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Ezzemani W, Ouladlahsen A, Altawalah H, Saile R, Sarih M, Kettani A, Ezzikouri S. Identification of novel T-cell epitopes on monkeypox virus and development of multi-epitopes vaccine using immunoinformatics approaches. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:5349-5364. [PMID: 37354141 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2226733] [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: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
Monkeypox virus (MPV) is closely related to the smallpox virus, and previous data from Africa suggest that the smallpox vaccine (VARV) is at least 85% effective in preventing MPV. No multi-epitope vaccine has yet been developed to prevent MPV infection. In this work, we used in silico structural biology and advanced immunoinformatic strategies to design a multi-epitope subunit vaccine against MPV infection. The designed vaccine sequence is adjuvanted with CpG-ODN and includes HTL/CTL epitopes for similar proteins between vaccinia virus (VACV) that induced T-cell production in vaccinated volunteers and the first draft sequence of the MPV genome associated with the suspected outbreak in several countries, May 2022. In addition, the specific binding of the modified vaccine and the immune Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) was estimated by molecular interaction studies. Strong interaction in the binding groove as well as good docking scores confirmed the stringency of the modified vaccine. The stability of the interaction was confirmed by a classical molecular dynamics simulation and normal mode analysis. Then, the immune simulation also indicated the ability of this vaccine to induce an effective immune response against MPV. Codon optimization and in silico cloning of the vaccine into the pET-28a (+) vector also showed its expression potential in the E. coli K12 system. The promising data obtained from the various in silico studies indicate that this vaccine is effective against MPV. However, additional in vitro and in vivo studies are still needed to confirm its efficacy.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wahiba Ezzemani
- Virology Unit, Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Santé (URAC34), Départment de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences Ben Msik, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Ahd Ouladlahsen
- Faculté de médecine et de pharmacie, Université Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco
- Service des maladies infectieuses, CHU Ibn Rochd, Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Haya Altawalah
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait
- Virology Unit, Yacoub Behbehani Center, Sabah Hospital, Ministry of Health, Kuwait City, Kuwait
| | - Rachid Saile
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Santé (URAC34), Départment de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences Ben Msik, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco
| | - M'hammed Sarih
- Service de Parasitologie et des Maladies Vectorielles, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Anass Kettani
- Laboratoire de Biologie et Santé (URAC34), Départment de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences Ben Msik, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Sayeh Ezzikouri
- Virology Unit, Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco
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Mubarak AS, Ameen ZS, Hassan AS, Ozsahin DU. Enhancing tuberculosis vaccine development: a deconvolution neural network approach for multi-epitope prediction. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10375. [PMID: 38710737 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59291-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) poses a significant threat to human life, and current BCG vaccinations only provide sporadic protection, therefore there is a need for developing efficient vaccines. Numerous immunoinformatic methods have been utilized previously, here for the first time a deep learning framework based on Deconvolutional Neural Networks (DCNN) and Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (DCNN-BiLSTM) was used to predict Mtb Multiepitope vaccine (MtbMEV) subunits against six Mtb H37Rv proteins. The trained model was used to design MEV within a few minutes against TB better than other machine learning models with 99.5% accuracy. The MEV has good antigenicity, and physiochemical properties, and is thermostable, soluble, and hydrophilic. The vaccine's BLAST search ruled out the possibility of autoimmune reactions. The secondary structure analysis revealed 87% coil, 10% beta, and 2% alpha helix, while the tertiary structure was highly upgraded after refinement. Molecular docking with TLR3 and TLR4 receptors showed good binding, indicating high immune reactions. Immune response simulation confirmed the generation of innate and adaptive responses. In-silico cloning revealed the vaccine is highly expressed in E. coli. The results can be further experimentally verified using various analyses to establish a candidate vaccine for future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Auwalu Saleh Mubarak
- Operational Research Centre in Healthcare, Near East University, TRNC Mersin 10, Nicosia, 99138, Turkey
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil, Kano, Nigeria
| | - Zubaida Said Ameen
- Operational Research Centre in Healthcare, Near East University, TRNC Mersin 10, Nicosia, 99138, Turkey
- Department of Biochemistry, Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano, Nigeria
| | - Abdurrahman Shuaibu Hassan
- Department of Electrical Electronics and Automation Systems Engineering, Kampala International University, Kampala, Uganda.
| | - Dilber Uzun Ozsahin
- Operational Research Centre in Healthcare, Near East University, TRNC Mersin 10, Nicosia, 99138, Turkey.
- Department of Medical Diagnostic Imaging, College of Health Science, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE.
- Research Institute for Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE.
