) in mice. Additionally, the longevity of the IgG response is maintained for at least 110 days in a steady state. In a bladder challenge, mice treated with the multi-epitope admixed with alum or encapsulated in SFNPs demonstrate significant protection of the bladder and kidneys against P. aeruginosa. This study highlights the promising therapeutic potential of a multi-epitope vaccine encapsulated in SFNPs or adjuvanted with alum against P. aeruginosa infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azam Rezvanirad
- Department of Molecular Biology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, 1316943551, Iran
| | - Mehri Habibi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, 1316943551, Iran
| | - Mehdi Farokhi
- National Cell Bank of Iran, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, 1316943551, Iran
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8
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Cocorullo M, Chiarelli LR, Stelitano G. Improving Protection to Prevent Bacterial Infections: Preliminary Applications of Reverse Vaccinology against the Main Cystic Fibrosis Pathogens. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1221. [PMID: 37515037 PMCID: PMC10384294 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11071221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Reverse vaccinology is a powerful tool that was recently used to develop vaccines starting from a pathogen genome. Some bacterial infections have the necessity to be prevented then treated. For example, individuals with chronic pulmonary diseases, such as Cystic Fibrosis, are prone to develop infections and biofilms in the thick mucus that covers their lungs, mainly caused by Burkholderia cepacia complex, Haemophilus influenzae, Mycobacterium abscessus complex, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. These infections are complicated to treat and prevention remains the best strategy. Despite the availability of vaccines against some strains of those pathogens, it is necessary to improve the immunization of people with Cystic Fibrosis against all of them. An effective approach is to develop a broad-spectrum vaccine to utilize proteins that are well conserved across different species. In this context, reverse vaccinology, a method based on computational analysis of the genome of various microorganisms, appears as one of the most promising tools for the identification of putative targets for broad-spectrum vaccine development. This review provides an overview of the vaccines that are under development by reverse vaccinology against the aforementioned pathogens, as well as the progress made so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Cocorullo
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Via A. Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Laurent R Chiarelli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Via A. Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Giovanni Stelitano
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Via A. Ferrata 9, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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Howlader DR, Das S, Lu T, Mandal RS, Hu G, Varisco DJ, Dietz ZK, Ratnakaram SSK, Ernst RK, Picking WD, Picking WL. A protein subunit vaccine elicits a balanced immune response that protects against Pseudomonas pulmonary infection. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:37. [PMID: 36918600 PMCID: PMC10012293 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00618-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) causes severe nosocomial infections, especially in immunocompromised individuals and the elderly. Increasing drug resistance, the absence of a licensed vaccine and increased hospitalizations due to SARS-CoV-2 have made Pa a major healthcare risk. To address this, we formulated a candidate subunit vaccine against Pa (L-PaF), by fusing the type III secretion system tip and translocator proteins with LTA1 in an oil-in-water emulsion (ME). This was mixed with the TLR4 agonist (BECC438b). Lung mRNA sequencing showed that the formulation activates genes from multiple immunological pathways eliciting a protective Th1-Th17 response following IN immunization. Following infection, however, the immunized mice showed an adaptive response while the PBS-vaccinated mice experienced rapid onset of an inflammatory response. The latter displayed a hypoxic lung environment with high bacterial burden. Finally, the importance of IL-17 and immunoglobulins were demonstrated using knockout mice. These findings suggest a need for a balanced humoral and cellular response to prevent the onset of Pa infection and that our formulation could elicit such a response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debaki R Howlader
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66047, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Sayan Das
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Ti Lu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66047, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Rahul Shubhra Mandal
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Gang Hu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66047, USA
| | - David J Varisco
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Zackary K Dietz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66047, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | | | - Robert K Ernst
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - William D Picking
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66047, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Wendy L Picking
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66047, USA.
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
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Poudel S, Jia L, Arick MA, Hsu CY, Thrash A, Sukumaran AT, Adhikari P, Kiess AS, Zhang L. In silico prediction and expression analysis of vaccine candidate genes of Campylobacter jejuni. Poult Sci 2023; 102:102592. [PMID: 36972674 PMCID: PMC10066559 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2023.102592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) is the most common food-borne pathogen that causes human gastroenteritis in the United States. Consumption of contaminated poultry products is considered as the major source of human Campylobacter infection. An effective vaccine would be a promising alternative to antibiotic supplements to curb C. jejuni colonization in poultry gastrointestinal (GI) tract. However, the genetic diversity among the C. jejuni isolates makes vaccine production more challenging. Despite many attempts, an effective Campylobacter vaccine is not yet available. This study aimed to identify suitable candidates to develop a subunit vaccine against C. jejuni, which could reduce colonization in the GI tract of the poultry. In the current study, 4 C. jejuni strains were isolated from retail chicken meat and poultry litter samples and their genomes were sequenced utilizing next-generation sequencing technology. The genomic sequences of C. jejuni strains were screened to identify potential antigens utilizing the reverse vaccinology approach. In silico genome analysis predicted 3 conserved potential vaccine candidates (phospholipase A [PldA], TonB dependent vitamin B12 transporter [BtuB], and cytolethal distending toxin subunit B [CdtB]) suitable for the development of a vaccine. Furthermore, the expression of predicted genes during host-pathogen interaction was analyzed by an infection study using an avian macrophage-like immortalized cell line (HD11). The HD11 was infected with C. jejuni strains, and the RT-qPCR assay was performed to determine the expression of the predicted genes. The expression difference was analyzed using ΔΔCt methods. The results indicate that all 3 predicted genes, PldA, BtuB, and CdtB, were upregulated in 4 tested C. jejuni strains irrespective of their sources of isolation. In conclusion, in silico prediction and gene expression analysis during host-pathogen interactions identified 3 potential vaccine candidates for C. jejuni.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabin Poudel
- Department of Poultry Science, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
| | - Linan Jia
- Department of Poultry Science, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
| | - Mark A Arick
- Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing, and Biotechnology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
| | - Chuan-Yu Hsu
- Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing, and Biotechnology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
| | - Adam Thrash
- Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing, and Biotechnology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
| | - Anuraj T Sukumaran
- Department of Poultry Science, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
| | - Pratima Adhikari
- Department of Poultry Science, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
| | - Aaron S Kiess
- Prestage Department of Poultry Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Li Zhang
- Department of Poultry Science, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.
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11
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Proteome-Wide Screening of Potential Vaccine Targets against Brucella melitensis. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11020263. [PMID: 36851141 PMCID: PMC9966016 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The ongoing antibiotic-resistance crisis is becoming a global problem affecting public health. Urgent efforts are required to design novel therapeutics against pathogenic bacterial species. Brucella melitensis is an etiological agent of brucellosis, which mostly affects sheep and goats but several cases have also been reported in cattle, water buffalo, yaks and dogs. Infected animals also represent the major source of infection for humans. Development of safer and effective vaccines for brucellosis remains a priority to support disease control and eradication in animals and to prevent infection to humans. In this research study, we designed an in-silico multi-epitopes vaccine for B. melitensis using computational approaches. The pathogen core proteome was screened for good vaccine candidates using subtractive proteomics, reverse vaccinology and immunoinformatic tools. In total, 10 proteins: catalase; siderophore ABC transporter substrate-binding protein; pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate oxidase; superoxide dismutase; peptidylprolyl isomerase; superoxide dismutase family protein; septation protein A; hypothetical protein; binding-protein-dependent transport systems inner membrane component; and 4-hydroxy-2-oxoheptanedioate aldolase were selected for epitopes prediction. To induce cellular and antibody base immune responses, the vaccine must comprise both B and T-cells epitopes. The epitopes were next screened for antigenicity, allergic nature and water solubility and the probable antigenic, non-allergic, water-soluble and non-toxic nine epitopes were shortlisted for multi-epitopes vaccine construction. The designed vaccine construct comprises 274 amino acid long sequences having a molecular weight of 28.14 kDa and instability index of 27.62. The vaccine construct was further assessed for binding efficacy with immune cell receptors. Docking results revealed that the designed vaccine had good binding potency with selected immune cell receptors. Furthermore, vaccine-MHC-I, vaccine-MHC-II and vaccine-TLR-4 complexes were opted based on a least-binding energy score of -5.48 kcal/mol, 0.64 kcal/mol and -2.69 kcal/mol. Those selected were then energy refined and subjected to simulation studies to understand dynamic movements of the docked complexes. The docking results were further validated through MMPBSA and MMGBSA analyses. The MMPBSA calculated -235.18 kcal/mol, -206.79 kcal/mol, and -215.73 kcal/mol net binding free energy, while MMGBSA estimated -259.48 kcal/mol, -206.79 kcal/mol and -215.73 kcal/mol for TLR-4, MHC-I and MHC-II complexes, respectively. These findings were validated by water-swap and entropy calculations. Overall, the designed vaccine construct can evoke proper immune responses and the construct could be helpful for experimental researchers in formulation of a protective vaccine against the targeted pathogen for both animal and human use.
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Gong Q, Li Y, Zhai W, Niu M. Immune responses and protective efficacy of a trivalent combination DNA vaccine based on oprL, oprF and flgE genes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. VET MED-CZECH 2022; 67:611-619. [PMID: 38845784 PMCID: PMC11154874 DOI: 10.17221/86/2021-vetmed] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an infectious pathogenic bacteria infecting many different species of animals. Currently, it lacks a commercial vaccine. In this study, three monovalent DNA vaccines (poprL, poprF, and pflgE), three bivalent combination DNA vaccines (poprL+poprF, poprL+pflgE, poprF+pflgE), and a trivalent DNA vaccine (poprL+poprF+pflgE) were constructed. Consequently, we immunised chickens with these DNA vaccines and used inactivated vaccines as the positive controls. Then, the immune efficacy was evaluated through serum antibody detection, a lymphocyte proliferation assay, and cytokine concentration determination. Lastly, we assessed the protection rate through a challenge experiment. Following vaccination, the serum antibody levels induced using these DNA vaccines were different due to the different coating antigens. In the trivalent combination DNA vaccine group, we established that the lymphocyte proliferation (SI values), IFN-γ, IL-2, and IL-4 levels were significantly higher than those of the other six DNA vaccine groups and the inactivated vaccine group. However, the protection provided was slightly lower than that of the inactivated vaccine and higher than those of other DNA vaccines. The protection rate of poprL, poprF, pflgE, poprL+poprF, poprL+pflgE, poprF+pflgE, poprL+poprF+pflgE, and the inactivated vaccine were 50, 45, 60, 75, 80, 80, 90, and 95%, respectively. The results of this study indicated the trivalent DNA vaccine based on oprL, oprF and flgE genes represents a promising approach for the prevention of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Gong
- Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, P.R. China
| | - Yajing Li
- Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, P.R. China
| | - Wenhan Zhai
- Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, P.R. China
| | - Mingfu Niu
- Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, P.R. China
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Singh A, Ambaru B, Bandsode V, Ahmed N. Panomics to decode virulence and fitness in Gram-negative bacteria. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1061596. [PMID: 36478674 PMCID: PMC9719987 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1061596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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Mushtaq M, Khan S, Hassan M, Al-Harbi AI, Hameed AR, Khan K, Ismail S, Irfan M, Ahmad S. Computational Design of a Chimeric Vaccine against Plesiomonas shigelloides Using Pan-Genome and Reverse Vaccinology. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:1886. [PMID: 36366394 PMCID: PMC9697808 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10111886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The swift emergence of antibiotic resistance (AR) in bacterial pathogens to make themselves adaptable to changing environments has become an alarming health issue. To prevent AR infection, many ways can be accomplished such as by decreasing the misuse of antibiotics in human and animal medicine. Among these AR bacterial species, Plesiomonas shigelloides is one of the etiological agents of intestinal infection in humans. It is a gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium that is highly resistant to several classes of antibiotics, and no licensed vaccine against the aforementioned pathogen is available. Hence, substantial efforts are required to screen protective antigens from the pathogen whole genome that can be subjected easily to experimental evaluations. Here, we employed a reverse vaccinology (RV) approach to design a multi-antigenic epitopes based vaccine against P. shigelloides. The complete genomes of P. shigelloides were retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnological Information (NCBI) that on average consist of 5226 proteins. The complete proteomes were subjected to different subtractive proteomics filters, and in the results of that analysis, out of total proteins, 2399 were revealed as non-redundant and 2827 as redundant proteins. The non-redundant proteins were further checked for subcellular localization analysis, in which three were localized in the extracellular matrix, eight were outer membrane, and 13 were found in the periplasmic membrane. All surface localized proteins were found to be virulent. Out of a total of 24 virulent proteins, three proteins (flagellar hook protein (FlgE), hypothetical protein, and TonB-dependent hemoglobin/transferrin/lactoferrin family receptor protein) were considered as potential vaccine targets and subjected to epitopes prediction. The predicted epitopes were further examined for antigenicity, toxicity, and solubility. A total of 10 epitopes were selected (GFKESRAEF, VQVPTEAGQ, KINENGVVV, ENKALSQET, QGYASANDE, RLNPTDSRW, TLDYRLNPT, RVTKKQSDK, GEREGKNRP, RDKKTNQPL). The selected epitopes were linked with each other via specific GPGPG linkers in order to design a multi-epitopes vaccine construct, and linked with cholera toxin B subunit adjuvant to make the designed vaccine construct more efficient in terms of antigenicity. The 3D structure of the vaccine construct was modeled ab initio as no appropriate template was available. Furthermore, molecular docking was carried out to check the interaction affinity of the designed vaccine with major histocompatibility complex (MHC-)I (PDB ID: 1L1Y), MHC-II (1KG0), and toll-like receptor 4 ((TLR-4) (PDB: 4G8A). Molecular dynamic simulation was applied to evaluate the dynamic behavior of vaccine-receptor complexes. Lastly, the binding free energies of the vaccine with receptors were estimated by using MMPB/GBSA methods. All of the aforementioned analyses concluded that the designed vaccine molecule as a good candidate to be used in experimental studies to disclose its immune protective efficacy in animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahnoor Mushtaq
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan
| | - Saifullah Khan
- Institute of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda 24461, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Hassan
- Department of Pharmacy, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda 24461, Pakistan
| | - Alhanouf I. Al-Harbi
- Department of Medical Laboratory, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Yanbu 46411, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alaa R. Hameed
- Department of Medical Laboratory Techniques, School of Life Sciences, Dijlah University College, Baghdad 59058, Iraq
| | | | - Saba Ismail
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Irfan
- Department of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Sajjad Ahmad
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan
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Yousaf M, Ismail S, Ullah A, Bibi S. Immuno-informatics profiling of monkeypox virus cell surface binding protein for designing a next generation multi-valent peptide-based vaccine. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1035924. [PMID: 36405737 PMCID: PMC9668073 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1035924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Monkeypox is a viral etiological agent with hallmarks analogous to those observed in smallpox cases in the past. The ongoing outbreak of Monkeypox viral infection is becoming a global health problem. Multi-valent peptide based next generation vaccines provides us a promising solution to combat these emerging infectious diseases by eliciting cell-mediated and humoral immune response. Considering the success rate of subtractive proteomics pipeline and reverse vaccinology approach, in this study, we have developed a novel, next-generation, multi-valent, in silico peptide based vaccine construct by employing cell surface binding protein. After analyzing physiochemical and biological properties of the selected target, the protein was subjected to B cell derived T cell epitope mapping. Iterative scrutinization lead to the identification of two highly antigenic, virulent, non-allergic, non-toxic, water soluble, and Interferon-gamma inducer epitopes i.e. HYITENYRN and TTSPVRENY. We estimated that the shortlisted epitopes for vaccine construction, roughly correspond to 99.74% of the world’s population. UK, Finland and Sweden had the highest overall population coverage at 100% which is followed by Austria (99.99%), Germany (99.99%), France (99.98%), Poland (99.96), Croatia (99.93), Czech Republic (99.87%), Belgium (99.87), Italy (99.86%), China (97.83%), India (97.35%) and Pakistan (97.13%). The designed vaccine construct comprises of 150 amino acids with a molecular weight of 16.97242 kDa. Molecular docking studies of the modelled MEMPV (Multi-epitope Monkeypox Vaccine) with MHC I (PDB ID: 1I1Y), MHC II (PDB ID: 1KG0), and other immune mediators i.e. toll like receptors TLR3 (PDB ID: 2A0Z), and TLR4 (PDB ID: 4G8A) revealed strong binding affinity with immune receptors. Host immune simulation results predicted that the designed vaccine has strong potency to induce immune responses against target pathogen in the form of cellular and antibody-dependent immunity. Our findings suggest that the hypothesized vaccine candidate can be utilized as a potential therapeutic against Monkeypox however experimental study is required to validate the results and safe immunogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maha Yousaf
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan
- *Correspondence: Maha Yousaf, ; Shabana Bibi,
| | - Saba Ismail
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Asad Ullah
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Shabana Bibi
- Department of Biosciences, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan
- Yunnan Herbal Laboratory, College of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- *Correspondence: Maha Yousaf, ; Shabana Bibi,
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Yousaf M, Ullah A, Sarosh N, Abbasi SW, Ismail S, Bibi S, Hasan MM, Albadrani GM, Talaat Nouh NA, Abdulhakim JA, Abdel-Daim MM, Bin Emran T. Design of Multi-Epitope Vaccine for Staphylococcus saprophyticus: Pan-Genome and Reverse Vaccinology Approach. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10081192. [PMID: 36016080 PMCID: PMC9414393 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10081192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus saprophyticus is a Gram-positive coccus responsible for the occurrence of cystitis in sexually active, young females. While effective antibiotics against this organism exist, resistant strains are on the rise. Therefore, prevention via vaccines appears to be a viable solution to address this problem. In comparison to traditional techniques of vaccine design, computationally aided vaccine development demonstrates marked specificity, efficiency, stability, and safety. In the present study, a novel, multi-epitope vaccine construct was developed against S. saprophyticus by targeting fully sequenced proteomes of its five different strains, which were examined using a pangenome and subtractive proteomic strategy to characterize prospective vaccination targets. The three immunogenic vaccine targets which were utilized to map the probable immune epitopes were verified by annotating the entire proteome. The predicted epitopes were further screened on the basis of antigenicity, allergenicity, water solubility, toxicity, virulence, and binding affinity towards the DRB*0101 allele, resulting in 11 potential epitopes, i.e., DLKKQKEKL, NKDLKKQKE, QDKLKDKSD, NVMDNKDLE, TSGTPDSQA, NANSDGSSS, GSDSSSSNN, DSSSSNNDS, DSSSSDRNN, SSSDRNNGD, and SSDDKSKDS. All these epitopes have the efficacy to cover 99.74% of populations globally. Finally, shortlisted epitopes were joined together with linkers and three different adjuvants to find the most stable and immunogenic vaccine construct. The top-ranked vaccine construct was further scrutinized on the basis of its physicochemical characterization and immunological profile. The non-allergenic and antigenic features of modeled vaccine constructs were initially validated and then subjected to docking with immune receptor major histocompatibility complex I and II (MHC-I and II), resulting in strong contact. In silico cloning validations yielded a codon adaptation index (CAI) value of 1 and an ideal percentage of GC contents (46.717%), indicating a putative expression of the vaccine in E. coli. Furthermore, immune simulation demonstrated that, after injecting the proposed MEVC, powerful antibodies were produced, resulting in the sharpest peaks of IgM + IgG formation (>11,500) within 5 to 15 days. Experimental testing against S. saprophyticus can evaluate the safety and efficacy of these prophylactic vaccination designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maha Yousaf
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad 45550, Pakistan; (M.Y.); (N.S.)