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Sarvmeili J, Baghban Kohnehrouz B, Gholizadeh A, Shanehbandi D, Ofoghi H. Immunoinformatics design of a structural proteins driven multi-epitope candidate vaccine against different SARS-CoV-2 variants based on fynomer. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10297. [PMID: 38704475 PMCID: PMC11069592 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61025-2] [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: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The ideal vaccines for combating diseases that may emerge in the future require more than simply inactivating a few pathogenic strains. This study aims to provide a peptide-based multi-epitope vaccine effective against various severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 strains. To design the vaccine, a library of peptides from the spike, nucleocapsid, membrane, and envelope structural proteins of various strains was prepared. Then, the final vaccine structure was optimized using the fully protected epitopes and the fynomer scaffold. Using bioinformatics tools, the antigenicity, allergenicity, toxicity, physicochemical properties, population coverage, and secondary and three-dimensional structures of the vaccine candidate were evaluated. The bioinformatic analyses confirmed the high quality of the vaccine. According to further investigations, this structure is similar to native protein and there is a stable and strong interaction between vaccine and receptors. Based on molecular dynamics simulation, structural compactness and stability in binding were also observed. In addition, the immune simulation showed that the vaccine can stimulate immune responses similar to real conditions. Finally, codon optimization and in silico cloning confirmed efficient expression in Escherichia coli. In conclusion, the fynomer-based vaccine can be considered as a new style in designing and updating vaccines to protect against coronavirus disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javad Sarvmeili
- Department of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, 51666, Iran
| | | | - Ashraf Gholizadeh
- Department of Animal Biology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, 51666, Iran
| | - Dariush Shanehbandi
- Department of Immunology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, 51666, Iran
| | - Hamideh Ofoghi
- Department of Biotechnology, Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology, Tehran, 33131, Iran
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Ahmad S, Demneh FM, Rehman B, Almanaa TN, Akhtar N, Pazoki-Toroudi H, Shojaeian A, Ghatrehsamani M, Sanami S. In silico design of a novel multi-epitope vaccine against HCV infection through immunoinformatics approaches. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 267:131517. [PMID: 38621559 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131517] [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: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the causes of liver cancer, which is the world's sixth most prevalent and third most lethal cancer. The current treatments do not prevent reinfection; because they are expensive, their usage is limited to developed nations. Therefore, a prophylactic vaccine is essential to control this virus. Hence, in this study, an immunoinformatics method was applied to design a multi-epitope vaccine against HCV. The best B- and T-cell epitopes from conserved regions of the E2 protein of seven HCV genotypes were joined with the appropriate linkers to design a multi-epitope vaccine. In addition, cholera enterotoxin subunit B (CtxB) was included as an adjuvant in the vaccine construct. This study is the first to present this epitopes-adjuvant combination. The vaccine had acceptable physicochemical characteristics. The vaccine's 3D structure was predicted and validated. The vaccine's binding stability with Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 was confirmed using molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The immune simulation revealed the vaccine's efficacy by increasing the population of B and T cells in response to vaccination. In silico expression in Escherichia coli (E. coli) was also successful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajjad Ahmad
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan; Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Beirut, P.O. Box 36, Lebanon; Department of Natural Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut, P.O. Box 36, Lebanon
| | - Fatemeh Mobini Demneh
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Bushra Rehman
- Institute of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Bacha khan University, Charsadda, Pakistan
| | - Taghreed N Almanaa
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nahid Akhtar
- School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144411, India
| | - Hamidreza Pazoki-Toroudi
- Department of Physiology & Physiology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Shojaeian
- Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Mahdi Ghatrehsamani
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
| | - Samira Sanami
- Abnormal Uterine Bleeding Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.
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Salauddin M, Kayesh MEH, Ahammed MS, Saha S, Hossain MG. Development of membrane protein-based vaccine against lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) using immunoinformatic tools. Vet Med Sci 2024; 10:e1438. [PMID: 38555573 PMCID: PMC10981917 DOI: 10.1002/vms3.1438] [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: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Lumpy skin disease, an economically significant bovine illness, is now found in previously unheard-of geographic regions. Vaccination is one of the most important ways to stop its further spread. AIM Therefore, in this study, we applied advanced immunoinformatics approaches to design and develop an effective lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) vaccine. METHODS The membrane glycoprotein was selected for prediction of the different B- and T-cell epitopes by using the immune epitope database. The selected B- and T-cell epitopes were combined with the appropriate linkers and adjuvant resulted in a vaccine chimera construct. Bioinformatics tools were used to predict, refine and validate the 2D, 3D structures and for molecular docking with toll-like receptor 4 using different servers. The constructed vaccine candidate was further processed on the basis of antigenicity, allergenicity, solubility, different physiochemical properties and molecular docking scores. RESULTS The in silico immune simulation induced significant response for immune cells. In silico cloning and codon optimization were performed to express the vaccine candidate in Escherichia coli. This study highlights a good signal for the design of a peptide-based LSDV vaccine. CONCLUSION Thus, the present findings may indicate that the engineered multi-epitope vaccine is structurally stable and can induce a strong immune response, which should help in developing an effective vaccine towards controlling LSDV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md. Salauddin
- Department of Microbiology and Public HealthKhulna Agricultural UniversityKhulnaBangladesh
| | | | - Md. Suruj Ahammed
- Department of ChemistryBangladesh University of Engineering and TechnologyDhakaBangladesh
| | - Sukumar Saha
- Department of Microbiology and HygieneBangladesh Agricultural UniversityMymensinghBangladesh
| | - Md. Golzar Hossain
- Department of Microbiology and HygieneBangladesh Agricultural UniversityMymensinghBangladesh