| | - Asad Ullah
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan;
| | - Nida Sarosh
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad 45550, Pakistan; (M.Y.); (N.S.)
| | - Sumra Wajid Abbasi
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan;
| | - Saba Ismail
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan;
- Correspondence: (S.I.); (S.B.)
| | - Shabana Bibi
- Department of Biosciences, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
- Yunnan Herbal Laboratory, College of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
- Correspondence: (S.I.); (S.B.)
| | - Mohammad Mehedi Hasan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Life Science, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Tangail 1902, Bangladesh;
| | - Ghadeer M. Albadrani
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Nehal Ahmed Talaat Nouh
- Department of Microbiology, Medicine Program, Batterjee Medical College, P.O. Box 6231, Jeddah 21442, Saudi Arabia;
- Inpatient Pharmacy, Mansoura University Hospitals, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
| | - Jawaher A. Abdulhakim
- Medical Laboratory Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, Yanbu 46522, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Mohamed M. Abdel-Daim
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacy Program, Batterjee Medical College, P.O. Box 6231, Jeddah 21442, Saudi Arabia;
- Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt
| | - Talha Bin Emran
- Department of Pharmacy, BGC Trust University Bangladesh, Chittagong 4381, Bangladesh;
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
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Rida T, Ahmad S, Ullah A, Ismail S, Tahir ul Qamar M, Afsheen Z, Khurram M, Saqib Ishaq M, Alkhathami AG, Alatawi EA, Alrumaihi F, Allemailem KS. Pan-Genome Analysis of Oral Bacterial Pathogens to Predict a Potential Novel Multi-Epitopes Vaccine Candidate. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19148408. [PMID: 35886259 PMCID: PMC9320593 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19148408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Porphyromonas gingivalis is a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium, mainly present in the oral cavity and causes periodontal infections. Currently, no licensed vaccine is available against P. gingivalis and other oral bacterial pathogens. To develop a vaccine against P. gingivalis, herein, we applied a bacterial pan-genome analysis (BPGA) on the bacterial genomes that retrieved a total number of 4908 core proteins, which were further utilized for the identification of good vaccine candidates. After several vaccine candidacy analyses, three proteins, namely lytic transglycosylase domain-containing protein, FKBP-type peptidyl-propyl cis-trans isomerase and superoxide dismutase, were shortlisted for epitopes prediction. In the epitopes prediction phase, different types of B and T-cell epitopes were predicted and only those with an antigenic, immunogenic, non-allergenic, and non-toxic profile were selected. Moreover, all the predicted epitopes were joined with each other to make a multi-epitopes vaccine construct, which was linked further to the cholera toxin B-subunit to enhance the antigenicity of the vaccine. For downward analysis, a three dimensional structure of the designed vaccine was modeled. The modeled structure was checked for binding potency with major histocompatibility complex I (MHC-I), major histocompatibility complex II (MHC-II), and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) immune cell receptors which revealed that the designed vaccine performed proper binding with respect to immune cell receptors. Additionally, the binding efficacy of the vaccine was validated through a molecular dynamic simulation that interpreted strong intermolecular vaccine-receptor binding and confirmed the exposed situation of vaccine epitopes to the host immune system. In conclusion, the study suggested that the model vaccine construct has the potency to generate protective host immune responses and that it might be a good vaccine candidate for experimental in vivo and in vitro studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tehniyat Rida
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan; (T.R.); (A.U.); (Z.A.); (M.S.I.)
| | - Sajjad Ahmad
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan; (T.R.); (A.U.); (Z.A.); (M.S.I.)
- Correspondence: (S.A.); (K.S.A.)
| | - Asad Ullah
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan; (T.R.); (A.U.); (Z.A.); (M.S.I.)
| | - Saba Ismail
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan;
| | - Muhammad Tahir ul Qamar
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan;
| | - Zobia Afsheen
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan; (T.R.); (A.U.); (Z.A.); (M.S.I.)
| | - Muhammad Khurram
- Department of Pharmacy, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan;
| | - Muhammad Saqib Ishaq
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan; (T.R.); (A.U.); (Z.A.); (M.S.I.)
| | - Ali G. Alkhathami
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61481, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Eid A. Alatawi
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Faris Alrumaihi
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Khaled S. Allemailem
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia;
- Correspondence: (S.A.); (K.S.A.)
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Killough M, Rodgers AM, Ingram RJ. Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Recent Advances in Vaccine Development. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10071100. [PMID: 35891262 PMCID: PMC9320790 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10071100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic human pathogen. Using its arsenal of virulence factors and its intrinsic ability to adapt to new environments, P. aeruginosa causes a range of complicated acute and chronic infections in immunocompromised individuals. Of particular importance are burn wound infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and chronic infections in people with cystic fibrosis. Antibiotic resistance has rendered many of these infections challenging to treat and novel therapeutic strategies are limited. Multiple clinical studies using well-characterised virulence factors as vaccine antigens over the last 50 years have fallen short, resulting in no effective vaccination being available for clinical use. Nonetheless, progress has been made in preclinical research, namely, in the realms of antigen discovery, adjuvant use, and novel delivery systems. Herein, we briefly review the scope of P. aeruginosa clinical infections and its major important virulence factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Killough
- Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK;
| | - Aoife Maria Rodgers
- Department of Biology, The Kathleen Lonsdale Institute for Human Health Research, Maynooth University, R51 A021 Maynooth, Ireland;
| | - Rebecca Jo Ingram
- Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK;
- Correspondence:
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Vaccinomics to Design a Multi-Epitopes Vaccine for Acinetobacter baumannii. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19095568. [PMID: 35564967 PMCID: PMC9104312 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19095568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance (AR) is the result of microbes’ natural evolution to withstand the action of antibiotics used against them. AR is rising to a high level across the globe, and novel resistant strains are emerging and spreading very fast. Acinetobacter baumannii is a multidrug resistant Gram-negative bacteria, responsible for causing severe nosocomial infections that are treated with several broad spectrum antibiotics: carbapenems, β-lactam, aminoglycosides, tetracycline, gentamicin, impanel, piperacillin, and amikacin. The A. baumannii genome is superplastic to acquire new resistant mechanisms and, as there is no vaccine in the development process for this pathogen, the situation is more worrisome. This study was conducted to identify protective antigens from the core genome of the pathogen. Genomic data of fully sequenced strains of A. baumannii were retrieved from the national center for biotechnological information (NCBI) database and subjected to various genomics, immunoinformatics, proteomics, and biophysical analyses to identify potential vaccine antigens against A. baumannii. By doing so, four outer membrane proteins were prioritized: TonB-dependent siderphore receptor, OmpA family protein, type IV pilus biogenesis stability protein, and OprD family outer membrane porin. Immuoinformatics predicted B-cell and T-cell epitopes from all four proteins. The antigenic epitopes were linked to design a multi-epitopes vaccine construct using GPGPG linkers and adjuvant cholera toxin B subunit to boost the immune responses. A 3D model of the vaccine construct was built, loop refined, and considered for extensive error examination. Disulfide engineering was performed for the stability of the vaccine construct. Blind docking of the vaccine was conducted with host MHC-I, MHC-II, and toll-like receptors 4 (TLR-4) molecules. Molecular dynamic simulation was carried out to understand the vaccine-receptors dynamics and binding stability, as well as to evaluate the presentation of epitopes to the host immune system. Binding energies estimation was achieved to understand intermolecular interaction energies and validate docking and simulation studies. The results suggested that the designed vaccine construct has high potential to induce protective host immune responses and can be a good vaccine candidate for experimental in vivo and in vitro studies.