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Akter A, Ananna NF, Ullah H, Islam S, Al Amin M, Kibria KMK, Mahmud S. Computational approach for identifying immunogenic epitopes and optimizing peptide vaccine through in-silico cloning against Mycoplasma genitalium. Heliyon 2024; 10:e28223. [PMID: 38596014 PMCID: PMC11002066 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28223] [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] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Mycoplasma genitalium is a pathogenic microorganism linked to a variety of severe health conditions including ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, HIV transmission, and sexually transmitted diseases. A more effective approach to address the challenges posed by this pathogen, given its high antibiotic resistance rates, could be the development of a peptide vaccine. In this study, we used experimentally validated 13 membrane proteins and their immunogenicity to identify suitable vaccine candidates. Thus, based on immunogenic properties and high conservation among other Mycoplasma genitalium sub-strains, the P110 surface protein is considered for further investigation. Later on, we identified T-cell epitopes and B-cell epitopes from the P110 protein to construct a multiepitope-based vaccine. As a result, the 'NIAPISFSFTPFTAA' T-cell epitope and 'KVKYESSGSNNISFDS' B-cell epitope have shown 99.53% and 87.50% population coverage along with 100% conservancy among the subspecies, and both epitopes were found to be non-allergenic. Furthermore, focusing on molecular docking analysis showed the lowest binding energy for MHC-I (-137.5 kcal/mol) and MHC-II (-183.3 kcal/mol), leading to a satisfactory binding strength between the T-cell epitopes and the MHC molecules. However, the constructed multiepitope vaccine (MEV) consisting of 54 amino acids demonstrates favorable characteristics for a vaccine candidate, including a theoretical pI of 4.25 with a scaled solubility of 0.812 and high antigenicity probabilities. Additionally, structural analyses reveal that the MEV displays substantial alpha helices and extended strands, vital for its immunogenicity. Molecular docking with the human Toll-like receptors TLR1/2 heterodimer shows strong binding affinity, reinforcing its potential to elicit an immune response. Our immune simulation analysis demonstrates immune memory development and robust immunity, while codon adaptation suggests optimal expression in E. coli using the pET-28a(+) vector. These findings collectively highlight the MEV's potential as a valuable vaccine candidate against M. genitalium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asma Akter
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail-1902, Bangladesh
| | - Natasha Farhin Ananna
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail-1902, Bangladesh
| | - Hedayet Ullah
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail-1902, Bangladesh
| | - Sirajul Islam
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail-1902, Bangladesh
| | - Md Al Amin
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail-1902, Bangladesh
| | - K M Kaderi Kibria
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail-1902, Bangladesh
| | - Shahin Mahmud
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail-1902, Bangladesh
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Ali Z, Cardoza JV, Basak S, Narsaria U, Bhattacharjee S, G UM, Isaac SP, Franca TCC, LaPlante SR, George SS. A Multi-epitope Vaccine Candidate Against Bolivian Hemorrhagic fever Caused by Machupo Virus. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2024; 196:2137-2160. [PMID: 37479961 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-023-04604-9] [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] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
Bolivian hemorrhagic fever (BHF) caused by Machupo virus (MACV) is a New World arenavirus having a reported mortality rate of 25-35%. The BHF starts with fever, followed by headache, and nausea which rapidly progresses to severe hemorrhagic phase within 7 days of disease onset. One of the key promoters for MACV viral entry into the cell followed by viral propagation is performed by the viral glycoprotein (GPC). GPC is post-transcriptionally cleaved into GP1, GP2 and a signal peptide. These proteins all take part in the viral infection in host body. Therefore, GPC protein is an ideal target for developing therapeutics against MACV infection. In this study, GPC protein was considered to design a multi-epitope, multivalent vaccine containing antigenic and immunogenic CTL and HTL epitopes. Different structural validations and physicochemical properties were analysed to validate the vaccine. Docking and molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to understand the interactions of the vaccine with various immune receptors. Finally, the vaccine was codon optimised in silico and along with which immune simulation studies was performed in order to evaluate the vaccine's effectiveness in triggering an efficacious immune response against MACV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeeshan Ali
- Krupanidhi College of Physiotherapy, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560035, India
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Samuel Paul Isaac
- Krupanidhi College of Physiotherapy, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560035, India
| | - Tanos C C Franca
- Military Institute of Engineering, Rio de Janerio, Brazil
- INRS - Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Université de Québec, Laval, Québec, H7V 1B7, Canada
- University of Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Steven R LaPlante
- INRS - Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Université de Québec, Laval, Québec, H7V 1B7, Canada
| | - Sudhan S George
- Krupanidhi College of Physiotherapy, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560035, India.
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Suleman M, Khan TA, Ejaz H, Maroof S, Alshammari A, Albekairi NA, Khan H, Waheed Y, Khan A, Wei DQ, Crovella S. Structural vaccinology, molecular simulation and immune simulation approaches to design multi-epitopes vaccine against John Cunningham virus. Microb Pathog 2024; 189:106572. [PMID: 38354987 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2024.106572] [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: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
The JCV (John Cunningham Virus) is known to cause progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a condition that results in the formation of tumors. Symptoms of this condition such as sensory defects, cognitive dysfunction, muscle weakness, homonosapobia, difficulties with coordination, and aphasia. To date, there is no specific and effective treatment to completely cure or prevent John Cunningham polyomavirus infections. Since the best way to control the disease is vaccination. In this study, the immunoinformatic tools were used to predict the high immunogenic and non-allergenic B cells, helper T cells (HTL), and cytotoxic T cells (CTL) epitopes from capsid, major capsid, and T antigen proteins of JC virus to design the highly efficient subunit vaccines. The specific immunogenic linkers were used to link together the predicted epitopes and subjected to 3D modeling by using the Robetta server. MD simulation was used to confirm that the newly constructed vaccines are stable and properly fold. Additionally, the molecular docking approach revealed that the vaccines have a strong binding affinity with human TLR-7. The codon adaptation index (CAI) and GC content values verified that the constructed vaccines would be highly expressed in E. coli pET28a (+) plasmid. The immune simulation analysis indicated that the human immune system would have a strong response to the vaccines, with a high titer of IgM and IgG antibodies being produced. In conclusion, this study will provide a pre-clinical concept to construct an effective, highly antigenic, non-allergenic, and thermostable vaccine to combat the infection of the John Cunningham virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Suleman
- Laboratory of Animal Research Center (LARC), Qatar University, Doha, Qatar; Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat, Pakistan.
| | - Tariq Aziz Khan
- Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat, Pakistan.
| | - Hadiqa Ejaz
- King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan.
| | - Sabahat Maroof
- Sharif Medical and Dental Colllege, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Abdulrahman Alshammari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Post Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Norah A Albekairi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Post Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Haji Khan
- Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat, Pakistan.
| | - Yasir Waheed
- Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercialization (ORIC), Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan; Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Byblos, 1401, Lebanon
| | - Abbas Khan
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; Sunway Microbiome Centre, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, 47500, Sunway City, Malaysia.