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Gonzaga ZJC, Zhang J, Rehm BHA. Intranasal Delivery of Antigen-Coated Polymer Particles Protects against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 8:744-756. [PMID: 35238554 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.1c00434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen that is intrinsically resistant to multiple antibiotics, causing severe and persistent infections in immunocompromised individuals. This bacterium has been listed as a priority pathogen by the WHO in 2017, and there is no vaccine available for human use. In this study, 10 vaccine candidate antigens were selected for particulate vaccine design. We engineered Escherichia coli to assemble biopolymer particles (BPs) that were either coated with epitopes (Ag) derived from OprF/I-AlgE proteins or PopB or PopB-Ag or coated with single or double copies of epitopes (10Ag and 10Ag(2x)) derived from OprF, OprI, AlgE, OprL, PopB, PilA, PilO, FliC, Hcp1, and CdrA. Antigen-coated BPs showed a diameter of 0.93-1.16 μm with negative surface charge. Antigens attached to BPs were identified by mass spectrometry. Vaccination with BP-Ag, BP-PopB, BP-PopBAg, PB-10Ag, and BP-10Ag(2x) with and without Alhydrogel adjuvant induced significant antigen-specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in mice. All particulate vaccines with Alhydrogel induced protection in an acute pneumonia murine model of P. aeruginosa infection, contributing to up to 80% survival when administered intramuscularly, and the addition of Alhydrogel boosted immunity. The BP-10Ag(2x) vaccine candidate showed the best performance and even induced protective immunity in the absence of Alhydrogel. Intramuscular administration of the BP-10Ag(2x) without Alhydrogel vaccine resulted in 60% survival. Intranasal vaccination induced immunity, contributing to about 90% survival. Overall, our data suggest that vaccination with BPs coated with P. aeruginosa antigens induce protective immunity against P. aeruginosa infections. The possibility of intranasal delivery will strongly facilitate administration and use of BP vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zennia Jean C. Gonzaga
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers (CCFB), Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Don Young Road, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
| | - Jinyong Zhang
- National Engineering Research Center of Immunological Products, Department of Microbiology and Biochemical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, PR China
| | - Bernd H. A. Rehm
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers (CCFB), Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Don Young Road, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ), Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland 4222, Australia
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21
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Goldberg JB, Crisan CV, Luu JM. Pseudomonas aeruginosa Antivirulence Strategies: Targeting the Type III Secretion System. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1386:257-280. [PMID: 36258075 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-08491-1_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The Pseudomonas aeruginosa type III secretion system (T3SS) is a complex molecular machine that delivers toxic proteins from the bacterial cytoplasm directly into host cells. This apparatus spans the inner and outer membrane and employs a needle-like structure that penetrates through the eucaryotic cell membrane into the host cell cytosol. The expression of the P. aeruginosa T3SS is highly regulated by environmental signals including low calcium and host cell contact. P. aeruginosa strains with mutations in T3SS genes are less pathogenic, suggesting that the T3SS is a virulence mechanism. Given that P. aeruginosa is naturally antibiotic resistant and multidrug resistant isolates are rapidly emerging, new antibiotics to target P. aeruginosa are needed. Furthermore, even if new antibiotics were to be developed, the timeline between when an antibiotic is released and resistance development is relatively short. Therefore, the concept of targeting virulence factors has garnered attention. So-called "antivirulence" approaches do not kill the microbe but instead focus on rendering it harmless and therefore unable to cause damage. Since these therapies target a particular system or pathway, the normal microbiome is unlikely to be affected and there is less concern about the spread to other microbes. Finally, and most importantly, since any antivirulence drug does not kill the microbe, there should be less selective pressure to develop resistance to these inhibitors. The P. aeruginosa T3SS has been well studied due to its importance for pathogenesis in numerous human and animal infections. Thus, many P. aeruginosa T3SS inhibitors have been described as potential antivirulence therapeutics, some of which have progressed to clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna B Goldberg
- Division of Pulmonary, Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, and Sleep, Department of Pediatrics and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Center for Cystic Fibrosis and Airway Disease Research, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Cristian V Crisan
- Division of Pulmonary, Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, and Sleep, Department of Pediatrics and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Center for Cystic Fibrosis and Airway Disease Research, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Justin M Luu
- Division of Pulmonary, Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, and Sleep, Department of Pediatrics and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Center for Cystic Fibrosis and Airway Disease Research, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Program, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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22
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Prediction of Potential Drug Targets and Vaccine Candidates Against Antibiotic-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Int J Pept Res Ther 2022; 28:160. [PMCID: PMC9640888 DOI: 10.1007/s10989-022-10463-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the leading causes of nosocomial infections, characterized by increasing antibiotic resistance, severity and mortality. Therefore, numerous efforts have been made nowadays to identify new therapeutic targets. This study aimed to find potential drug targets and vaccine candidates in drug-resistant strains of P. aeruginosa. Extensive antibiotic-resistant and carbapenem-resistant strains of P. aeruginosa with complete genome were selected and ten common hypothetical proteins (HPs) containing more than 200 amino acids were obtained. The structural, functional and immunological predictions of these HPs were performed with the utility of bioinformatics approaches. Two common HPs (Gene ID: 2877781645 and 2877781936) among other investigated proteins were revealed as potential candidates for pharmaceutical and vaccine purposes based on structural and physicochemical properties, functional domains, subcellular localizations, signal peptides, toxicity, virulence factor, antigenicity, allergenicity and immunoinformatic predictions. The consequence of this predictive study will assist in novel drug and vaccine design through experimental investigations.
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23
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Gong Q, Ruan M, Niu M, Qin C. Immune Efficacy of different immunization doses of divalent combination DNA vaccine pOPRL+pOPRF of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Vet Med Sci 2021; 83:1959-1964. [PMID: 34759080 PMCID: PMC8762422 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.21-0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
At present, there is no vaccine available against Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, a common zoonotic pathogenic bacterium. In a previous study, the
authors prepared a divalent combination DNA vaccine, pOPRL+pOPRF, which exhibited good
protective efficacy. To explore the optimal immunization dose of this divalent combination
DNA vaccine, in the present study, chickens were vaccinated with 25, 50, 100, and 200 µg
doses. The levels of serum antibody, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and interleukin-2 (IL-2) were
determined, and lymphocyte proliferation assays were performed. After challenge with
virulent P. aeruginosa, the protective efficacy was evaluated. Following
vaccination, the serum antibodies, stimulation index values, and concentrations of IFN-γ
and IL-2 were significantly higher in chickens vaccinated with 100 and 200 µg vaccines
than in those vaccinated with 25 and 50 µg doses (P<0.05). IFN-γ and
IL-2 concentrations in chickens immunized with 100 µg vaccine were slightly higher than
those in chickens immunized with 200 µg vaccine, although the difference was not
statistically significant. The protective rates were 55%, 65%, 85%, and 85% with 25, 50,
100, and 200 µg of the pOPRL+pOPRF DNA vaccine, respectively. Thus, the immune efficacy of
the pOPRL+pOPRF DNA vaccine increased with an increase in immunization dose, but this does
not imply that a higher dose necessarily achieves a better outcome. The optimal
immunization dose of pOPRL+pOPRF DNA vaccine in chickens was 100 µg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Gong
- Henan University of Science and Technology, 263 Kaiyuan Road, Luoyang, 471023, PR China
| | - Mengdie Ruan
- Henan University of Science and Technology, 263 Kaiyuan Road, Luoyang, 471023, PR China
| | - Mingfu Niu
- Henan University of Science and Technology, 263 Kaiyuan Road, Luoyang, 471023, PR China
| | - Cuili Qin
- Henan University of Science and Technology, 263 Kaiyuan Road, Luoyang, 471023, PR China
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24
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Almihyawi RAH, Al-Hasani HMH, Jassim TS, Muhseen ZT, Zhang S, Chen G. Molecular Insights into Binding Mode and Interactions of Structure-Based Virtually Screened Inhibitors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa Multiple Virulence Factor Regulator (MvfR). Molecules 2021; 26:6811. [PMID: 34833903 PMCID: PMC8619476 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26226811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Multi-drug resistance (MDR) bacterial pathogens pose a threat to global health and warrant the discovery of new therapeutic molecules, particularly those that can neutralize their virulence and stop the evolution of new resistant mechanisms. The superbug nosocomial pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, uses a multiple virulence factor regulator (MvfR) to regulate the expression of multiple virulence proteins during acute and persistent infections. The present study targeted MvfR with the intention of designing novel anti-virulent compounds, which will function in two ways: first, they will block the virulence and pathogenesis P. aeruginosa by disrupting the quorum-sensing network of the bacteria, and second, they will stop the evolution of new resistant mechanisms. A structure-based virtual screening (SBVS) method was used to screen druglike compounds from the Asinex antibacterial library (~5968 molecules) and the comprehensive marine natural products database (CMNPD) (~32 thousand compounds), against the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of MvfR, to identify molecules that show high binding potential for the relevant pocket. In this way, two compounds were identified: Top-1 (4-((carbamoyloxy)methyl)-10,10-dihydroxy-2,6-diiminiodecahydropyrrolo[1,2-c]purin-9-yl sulfate) and Top-2 (10,10-dihydroxy-2,6-diiminio-4-(((sulfonatocarbamoyl)oxy)methyl)decahydropyrrolo[1,2-c]purin-9-yl sulfate), in contrast to the co-crystallized M64 control. Both of the screened leads were found to show deep pocket binding and interactions with several key residues through a network of hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions. The docking results were validated by a long run of 200 ns of molecular dynamics simulation and MM-PB/GBSA binding free energies. All of these analyses confirmed the presence of strong complex formation and rigorous intermolecular interactions. An additional analysis of normal mode entropy and a WaterSwap assay were also performed to complement the aforementioned studies. Lastly, the compounds were found to show an acceptable range of pharmacokinetic properties, making both compounds potential candidates for further experimental studies to decipher their real biological potency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raed A. H. Almihyawi
- College of Life Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China;
- Department of Quality Control, Baghdad Water Authority, Baghdad 10011, Iraq