| | - Dong-Qing Wei
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Sergio Crovella
- Laboratory of Animal Research Center (LARC), Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
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Yaghoobizadeh F, Roayaei Ardakani M, Ranjbar MM, Khosravi M, Galehdari H. Development of a potent recombinant scFv antibody against the SARS-CoV-2 by in-depth bioinformatics study: Paving the way for vaccine/diagnostics development. Comput Biol Med 2024; 170:108091. [PMID: 38295473 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108091] [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: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The SARS-CoV-2 has led to a worldwide disaster. Thus, developing prophylactics/therapeutics is required to overcome this public health issue. Among these, producing the anti-SARS-CoV-2 single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies has attracted a significant attention. Accordingly, this study aims to address this question: Is it possible to bioinformatics-based design of a potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 scFv as an alternative to current production approaches? METHOD Using the complexed SARS-CoV-2 spike-antibodies, two sets analyses were performed: (1) B-cell epitopes (BCEs) prediction in the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) region as a parameter for antibody screening; (2) the computational analysis of antibodies variable domains (VH/VL). Based on these primary screenings, and docking/binding affinity rating, one antibody was selected. The protein-protein interactions (PPIs) among the selected antibody-epitope complex were predicted and its epitope conservancy was also evaluated. Thereafter, some elements were added to the final scFv: (1) the PelB signal peptide; (2) a GSGGGGS linker to connect the VH-VL. Finally, this scFv was analyzed/optimized using various web servers. RESULTS Among the antibody library, only one met the various criteria for being an efficient scFv candidate. Moreover, no interaction was predicted between its paratope and RBD hot-spot residues of SARS-CoV-2 variants-of-Concern (VOCs). CONCLUSIONS Herein, a step-by-step bioinformatics platform has been introduced to bypass some barriers of traditional antibody production approaches. Based on existing literature, the current study is one of the pioneer works in the field of bioinformatics-based scFv production. This scFv may be a good candidate for diagnostics/therapeutics design against the SARS-CoV-2 as an emerging aggressive pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Yaghoobizadeh
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Khouzestan, 6135783151, Iran.
| | - Mohammad Roayaei Ardakani
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Khouzestan, 6135783151, Iran.
| | | | - Mohammad Khosravi
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Khouzestan, 6135783151, Iran.
| | - Hamid Galehdari
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Khouzestan, 6135783151, Iran.
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Chao P, Zhang X, Zhang L, Yang A, Wang Y, Chen X. Proteomics-based vaccine targets annotation and design of multi-epitope vaccine against antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus gallolyticus. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4836. [PMID: 38418560 PMCID: PMC10901886 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55372-3] [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: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus gallolyticus is a non-motile, gram-positive bacterium that causes infective endocarditis. S. gallolyticus has developed resistance to existing antibiotics, and no vaccine is currently available. Therefore, it is essential to develop an effective S. gallolyticus vaccine. Core proteomics was used in this study together with subtractive proteomics and reverse vaccinology approach to find antigenic proteins that could be utilized for the design of the S. gallolyticus multi-epitope vaccine. The pipeline identified two antigenic proteins as potential vaccine targets: penicillin-binding protein and the ATP synthase subunit. T and B cell epitopes from the specific proteins were forecasted employing several immunoinformatics and bioinformatics resources. A vaccine (360 amino acids) was created using a combination of seven cytotoxic T cell lymphocyte (CTL), three helper T cell lymphocyte (HTL), and five linear B cell lymphocyte (LBL) epitopes. To increase immune responses, the vaccine was paired with a cholera enterotoxin subunit B (CTB) adjuvant. The developed vaccine was highly antigenic, non-allergenic, and stable for human use. The vaccine's binding affinity and molecular interactions with the human immunological receptor TLR4 were studied using molecular mechanics/generalized Born surface area (MMGBSA), molecular docking, and molecular dynamic (MD) simulation analyses. Escherichia coli (strain K12) plasmid vector pET-28a ( +) was used to examine the ability of the vaccine to be expressed. According to the outcomes of these computer experiments, the vaccine is quite promising in terms of developing a protective immunity against diseases. However, in vitro and animal research are required to validate our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Chao
- Department of Cardiology, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
| | - Xueqin Zhang
- Department of Nephrology, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
| | - Aiping Yang
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
| | - Yong Wang
- Department of Cardiology, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China
| | - Xiaoyang Chen
- Department of Cardiology, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China.
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Yan C, Kim SR. Microencapsulation for Pharmaceutical Applications: A Review. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2024; 7:692-710. [PMID: 38320297 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.3c00776] [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] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
In order to improve bioavailability, stability, control release, and target delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), as well as to mask their bitter taste, to increase their efficacy, and to minimize their side effects, a variety of microencapsulation (including nanoencapsulation, particle size <100 nm) technologies have been widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. Commonly used microencapsulation technologies are emulsion, coacervation, extrusion, spray drying, freeze-drying, molecular inclusion, microbubbles and microsponge, fluidized bed coating, supercritical fluid encapsulation, electro spinning/spray, and polymerization. In this review, APIs are categorized by their molecular complexity: small APIs (compounds with low molecular weight, like Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and Cannabidiol), medium APIs (compounds with medium molecular weight like insulin, peptides, and nucleic acids), and living microorganisms (such as probiotics, bacteria, and bacteriophages). This article provides an overview of these microencapsulation technologies including their processes, matrix, and their recent applications in microencapsulation of APIs. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of these common microencapsulation technologies in terms of improving the efficacy of APIs for pharmaceutical treatments are comprehensively analyzed. The objective is to summarize the most recent progresses on microencapsulation of APIs for enhancing their bioavailability, control release, target delivery, masking their bitter taste and stability, and thus increasing their efficacy and minimizing their side effects. At the end, future perspectives on microencapsulation for pharmaceutical applications are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cuie Yan
- Division of Encapsulation, Blue California, Rancho Santa Margarita, California 92688, United States
| | - Sang-Ryoung Kim
- Division of Encapsulation, Blue California, Rancho Santa Margarita, California 92688, United States