| | - Halah M. H. Al-Hasani
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, University of Diyala, Baqubah 32001, Iraq;
| | - Tabarak Sabah Jassim
- Department of Prosthodontic Technologies, Dijlah University College, Baghdad 00964, Iraq;
| | - Ziyad Tariq Muhseen
- School of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China;
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Medicinal Plant Resource and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China
| | - Sitong Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China;
- Key Laboratory of Straw Biology and Utilization, Ministry of Education, Jilin 130118, China
| | - Guang Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China;
- Key Laboratory of Straw Biology and Utilization, Ministry of Education, Jilin 130118, China
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25
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Albutti A. An integrated computational framework to design a multi-epitopes vaccine against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21929. [PMID: 34753983 PMCID: PMC8578660 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01283-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly contagious disease that mostly affects the lungs and is caused by a bacterial pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The associated mortality rate of TB is much higher compared to any other disease and the situation is more worrisome by the rapid emergence of drug resistant strains. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is the only licensed attenuated vaccine available for use in humans however, many countries have stopped its use as it fails to confer protective immunity. Therefore, urgent efforts are required to identify new and safe vaccine candidates that are not only provide high immune protection but also have broad spectrum applicability. Considering this, herein, I performed an extensive computational vaccine analysis to investigate 200 complete sequenced genomes of M. tuberculosis to identify core vaccine candidates that harbor safe, antigenic, non-toxic, and non-allergic epitopes. To overcome literature reported limitations of epitope-based vaccines, I carried out additional analysis by designing a multi-epitopes vaccine to achieve maximum protective immunity as well as to make experimental follow up studies easy by selecting a vaccine that can be easily analyzed because of its favorable physiochemical profile. Based on these analyses, I identified two potential vaccine proteins that fulfill all required vaccine properties. These two vaccine proteins are diacylglycerol acyltransferase and ESAT-6-like protein. Epitopes: DSGGYNANS from diacylglycerol acyltransferase and AGVQYSRAD, ADEEQQQAL, and VSRADEEQQ from ESAT-6-like protein were found to cover all necessary parameters and thus used in a multi-epitope vaccine construct. The designed vaccine is depicting a high binding affinity for different immune receptors and shows stable dynamics and rigorous van der Waals and electrostatic binding energies. The vaccine also simulates profound primary, secondary, tertiary immunoglobulin production as well as high interleukins and interferons count. In summary, the designed vaccine is ideal to be evaluated experimentally to decipher its real biological efficacy in controlling drug resistant infections of M. tuberculosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aqel Albutti
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
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26
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Hagras SAA, Hosny AEDMS, Helmy OM, Salem-Bekhit MM, Shakeel F, Farrag HA. Effect of sub-inhibitory concentrations of cefepime on biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Can J Microbiol 2021; 67:894-901. [PMID: 34731576 DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2021-0229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of cefepime at sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) on in vitro biofilm formation (BF) by clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The effect of cefepime at sub-MIC levels (½-1/256 MIC) on in vitro BF by six clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa was phenotypically assessed following 24 and 48 h of challenge using the tissue culture plate (TCP) assay. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was employed to observe the change in expression of three biofilm-related genes, namely, a protease-encoding gene (lasA), fimbrial protein-encoding gene (cupA1), and alginate-encoding gene (algC), in a weak biofilm-producing strain of P. aeruginosa following 24 and 48 h of challenge with sub-MICs of cefepime. The BF morphology in response to cefepime was imaged using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The TCP assay showed strain-, time-, and concentration-dependent changes in in vitro BF in P. aeruginosa following challenge with sub-MICs of cefepime, with a profound increase in strains with inherently no or weak biofilm-producing ability. RT-PCR revealed time-dependent upregulation in the expression of the investigated genes following challenge with ½ and ¼ MIC levels, as confirmed by SEM. Cefepime at sub-MICs could upregulate the expression of BF-related genes and enhance BF by P. aeruginosa clinical isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soheir A A Hagras
- Department of Drug Radiation Research, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt.,Inaya Medical Colleges, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alaa El-Dien M S Hosny
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Omneya M Helmy
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mounir M Salem-Bekhit
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Faiyaz Shakeel
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hala A Farrag
- Department of Drug Radiation Research, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt
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27
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Tabassum R, Abbas G, Azam SS. Immunoinformatics based designing and simulation of multi-epitope vaccine against multi-drug resistant Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. J Mol Liq 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2021.116899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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28
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Rahman S, Das AK. Integrated Multi-omics, Virtual Screening and Molecular Docking Analysis of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300 for the Identification of Potential Therapeutic Targets: An In-Silico Approach. Int J Pept Res Ther 2021; 27:2735-2755. [PMID: 34548853 PMCID: PMC8446483 DOI: 10.1007/s10989-021-10287-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus infection is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in community, hospital and live-stock sectors, especially with the widespread emergence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains. To identify new drug molecules to treat MRSA patients, we have undertaken to search essential proteins that are indispensable for their survival but non-homologous to human host proteins. The current study utilizes a subtractive genome and proteome approach to screen the possible therapeutic targets against S. aureus USA300. Bacterial essential genes are obtained from the DEG database and are compared to avoid cross-reactivity with human host genes. In silico analysis shows 198 proteins that may be considered as therapeutic candidates. Depending on their sub-cellular localization, proteins are grouped as either vaccine or drug targets or both. Extracellular proteins such as cell division proteins (Q2FZ91, Q2FZ95), penicillin-binding proteins (Q2FZ94, Q2FYI0) of the bacterial cell wall, phosphoglucomutase (Q2FE11) and lipoteichoic acid synthase (Q2FIS2) are considered as vaccine targets, and their epitopes have been mapped. Altogether, 53 drug targets are identified, which have shown similarity with the drug targets available in the DrugBank database. Predicted drug targets belong to the common metabolic pathways of MRSA, such as fatty acid biosynthesis, folate biosynthesis, peptidoglycan biosynthesis, ribosome, etc. Protein-protein interaction analysis emphasizing peptidoglycan biosynthesis reveals the connection between penicillin-binding proteins, mur-family proteins and FemXAB proteins. In this study, staphylococcal FemA protein (P0A0A5) is subjected to structure-based virtual screening for the drug repurposing approach. There are 20 residues missing in the crystal structure of FemA, and 12 of these residues are located at the catalytic site. The missing residues are modelled, and stereochemistry is checked. FDA approved drugs available in the DrugBank database have been used in virtual screening with FemA in search of potential repurposed molecules. This approach provides us with 10 drugs that may be used in the treatment of methicillin-resistant staphylococcal mediated diseases. AutoDock 4.2 is used for in silico screening and shows a comparable inhibition constant (Ki) for all 10 FDA-approved drugs towards FemA. Most of these drugs are used in the treatment of various cancers, migraines and leukaemia. Protein-drug interaction analysis shows that the drugs mostly interact with hydrophobic residues of FemA. Moreover, Tyr328 and Lys383 contribute largely to hydrogen bondings during interactions. All interacting amino acids that bind to the drugs are part of the active site cavity of FemA. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10989-021-10287-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shakilur Rahman
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302 India
| | - Amit Kumar Das
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302 India
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29
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Quest for Novel Preventive and Therapeutic Options Against Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Int J Pept Res Ther 2021; 27:2313-2331. [PMID: 34393689 PMCID: PMC8351238 DOI: 10.1007/s10989-021-10255-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is a critical healthcare challenge due to its ability to cause persistent infections and the acquisition of antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Lack of preventive vaccines and rampant drug resistance phenomenon has rendered patients vulnerable. As new antimicrobials are in the preclinical stages of development, mining for the unexploited drug targets is also crucial. In the present study, we designed a B- and T-cell multi-epitope vaccine against P. aeruginosa using a subtractive proteomics and immunoinformatics approach. A total of five proteins were shortlisted based on essentiality, extracellular localization, virulence, antigenicity, pathway association, hydrophilicity, and low molecular weight. These include two outer membrane porins; OprF (P13794) and OprD (P32722), a protein activator precursor pra (G3XDA9), a probable outer membrane protein precursor PA1288 (Q9I456), and a conserved hypothetical protein PA4874 (Q9HUT9). These shortlisted proteins were further analyzed to identify immunogenic and antigenic B- and T-cell epitopes. The best scoring epitopes were then further subjected to the construction of a polypeptide multi-epitope vaccine and joined with cholera toxin B subunit adjuvant. The final chimeric construct was docked with TLR4 and confirmed by normal mode simulation studies. The designed B- and T-cell multi-epitope vaccine candidate is predicted immunogenic in nature and has shown strong interactions with TLR-4. Immune simulation predicted high-level production of B- and T-cell population and maximal expression was ensured in E. coli strain K12. The identified drug targets qualifying the screening criteria were: UDP-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucuronic acid 3-dehydrogenase WbpB (G3XD23), aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase (Q51344), 2-amino-4-hydroxy-6-hydroxymethyldihydropteridine pyrophosphokinase (Q9HV71), 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic-acid transferase (Q9HUH7), glycyl-tRNA synthetase alpha chain (Q9I7B7), riboflavin kinase/FAD synthase (Q9HVM3), aconitate hydratase 2 (Q9I2V5), probable glycosyltransferase WbpH (G3XD85) and UDP-3-O-[3-hydroxylauroyl] glucosamine N-acyltransferase (Q9HXY6). For druggability and pocketome analysis crystal and homology structures of these proteins were retrieved and developed. A sequence-based search was performed in different databases (ChEMBL, Drug Bank, PubChem and Pseudomonas database) for the availability of reported ligands and tested drugs for the screened targets. These predicted targets may provide a basis for the development of reliable antibacterial preventive and therapeutic options against P. aeruginosa.