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Shoushtari M, Rismani E, Salehi-Vaziri M, Azadmanesh K. Structure-based evaluation of the envelope domain III-nonstructural protein 1 (EDIII-NS1) fusion as a dengue virus vaccine candidate. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024:1-19. [PMID: 38319049 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2024.2311350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
The lack of effective medicines or vaccines, combined with climate change and other environmental factors, annually subjects a significant proportion of the world's inhabitants to the risk of dengue virus (DENV) infection. These conditions increase the likelihood of exposure to mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever. Hence, many research approaches tend to develop efficient vaccine candidates against the dengue virus. Therefore, we used immunoinformatics and bioinformatics to design a construction for developing a candidate vaccine against dengue virus serotypes. In this study, the in silico structure, containing the non-structural protein 1 region (NS1) (consensus and epitope), the envelope domain III protein (EDIII) as the structural part of the virus construction, and the bc-loop of envelope domain II (EDII) as the neutralizing and protected epitope, were employed. We utilized in silico tools to enhance the immunogenicity and effectiveness of dengue virus vaccine candidates. Evaluations included refining and validating physicochemical characteristics, B and T-cell epitopes, homology modeling, and the three-dimensional structure to assess the designed vaccine's quality. In silico results for tertiary structure prediction and validation revealed high-quality modeling for all vaccine constructs. Additionally, the instructed model demonstrated stability throughout molecular dynamics simulation. The results of the immune simulation suggested that the titers of IgG and IgM could be raised to desirable values following injection into in vivo models. It can be concluded that the designed construct effectively induce humoral and cellular immunity and can be proposed as effective vaccine candidate against four dengue serotypes.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elham Rismani
- Molecular Medicine Department, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mostafa Salehi-Vaziri
- Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Reference Laboratory), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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13
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Elshafei SO, Mahmoud NA, Almofti YA. Immunoinformatics, molecular docking and dynamics simulation approaches unveil a multi epitope-based potent peptide vaccine candidate against avian leukosis virus. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2870. [PMID: 38311642 PMCID: PMC10838928 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53048-6] [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: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Lymphoid leukosis is a poultry neoplastic disease caused by avian leukosis virus (ALV) and is characterized by high morbidity and variable mortality rates in chicks. Currently, no effective treatment and vaccination is the only means to control it. This study exploited the immunoinformatics approaches to construct multi-epitope vaccine against ALV. ABCpred and IEDB servers were used to predict B and T lymphocytes epitopes from the viral proteins, respectively. Antigenicity, allergenicity and toxicity of the epitopes were assessed and used to construct the vaccine with suitable adjuvant and linkers. Secondary and tertiary structures of the vaccine were predicted, refined and validated. Structural errors, solubility, stability, immune simulation, dynamic simulation, docking and in silico cloning were also evaluated.The constructed vaccine was hydrophilic, antigenic and non-allergenic. Ramchandran plot showed most of the residues in the favored and additional allowed regions. ProsA server showed no errors in the vaccine structure. Immune simulation showed significant immunoglobulins and cytokines levels. Stability was enhanced by disulfide engineering and molecular dynamic simulation. Docking of the vaccine with chicken's TLR7 revealed competent binding energies.The vaccine was cloned in pET-30a(+) vector and efficiently expressed in Escherichia coli. This study provided a potent peptide vaccine that could assist in tailoring a rapid and cost-effective vaccine that helps to combat ALV. However, experimental validation is required to assess the vaccine efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siham O Elshafei
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, National University, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Nuha A Mahmoud
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, National University, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Yassir A Almofti
- Department of Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bahri, P.O. Box 1660, Khartoum, Sudan.
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14
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Niazi SK. Anti-Idiotypic mRNA Vaccine to Treat Autoimmune Disorders. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 12:9. [PMID: 38276668 PMCID: PMC10819008 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12010009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The 80+ existing autoimmune disorders (ADs) affect billions with little prevention or treatment options, except for temporary symptomatic management, leading to enormous human suffering and a monumental financial burden. The autoantibodies formed in most ADs have been identified, allowing the development of novel anti-idiotypic antibodies to mute the autoantibodies using vaccines. Nucleoside vaccines have been successfully tested as antigen-specific immunotherapies (ASI), with mRNA technology offering multi-epitope targeting to mute multiple autoantibodies. This paper proposes using mRNA technology to produce anti-idiotypic antibodies with broad effectiveness in preventing and treating them. This paper delves into the state-of-the-art mRNA design strategies used to develop novel ASIs by selecting appropriate T cell and B cell epitopes to generate anti-idiotypic antibodies. The low cost and fast development of mRNA vaccines make this technology the most affordable for the global control of ADs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarfaraz K Niazi
- College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL 60012, USA
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15
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Razali SA, Shamsir MS, Ishak NF, Low CF, Azemin WA. Riding the wave of innovation: immunoinformatics in fish disease control. PeerJ 2023; 11:e16419. [PMID: 38089909 PMCID: PMC10712311 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The spread of infectious illnesses has been a significant factor restricting aquaculture production. To maximise aquatic animal health, vaccination tactics are very successful and cost-efficient for protecting fish and aquaculture animals against many disease pathogens. However, due to the increasing number of immunological cases and their complexity, it is impossible to manage, analyse, visualise, and interpret such data without the assistance of advanced computational techniques. Hence, the use of immunoinformatics tools is crucial, as they not only facilitate the management of massive amounts of data but also greatly contribute to the creation of fresh hypotheses regarding immune responses. In recent years, advances in biotechnology and immunoinformatics have opened up new research avenues for generating novel vaccines and enhancing existing vaccinations against outbreaks of infectious illnesses, thereby reducing aquaculture losses. This review focuses on understanding in silico epitope-based vaccine design, the creation of multi-epitope vaccines, the molecular interaction of immunogenic vaccines, and the application of immunoinformatics in fish disease based on the frequency of their application and reliable results. It is believed that it can bridge the gap between experimental and computational approaches and reduce the need for experimental research, so that only wet laboratory testing integrated with in silico techniques may yield highly promising results and be useful for the development of vaccines for fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siti Aisyah Razali
- Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
- Biological Security and Sustainability Research Interest Group (BIOSES), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Shahir Shamsir
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Nur Farahin Ishak
- Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Chen-Fei Low
- Institute of Systems Biology (INBIOSIS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Wan-Atirah Azemin
- School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
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16
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Mohapatra S, Kumar S, Kumar S, Singh AK, Nayak B. Immunodominant conserved moieties on spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 renders virulence factor for the design of epitope-based peptide vaccines. Virusdisease 2023; 34:456-482. [PMID: 38046066 PMCID: PMC10686954 DOI: 10.1007/s13337-023-00852-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The outbreak of novel SARS-CoV-2 virion has wreaked havoc with a high prevalence of respiratory illness and high transmission due to a vague understanding of the viral antigenicity, augmenting the dire challenge to public health globally. This viral member necessitates the expansion of diagnostic and therapeutic tools to track its transmission and confront it through vaccine development. Therefore, prophylactic strategies are mandatory. Virulent spike proteins can be the most desirable candidate for the computational design of vaccines targeting SARS-CoV-2, followed by the meteoric development of immune epitopes. Spike protein was characterized using existing bioinformatics tools with a unique roadmap related to the immunological profile of SARS-CoV-2 to predict immunogenic virulence epitopes based on antigenicity, allergenicity, toxicity, immunogenicity, and population coverage. Applying in silico approaches, a set of twenty-four B lymphocyte-based epitopes and forty-six T lymphocyte-based epitopes were selected. The predicted epitopes were evaluated for their intrinsic properties. The physico-chemical characterization of epitopes qualifies them for further in vitro and in vivo analysis and pre-requisite vaccine development. This study presents a set of screened epitopes that bind to HLA-specific allelic proteins and can be employed for designing a peptide vaccine construct against SARS-CoV-2 that will confer vaccine-induced protective immunity due to its structural stability. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13337-023-00852-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhashree Mohapatra
- Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, Odisha 769008 India
| | - Santosh Kumar
- RNA Biology Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, Odisha 769008 India
| | - Shashank Kumar
- Molecular Signalling and Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, Punjab 151401 India
| | - Atul Kumar Singh
- Molecular Signalling and Drug Discovery Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, Punjab 151401 India
| | - Bismita Nayak
- Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, Odisha 769008 India
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17
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Ramprasadh SV, Rajakumar S, Srinivasan S, Susha D, Sharma S, Chourasiya R. Computer-Aided Multi-Epitope Based Vaccine Design Against Monkeypox Virus Surface Protein A30L: An Immunoinformatics Approach. Protein J 2023; 42:645-663. [PMID: 37615828 DOI: 10.1007/s10930-023-10150-4] [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] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Monkeypox, a viral zoonotic disease resembling smallpox, has emerged as a significant national epidemic primarily in Africa. Nevertheless, the recent global dissemination of this pathogen has engendered apprehension regarding its capacity to metamorphose into a sweeping pandemic. To effectively combat this menace, a multi-epitope vaccine has been meticulously engineered with the specific aim of targeting the cell envelope protein of Monkeypox virus (MPXV), thereby stimulating a potent immunological response while mitigating untoward effects. This new vaccine uses T-cell and B-cell epitopes from a highly antigenic, non-allergenic, non-toxic, conserved, and non-homologous A30L protein to provide protection against the virus. In order to ascertain the vaccine design with the utmost efficacy, protein-protein docking methodologies were employed to anticipate the intricate interactions with Toll-like receptors (TLR) 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8. This meticulous approach led the researchers to discern an optimal vaccine architecture, bolstered by affirmative prognostications derived from both molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and immune simulations. The current research findings indicate that the peptides ATHAAFEYSK, FFIVVATAAV, and MNSLSIFFV exhibited antigenic properties and were determined to be non-allergenic and non-toxic. Through the utilization of codon optimization and in-silico cloning techniques, our investigation revealed that the prospective vaccine exhibited a remarkable expression level within Escherichia coli. Moreover, upon conducting immune simulations, we observed the induction of a robust immune response characterized by elevated levels of both B-cell and T-cell mediated immunity. Moreover, as the initial prediction with in-silico techniques has yielded promising results these epitope-based vaccines can be recommended to in vitro and in silico studies to validate their immunogenic properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- S V Ramprasadh
- Department of Bioinformatics, BioNome, Bangalore, 560043, India
| | | | - S Srinivasan
- Department of Bioinformatics, BioNome, Bangalore, 560043, India
| | - D Susha
- Department of Bioinformatics, BioNome, Bangalore, 560043, India
| | - Sameer Sharma
- Department of Bioinformatics, BioNome, Bangalore, 560043, India.
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18
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G P, Rathi B, Santoshi S. Translational and structural vaccinomics approach to design a multi-epitope vaccine against NOL4 autologous antigen of small cell lung cancer. Immunol Res 2023; 71:909-928. [PMID: 37410306 DOI: 10.1007/s12026-023-09404-1] [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: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is one of the most common cancers and it is the sixth common cause for cancer-related deaths. The high plasticity and metastasis have been a major challenge for humanity to treat the disease. Hence, a vaccine for SCLC has become an urgent need of the hour due to public health concern. Implementation of immunoinformatics technique is one of the best way to find a suitable vaccine candidate. Immunoinformatics tools can be used to overcome the limitations and difficulties of traditional vaccinological techniques. Multi-epitope cancer vaccines have become a next-generation technique in vaccinology which can be used to stimulate more potent immune response against a particular antigen by eliminating undesirable molecules. In this study, we used multiple computational and immunoinformatics approach to design a novel multi-epitope vaccine for small cell lung cancer. Nucleolar protein 4 (NOL4) is an autologous cancer-testis antigen overexpressed in SCLC cells. Seventy-five percent humoral immunity have been identified for this particular antigen. In this study, we mapped immunogenic cytotoxic T lymphocyte, helper T lymphocyte, and interferon-gamma epitopes present in NOL4 antigen and designed a multi-epitope-based vaccine using the predicted epitopes. The designed vaccine was antigenic, non-allergenic, and non-toxic with 100% applicability on human population. The chimeric vaccine construct showed stable and significant interaction with endosomal and plasmalemmal toll-like receptors in molecular docking and protein-peptide interaction analysis, thus assuring a strong potent immune response against the vaccine upon administration. Therefore, these preliminary results can be used to carry out further experimental investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavithran G
- Amity Institute of Microbial Technology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, India
| | - Bhawna Rathi
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, India.