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Bibi N, Zaidi NUSS, Tahir M, Babar MM. Vaccinomics driven proteome-wide screening of Haemophilus influenzae for the prediction of common putative vaccine candidates. Can J Microbiol 2021; 67:799-812. [PMID: 34237220 DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2020-0535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Haemophilus influenzae colonizes the respiratory tract and is associated with life-threatening invasive infections. The recent rise in its global prevalence, even in the presence of multiple vaccines, indicate an urgent need for developing cross-strain effective vaccine strategies. Our work focused on identifying the universally conserved antigenic regions of H. influenzae that can be used for developing new vaccines. A variety of bioinformatics tools were applied for the comprehensive geno-proteomic analysis of H. influenzae type "a" strain, as reference serotype, through which subcellular localization, essentiality, virulence, and non-host homology were determined. B and T-Cell epitope mapping of 3D protein structures were performed. Thereafter, molecular docking with HLA DRB1*0101 and comparative genome analysis established the candidature of identified regions. Based on the established vaccinomics criteria, five target proteins were predicted as novel vaccine candidates. Among these, 9 epitopic regions were identified that could regulate the lymphocyte activity through strong protein-protein interactions. Comparative genomic analysis exhibited that the identified regions were highly conserved among the different strains of H. influenzae. Based on multiple immunogenic factors, the five prioritized proteins and their predicted epitopes were identified as the ideal common putative vaccine candidate against typeable strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naseeha Bibi
- National University of Sciences and Technology, 66959, Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, Islamabad, ICT, Pakistan;
| | - Najam-Us-Sahar Sadaf Zaidi
- National University of Sciences and Technology, 66959, Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, H-12, Srinagar Highway,, Islamabad. Pakistan, Islamabad, ICT, Pakistan, 44000;
| | - Muhammad Tahir
- National University of Sciences and Technology, 66959, Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, Islamabad, ICT, Pakistan;
| | - Mustafeez Mujtaba Babar
- Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, 384986, Shifa College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Plot No. 72, Adjacent FBISE, H-8/4, Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan, 44000;
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31
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López-Siles M, Corral-Lugo A, McConnell MJ. Vaccines for multidrug resistant Gram negative bacteria: lessons from the past for guiding future success. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2021; 45:fuaa054. [PMID: 33289833 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuaa054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to global public health. Vaccination is an effective approach for preventing bacterial infections, however it has not been successfully applied to infections caused by some of the most problematic multidrug resistant pathogens. In this review, the potential for vaccines to contribute to reducing the burden of disease of infections caused by multidrug resistant Gram negative bacteria is presented. Technical, logistical and societal hurdles that have limited successful vaccine development for these infections in the past are identified, and recent advances that can contribute to overcoming these challenges are assessed. A synthesis of vaccine technologies that have been employed in the development of vaccines for key multidrug resistant Gram negative bacteria is included, and emerging technologies that may contribute to future successes are discussed. Finally, a comprehensive review of vaccine development efforts over the last 40 years for three of the most worrisome multidrug resistant Gram negative pathogens, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa is presented, with a focus on recent and ongoing studies. Finally, future directions for the vaccine development field are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mireia López-Siles
- Intrahospital Infections Laboratory, National Centre for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrés Corral-Lugo
- Intrahospital Infections Laboratory, National Centre for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Michael J McConnell
- Intrahospital Infections Laboratory, National Centre for Microbiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
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32
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Identification and evaluation of novel vaccine candidates against Shigella flexneri through reverse vaccinology approach. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 105:1159-1173. [PMID: 33452891 PMCID: PMC7811352 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-020-11054-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Abstract Shigellosis is a significant type of diarrhea that causes 160,000 deaths annually in a global scale. The mortality occurs mainly in children less than 5 years of age. No licensed vaccine is available, and conventional efforts for developing an effective and safe vaccine against shigellosis have not been succeeded yet. The reverse vaccinology is a novel promising method that screens genome or proteome of an organism for finding new vaccine candidates. In this study, through reverse vaccinology approach, new vaccine candidates against Shigella flexneri were identified and experimentally evaluated. Proteomes of S. flexneri were obtained from UniProt, and then outer membrane and extracellular proteins were predicted and selected for the evaluation of transmembrane domains, protein conservation, host homology, antigenicity, and solubility. From 103 proteins, 7 high-scored proteins were introduced as novel vaccine candidates, and after B- and T-cell epitope prediction, the best protein was selected for experimental studies. Recombinant protein was expressed, purified, and injected to BALB/c mice. The adhesion inhibitory effect of sera was also studied. The immunized mice demonstrated full protection against the lethal dose challenge. The sera remarkably inhibited S. flexneri adhesion to Caco-2 epithelial cells. The results indicate that identified antigen can serve for vaccine development against shigellosis and support reverse vaccinology for discovering novel effective antigens. Key points • Seven Shigella new antigens were identified by reverse vaccinology (RV) approach. • The best antigen experimented demonstrated full protection against lethal dose. • In vivo results verified RV analyses and suggest FimG as a new potent vaccine candidate. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00253-020-11054-4.
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33
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Naz S, Ahmad S, Walton S, Abbasi SW. Multi-epitope based vaccine design against Sarcoptes scabiei paramyosin using immunoinformatics approach. J Mol Liq 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2020.114105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Rahmat Ullah S, Majid M, Rashid MI, Mehmood K, Andleeb S. Immunoinformatics Driven Prediction of Multiepitopic Vaccine Against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis Coinfection and Its Validation via In Silico Expression. Int J Pept Res Ther 2020; 27:987-999. [PMID: 33281529 PMCID: PMC7703501 DOI: 10.1007/s10989-020-10144-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis coinfection is one of the most lethal combinations that has been becoming frequent yet, not diagnosed and reported properly. Due to the simultaneous occurrence of both infections, diagnosis is delayed leading to inadequate treatments and mortality. With the rise of MDR Klebsiella and Mycobacterium, a prophylactic and an immunotherapeutic vaccine has to be entailed for preemptive and adroit therapeutic approach. In this study, we aim to implement reverse vaccinology approach that encompasses a comprehensive evaluation of vital aspects of the pathogens to explore immunogenic epitopes against Omp A of Klebsiella and Rv1698, Rv1973 of Mtb that may help in vaccine development. The designed multi-epitopic vaccine was assessed for antigenicity, allergenicity and various physiochemical parameters. Molecular docking and simulations were executed to assess the immunogenicity and complex stability of the vaccine. The final multi-epitopic vaccine is validated to be highly immunogenic and can serve as a valuable proactive remedy for subject pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidra Rahmat Ullah
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Atta ur Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Mahnoor Majid
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Atta ur Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Ibrahim Rashid
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Atta ur Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Khyber Medical University (KMU), Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Khalid Mehmood
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, University of Hail, Hail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Saadia Andleeb
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Atta ur Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
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Design of Epitope-Based Peptide Vaccine against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Fructose Bisphosphate Aldolase Protein Using Immunoinformatics. J Immunol Res 2020; 2020:9475058. [PMID: 33204735 PMCID: PMC7666636 DOI: 10.1155/2020/9475058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common pathogen that is responsible for serious hospital-acquired infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and various sepsis syndromes. Also, it is a multidrug-resistant pathogen recognized for its ubiquity and its intrinsically advanced antibiotic-resistant mechanisms. It usually affects immunocompromised individuals but can also infect immunocompetent individuals. There is no vaccine against it available till now. This study predicts an effective epitope-based vaccine against fructose bisphosphate aldolase (FBA) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa using immunoinformatics tools. The protein sequences were obtained from NCBI, and prediction tests were undertaken to analyze possible epitopes for B and T cells. Three B cell epitopes passed the antigenicity, accessibility, and hydrophilicity tests. Six MHC I epitopes were found to be promising, while four MHC II epitopes were found promising from the result set. Nineteen epitopes were shared between MHC I and II results. For the population coverage, the epitopes covered 95.62% worldwide excluding certain MHC II alleles. We recommend in vivo and in vitro studies to prove its effectiveness.
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Zhang Y, Pan X, Wang L, Chen L. Iron metabolism in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm and the involved iron-targeted anti-biofilm strategies. J Drug Target 2020; 29:249-258. [PMID: 32969723 DOI: 10.1080/1061186x.2020.1824235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram-negative bacterium that exists in various ecosystems, causing severe infections in patients with AIDS or cystic fibrosis. P. aeruginosa can form biofilm on a variety of surfaces, whereby the bacteria produce defensive substances and enhance antibiotic-resistance, making themselves more adaptable to hostile environments. P. aeruginosa resistance represents one of the main causes of infection-related morbidity and mortality at a global level. Iron is required for the growth of P. aeruginosa biofilm. This review summarises how the iron metabolism contributes to develop biofilm, and more importantly, it may provide some references for the clinic to achieve novel anti-biofilm therapeutics by targeting iron activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yapeng Zhang
- Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Xuanhe Pan
- Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Linqian Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hunan Cancer Hospital, the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Liyu Chen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
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Mehmood A, Naseer S, Ali A, Fatimah H, Rehman S, Kiani AK. Identification of novel vaccine candidates against carbapenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae: A systematic reverse proteomic approach. Comput Biol Chem 2020; 89:107380. [PMID: 32992120 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2020.107380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is declared as antibiotic resistant by WHO, with the critical urgency of developing novel antimicrobial therapeutics as drug resistance is the second most dangerous threat after terrorism. Besides many attempts still, there is no effective vaccine available against K. pneumoniae. By utilizing all the available proteomic data we prioritized the novel proteins ideal for vaccine development using bioinformatics tools and techniques. Among the huge data, eight proteins passed all the barriers and were considered ideal candidates for vaccine development. These include: copper silver efflux system outer membrane protein (CusC), outer membrane porin protein (OmpN), Fe++ enterobactin transporter substrate binding protein (fepB), zinc transporter substrate binding protein (ZnuA), ribonuclease HI, tellurite resistant methyltransferase (the B), and two uncharacterized hypothetical proteins (WP_002918223 and WP_002892366). These proteins were also subjected to epitope analysis and were found best for developing subunit vaccine against K. pneumoniae. The study shows that the potential vaccine targets are sufficiently efficient being virulent, of outer membranous origin and can be proposed for the DNA third-generation vaccines development that would help to cope up infections caused by multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asim Mehmood
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Sciences, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Samar Naseer
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Sciences, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
| | - Amjad Ali
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Atta Ur Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Hina Fatimah
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Sciences, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Shazia Rehman
- Department of Botany, Rawalpindi Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Aysha Karim Kiani
- Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Sciences, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan
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Shao X, Xie Y, Zhang Y, Liu J, Ding Y, Wu M, Wang X, Deng X. Novel therapeutic strategies for treating Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2020; 15:1403-1423. [PMID: 32880507 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2020.1803274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Persistent infections caused by the superbug Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents are huge threats to patients with cystic fibrosis as well as those with compromised immune systems. Multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa has posed a major challenge to conventional antibiotics and therapeutic approaches, which show limited efficacy and cause serious side effects. The public demand for new antibiotics is enormous; yet, drug development pipelines have started to run dry with limited targets available for inventing new antibacterial drugs. Consequently, it is important to uncover potential therapeutic targets. AREAS COVERED The authors review the current state of drug development strategies that are promising in terms of the development of novel and potent drugs to treat P. aeruginosa infection. EXPERT OPINION The prevention of P. aeruginosa infection is increasingly challenging. Furthermore, targeting key virulence regulators has great potential for developing novel anti-P. aeruginosa drugs. Additional promising strategies include bacteriophage therapy, immunotherapies, and antimicrobial peptides. Additionally, the authors believe that in the coming years, the overall network of molecular regulatory mechanism of P. aeruginosa virulence will be fully elucidated, which will provide more novel and promising drug targets for treating P. aeruginosa infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolong Shao
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yingpeng Xie
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yingchao Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jingui Liu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yiqing Ding
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Min Wu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota , Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xin Deng
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong SAR, China.,Shenzhen Research Institute, City University of Hong Kong , Shenzhen, China
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Subtractive proteomics and systems biology analysis revealed novel drug targets in Mycoplasma genitalium strain G37. Microb Pathog 2020; 145:104231. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Ismail S, Ahmad S, Azam SS. Vaccinomics to design a novel single chimeric subunit vaccine for broad-spectrum immunological applications targeting nosocomial Enterobacteriaceae pathogens. Eur J Pharm Sci 2020; 146:105258. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2020.105258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Potential druggable proteins and chimeric vaccine construct prioritization against Brucella melitensis from species core genome data. Genomics 2020; 112:1734-1745. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2019.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Dar HA, Zaheer T, Shehroz M, Ullah N, Naz K, Muhammad SA, Zhang T, Ali A. Immunoinformatics-Aided Design and Evaluation of a Potential Multi-Epitope Vaccine against Klebsiella Pneumoniae. Vaccines (Basel) 2019; 7:E88. [PMID: 31409021 PMCID: PMC6789656 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines7030088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Revised: 08/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic gram-negative bacterium that causes nosocomial infection in healthcare settings. Despite the high morbidity and mortality rate associated with these bacterial infections, no effective vaccine is available to counter the pathogen. In this study, the pangenome of a total of 222 available complete genomes of K. pneumoniae was explored to obtain the core proteome. A reverse vaccinology strategy was applied to the core proteins to identify four antigenic proteins. These proteins were then subjected to epitope mapping and prioritization steps to shortlist nine B-cell derived T-cell epitopes which were linked together using GPGPG linkers. An adjuvant (Cholera Toxin B) was also added at the N-terminal of the vaccine construct to improve its immunogenicity and a stabilized multi-epitope protein structure was obtained using molecular dynamics simulation. The designed vaccine exhibited sustainable and strong bonding interactions with Toll-like receptor 2 and Toll-like receptor 4. In silico reverse translation and codon optimization also confirmed its high expression in E. coli K12 strain. The computer-aided analyses performed in this study imply that the designed multi-epitope vaccine can elicit specific immune responses against K. pneumoniae. However, wet lab validation is necessary to further verify the effectiveness of this proposed vaccine candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamza Arshad Dar
- Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Tahreem Zaheer
- Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Shehroz
- Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Nimat Ullah
- Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Kanwal Naz
- Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Syed Aun Muhammad
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan
| | - Tianyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health (GIBH), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Guangzhou 510530, China
| | - Amjad Ali
- Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
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Rashid MI, Rehman S, Ali A, Andleeb S. Fishing for vaccines against Vibrio cholerae using in silico pan-proteomic reverse vaccinology approach. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6223. [PMID: 31249730 PMCID: PMC6589079 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cholera, an acute enteric infection, is a serious health challenge in both the underdeveloped and the developing world. It is caused by Vibrio cholerae after ingestion of fecal contaminated food or water. Cholera outbreaks have recently been observed in regions facing natural calamities (i.e., earthquake in Haiti 2010) or war (i.e., ongoing civil war in Yemen 2016) where healthcare and sanitary setups have been disrupted as a consequence. Whole-cell oral cholera vaccines (OCVs) have been in market but their regimen efficacy has been questioned. A reverse vaccinology (RV) approach has been applied as a successful anti-microbial measure for many infectious diseases. METHODOLOGY With the aim of finding new protective antigens for vaccine development, the V. cholerae O1 (biovar eltr str. N16961) proteome was computationally screened in a sequential prioritization approach that focused on determining the antigenicity of potential vaccine candidates. Essential, accessible, virulent and immunogenic proteins were selected as potential candidates. The predicted epitopes were filtered for effective binding with MHC alleles and epitopes binding with greater MHC alleles were selected. RESULTS In this study, we report lipoprotein NlpD, outer membrane protein OmpU, accessory colonization factor AcfA, Porin, putative and outer membrane protein OmpW as potential candidates qualifying all the set criteria. These predicted epitopes can offer a potential for development of a reliable peptide or subunit vaccine for V. cholerae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad I. Rashid
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Atta ur Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Sammia Rehman