| | - Seneha Santoshi
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, India
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19
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Kupani M, Pandey RK, Vashisht S, Singh S, Prajapati VK, Mehrotra S. Prediction of an immunogenic peptide ensemble and multi-subunit vaccine for Visceral leishmaniasis using bioinformatics approaches. Heliyon 2023; 9:e22121. [PMID: 38196838 PMCID: PMC10775901 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22121] [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] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected tropical disease of public health importance in the Indian subcontinent. Despite consistent elimination initiatives, the disease has not yet been eliminated and there is an increased risk of resurgence from active VL reservoirs including asymptomatic, post kala azar dermatitis leishmaniasis (PKDL) and HIV-VL co-infected individuals. To achieve complete elimination and sustain it in the long term, a prophylactic vaccine, which can elicit long lasting immunity, is desirable. In this study, we employed immunoinformatic tools to design a multi-subunit epitope vaccine for the Indian population by targeting antigenic secretory proteins screened from the Leishmania donovani proteome. Out of 8014 proteins, 277 secretory proteins were screened for their cellular location and proteomic evidence. Through NCBI BlastP, unique fragments of the proteins were cropped, and their antigenicity was evaluated. B-cell, HTL and CTL epitopes as well as IFN-ɣ, IL-17, and IL-10 inducers were predicted, manually mapped to the fragments and common regions were tabulated forming a peptide ensemble. The ensemble was evaluated for Class I MHC immunogenicity and toxicity. Further, immunogenic peptides were randomly selected and used to design vaccine constructs. Eight vaccine constructs were generated by linking random peptides with GS linkers. Synthetic TLR-4 agonist, RS09 was used as an adjuvant and linked with the constructs using EAAK linkers. The predicted population coverage of the constructs was ∼99.8 % in the Indian as well as South Asian populations. The most antigenic, nontoxic, non-allergic construct was chosen for the prediction of secondary and tertiary structures. The 3D structures were refined and analyzed using Ramachandran plot and Z-scores. The construct was docked with TLR-4 receptor. Molecular dynamic simulation was performed to check for the stability of the docked complex. Comparative in silico immune simulation studies showed that the predicted construct elicited humoral and cell-mediated immunity in human host comparable to that elicited by Leish-F3, which is a promising vaccine candidate for human VL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manu Kupani
- Department of Human Genetics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 143005, Punjab, India
| | - Rajeev Kumar Pandey
- Research & Development, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bangalore, 560066, Karnataka, India
| | - Sharad Vashisht
- Regional Centre for Biotechnology, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, Faridabad, 121001, Harayana, India
| | - Satyendra Singh
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi, 110021, India
| | - Vijay Kumar Prajapati
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Juarez Road, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi, 110021, India
| | - Sanjana Mehrotra
- Department of Human Genetics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 143005, Punjab, India
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20
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Shafaghi M, Bahadori Z, Barzi SM, Afshari E, Madanchi H, Mousavi SF, Shabani AA. A new candidate epitope-based vaccine against PspA PhtD of Streptococcus pneumoniae: a computational experimental approach. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1271143. [PMID: 38035337 PMCID: PMC10684780 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1271143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Pneumococcus is an important respiratory pathogen that is associated with high rates of death in newborn children and the elderly. Given the disadvantages of current polysaccharide-based vaccines, the most promising alternative for developing improved vaccines may be to use protein antigens with different roles in pneumococcus virulence. PspA and PhtD, highly immunogenic surface proteins expressed by almost all pneumococcal strains, are capable of eliciting protective immunity against lethal infections. Methods In this study using immunoinformatics approaches, we constructed one fusion construct (called PAD) by fusing the immunodominant regions of PspA from families 1 & 2 (PA) to the immunodominant regions of PhtD (PD). The objective of this project was to test the immunogenicity of the fusion protein PAD and to compare its protective activity against S. pneumoniae infection with PA or PD alone and a combination of PA and PD. The prediction of physicochemical properties, antigenicity, allergenicity, toxicity, and 3D-structure of the constructs, as well as molecular docking with HLA receptor and immune simulation were performed using computational tools. Finally, mice were immunized and the serum levels of antibodies/cytokines and functionality of antibodies in vitro were evaluated after immunization. The mice survival rates and decrease of bacterial loads in the blood/spleen were examined following the challenge. Results The computational analyses indicated the proposed constructs could be antigenic, non-allergenic, non-toxic, soluble and able to elicit robust immune responses. The results of actual animal experiments revealed the candidate vaccines could induce the mice to produce high levels of antibodies and cytokines. The complement-mediated bactericidal activity of antibodies was confirmed and the antibodies provided favorable survival in immunized mice after bacterial challenge. In general, the experimental results verified the immunoinformatics studies. Conclusion For the first time this report presents novel peptide-based vaccine candidates consisting of immunodominant regions of PspA and PhtD antigens. The obtained findings confirmed that the fusion formulation could be relatively more efficient than the individual and combination formulations. The results propose that the fusion protein alone could be used as a serotype-independent pneumococcal vaccine or as an effective partner protein for a conjugate polysaccharide vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Shafaghi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
- Department of Bacteriology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zohreh Bahadori
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
- Department of Bacteriology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Elnaz Afshari
- Department of Bacteriology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Madanchi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
- Drug Design and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Ali Akbar Shabani
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
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21
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Kumari R S, Sethi G, Krishna R. Development of multi-epitope based subunit vaccine against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis using immunoinformatics approach. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-20. [PMID: 37880982 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2270065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