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Atta ur Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Amjad Ali
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Atta ur Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Saadia Andleeb
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Atta ur Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
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Combating tigecycline resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: A leap forward towards multi-epitope based vaccine discovery. Eur J Pharm Sci 2019; 132:1-17. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2019.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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45
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Solanki V, Tiwari M, Tiwari V. Prioritization of potential vaccine targets using comparative proteomics and designing of the chimeric multi-epitope vaccine against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Sci Rep 2019; 9:5240. [PMID: 30918289 PMCID: PMC6437148 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41496-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the worldwide health problems involved in elevated mortality and morbidity. Therefore, it is important to find a therapeutic for this pathogen. In the present study, we have designed a chimeric vaccine against P. aeruginosa with the help of comparative proteomics and reverse vaccinology approaches. Using comparative subtractive proteomic analysis of 1,191 proteomes of P. aeruginosa, a total of twenty unique non-redundant proteomes were selected. In these proteomes, fifteen outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of P. aeruginosa were selected based on the basis of hydrophilicity, non-secretory nature, low transmembrane helix (<1), essentiality, virulence, pathway association, antigenic, and protein-protein network analysis. Reverse vaccinology approach was used to identify antigenic and immunogenic MHC class I, MHC class II and B cell epitopes present in the selected OMPs that can enhance T cell and B cell mediated immunogenicity. The selected epitopes were shortlisted based on their allergenicity, toxicity potentials, solubility, and hydrophilicity analysis. Immunogenic peptides were used to design a multi-epitope vaccine construct. Immune-modulating adjuvants and PADRE (Pan HLA-DR epitopes) sequence were added with epitopes sequence to enhance the immunogenicity. All the epitopes, adjuvants and PADRE sequence were joined by linkers. The designed vaccine constructs (VT1, VT2, VT3, and VT4) were analyzed by their physiochemical properties using different tools. Selected chimeric vaccine constructs (VT1, VT3, and VT4) were further shortlisted by their docking score with different HLA alleles. The final selected VT4 construct was docked with TLR4/MD2 complex and confirmed by molecular dynamics simulation studies. The final vaccine VT-4 construct was in-silico cloned in pET28a. Therefore, the designed construct VT4 may be studied to control the interaction of P. aeruginosa with host and infection caused by P. aeruginosa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandana Solanki
- Department of Biochemistry, Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, 305817, India
| | - Monalisa Tiwari
- Department of Biochemistry, Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, 305817, India
| | - Vishvanath Tiwari
- Department of Biochemistry, Central University of Rajasthan, Ajmer, 305817, India.
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Bianconi I, Alcalá-Franco B, Scarselli M, Dalsass M, Buccato S, Colaprico A, Marchi S, Masignani V, Bragonzi A. Genome-Based Approach Delivers Vaccine Candidates Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Front Immunol 2019; 9:3021. [PMID: 30687303 PMCID: PMC6334337 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.03021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
High incidence, severity and increasing antibiotic resistance characterize Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections, highlighting the need for new therapeutic options. Vaccination strategies to prevent or limit P. aeruginosa infections represent a rational approach to positively impact the clinical outcome of risk patients; nevertheless this bacterium remains a challenging vaccine target. To identify novel vaccine candidates, we started from the genome sequence analysis of the P. aeruginosa reference strain PAO1 exploring the reverse vaccinology approach integrated with additional bioinformatic tools. The bioinformatic approaches resulted in the selection of 52 potential antigens. These vaccine candidates were conserved in P. aeruginosa genomes from different origin and among strains isolated longitudinally from cystic fibrosis patients. To assess the immune-protection of single or antigens combination against P. aeruginosa infection, a vaccination protocol was established in murine model of acute respiratory infection. Combinations of selected candidates, rather than single antigens, effectively controlled P. aeruginosa infection in the in vivo model of murine pneumonia. Five combinations were capable of significantly increase survival rate among challenged mice and all included PA5340, a hypothetical protein exclusively present in P. aeruginosa. PA5340 combined with PA3526-MotY gave the maximum protection. Both proteins were surface exposed by immunofluorescence and triggered a specific immune response. Combination of these two protein antigens could represent a potential vaccine to prevent P. aeruginosa infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Bianconi
- Infection and Cystic Fibrosis Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Beatriz Alcalá-Franco
- Infection and Cystic Fibrosis Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Mattia Dalsass
- GSK, Siena, Italy.,Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Biologiche, Universitá degli Studi di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | - Alessandra Bragonzi
- Infection and Cystic Fibrosis Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
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Gong Q, Ruan M, Niu M, Qin C, Hou Y, Guo J. Immune efficacy of DNA vaccines based on oprL and oprF genes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in chickens. Poult Sci 2018; 97:4219-4227. [DOI: 10.3382/ps/pey307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 06/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
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48
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Merakou C, Schaefers MM, Priebe GP. Progress Toward the Elusive Pseudomonas aeruginosa Vaccine. Surg Infect (Larchmt) 2018; 19:757-768. [PMID: 30388058 DOI: 10.1089/sur.2018.233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The gram-negative bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes a wide range of infections, mostly in hospitalized and immunocompromised patients, those with burns, surgical wounds, or combat-related wounds, and in people with cystic fibrosis. The increasing antibiotic resistance of P. aeruginosa confers a pressing need for vaccines, yet there are no P. aeruginosa vaccines approved for human use, and recent promising candidates have failed in large clinical trials. Discussion: In this review, we summarize recent clinical trials and pre-clinical studies of P. aeruginosa vaccines and provide a suggested framework for the makeup of a future successful vaccine. Murine models of infection suggest that antibodies, specifically opsonophagocytic killing antibodies (OPK), antitoxin antibodies, and anti-attachment antibodies, combined with T cell immunity, specifically TH17 responses, are needed for broad and potent protection against P. aeruginosa infection. A better understanding of the human immune response to P. aeruginosa infections, and to vaccine candidates, will eventually pave the way to a successful vaccine for this wily pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Merakou
- 1 Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital , Boston, Massachusetts.,2 Department of Anaesthesia, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Matthew M Schaefers
- 1 Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital , Boston, Massachusetts.,2 Department of Anaesthesia, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Gregory P Priebe
- 1 Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital , Boston, Massachusetts.,2 Department of Anaesthesia, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts.,3 Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital , Boston, Massachusetts
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Nazir Z, Afridi SG, Shah M, Shams S, Khan A. Reverse vaccinology and subtractive genomics-based putative vaccine targets identification for Burkholderia pseudomallei Bp1651. Microb Pathog 2018; 125:219-229. [PMID: 30243554 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2018.09.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Revised: 09/16/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The Burkholderia pseudomallei is a unique bio-threat and causative agent of melioidosis. The B. pseudomallei Bp1651 strain has been isolated from a chronic cystic fibrosis patient. The genome-level DNA sequences information of this strain has recently been published. Unfortunately, there is no commercial vaccine available till date to combat B. pseudomallei infection. The genome-wide prioritization approaches are widely used for the identification of potential therapeutic candidates against pathogens. In the present study, we utilized the recently available annotated genomic information of B. pseudomallei Bp1651 through subtractive genomics and reverse-vaccinology strategies to identify its potential vaccine targets. The analyses identified more than 60 pathogen-specific, human host non-homologous proteins that may prioritize in future studies to investigate therapeutic targets for B. pseudomallei Bp1651. The potential B and T-cells antigenic determinant peptides from these pathogen-specific proteins were cataloged using antigenicity and epitope prediction tools. The analyses unveiled a promising antigenic peptide "FQWEFSLSV" from protein-export membrane protein (SecF) of Bp1651 strain, which was predicted to interact with multiple class I and class II MHC alleles with IC50 value < 100 nM. The molecular docking analysis verified favorable molecular interaction of this lead antigenic peptide with the ligand-binding pocket residues of HLA A*02:06 human host immune cell surface receptor. This peptide is predicted to be a suitable epitope capable to elicit the cell-mediated immune response against the B. pseudomallei pathogen. The putative epitopes and proteins identified in this study may be promising vaccine targets against Bp1651 as well as other pathogenic strains of B. pseudomallei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zarghoona Nazir
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Sahib Gul Afridi
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Mohibullah Shah
- Department of Biochemistry, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Sulaiman Shams
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Asifullah Khan
- Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
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Beitelshees M, Hill A, Rostami P, Jones CH, Pfeifer BA. A Transition to Targeted or ‘Smart’ Vaccines: How Understanding Commensal Colonization Can Lead to Selective Vaccination. Pharmaceut Med 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s40290-018-0225-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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