The etiological agent of tuberculosis (TB), Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a deadly pathogen that adapts to thrive within the host. Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has had colossal health, societal, and economic consequences, which have affected the reporting of new incidences and mortality cases of TB. As per the WHO 2022 report, 10.6 million people were diagnosed with TB, and 1.6 million died worldwide. The increase in resistant strains of tuberculosis is making it more burdensome to reach the End TB strategy. A reliable and efficient TB vaccine that may avert both primary infection and recurrence of latent TB in adults and adolescents is of the utmost importance. In this study, we used computational techniques to predict the ability of HLA molecules to display epitopes for six TB proteins (PPE68, PE_PGRS17, EspC, LDT4, RpfD, and RpfC) to design the multi-epitope subunit vaccine. From the aimed proteins, the potential B-cell, helper T lymphocyte (HTL), and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes were predicted and linked together with LPA adjuvant, and the vaccine was designed. The vaccine's physicochemical analysis demonstrates that it is non-allergic, non-toxic, and antigenic. Then, the vaccine structure was predicted, improved, and verified to yield the optimal structure. The developed vaccine's binding mechanism with distinct immunogenic receptors (Tlr2 and MHC-II) was assessed utilizing molecular docking. The molecular dynamic simulation and MMPBSA analysis were performed to comprehend the complexes' dynamics and stability. The immune simulation was utilized to anticipate the vaccine's immunogenic attributes. In silico cloning was employed to demonstrate the efficient expression of the designed vaccine in E. coli as a host. Moreover, in vitro and in vivo animal testing is required to determine the efficacy of the in silico developed vaccine.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Savita Kumari R
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
| | - Guneswar Sethi
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
- Department of Predictive Toxicology, Korea Institute of Toxicology (KIT), Republic of Korea
| | - Ramadas Krishna
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
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22
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Farzan M, Farzan M, Mirzaei Y, Aiman S, Azadegan-Dehkordi F, Bagheri N. Immunoinformatics-based multi-epitope vaccine design for the re-emerging monkeypox virus. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 123:110725. [PMID: 37556996 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND On May 7, 2022, WHO reported a new monkeypox case. By May 2023 over 80,000 cases had been reported worldwide outside previously endemic nations. (This primarily affected the men who have sex with men (MSM) community in rich nations). The present research aims to develop a multi-epitope vaccine for the monkeypox virus (MPXV) using structural and cell surface proteins. METHODS The first part of the research involved retrieving protein sequences. The Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) was then used to analyze the B and T lymphocyte epitopes. After analyzing the sensitizing properties, toxicity, antigenicity, and molecular binding, appropriate linkers were utilizedto connect selected epitopes to adjuvants, and the structure of the vaccine was formulated. Algorithms from the field of immunoinformatics predicted the secondary and tertiary structures of vaccines. The physical, chemical, and structural properties were refined and validated to achieve maximum stability. Molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulations were subsequently employed to assess the vaccine's efficacy. Afterward, the ability of the vaccine to interact with toll-like receptors 3 and 4 (TLR3 and TLR4) was evaluated. Finally, the optimized sequence was then introduced into the Escherichia coli (E. coli) PET30A + vector. RESULTS An immunoinformatics evaluation suggested that such a vaccine might be safe revealed that this vaccine is safe, hydrophilic, temperature- and condition-stable, and can stimulate innate immunity by binding to TLR3 and TLR4. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that the first step in MPXV pathogenesis is structural and cell surface epitopes. In this study, the most effective and promising epitopes were selected and designed throughprecision servers. Furthermore,through the utilization of multi-epitope structures and a combination of two established adjuvants, this research has the potential to be a landmarkin developing an antiviralvaccine against MPXV. However, additional in vitro and in vivo tests are required to confirm these results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahour Farzan
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran; Student Research Committee, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Mahan Farzan
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran; Student Research Committee, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Yousef Mirzaei
- Department of Medical Biochemical Analysis, Cihan University-Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
| | - Sara Aiman
- Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Fatemeh Azadegan-Dehkordi
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
| | - Nader Bagheri
- Clinical Biochemistry Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
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23
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Timofeeva AM, Sedykh SE, Dmitrenok PS, Nevinsky GA. Identification of Antibody-Mediated Hydrolysis Sites of Oligopeptides Corresponding to the SARS-CoV-2 S-Protein by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14342. [PMID: 37762643 PMCID: PMC10531968 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241814342] [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: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibodies recognizing RBD and the S-protein have been previously demonstrated to be formed in humans after SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination with the Sputnik V adenovirus vaccine. These antibodies were found to be active when hydrolyzing FITC-labeled oligopeptides corresponding to linear epitopes of the S-protein. The thin-layer chromatography method allows the relative accumulation of the reaction product to be estimated but cannot identify hydrolysis sites. This study used the MALDI-TOF MS method to establish oligopeptide hydrolysis sites. Using the MALDI-TOF MS method in combination with the analysis of known hydrolysis sites characteristic of canonical proteases allowed us to establish the unique hydrolysis sites inherent only to catalytically active antibodies. We have discovered two 12-mer oligopeptides to have six hydrolysis sites equally distributed throughout the oligopeptide. The other three oligopeptides were found to have two to three closely spaced hydrolysis sites. In contrast to trypsin and chymotrypsin proteases, the catalytically active antibodies of COVID-19 patients have their peptide bond hydrolyzed mainly after proline, threonine, glycine, or serine residues. Here, we propose a new high-throughput experimental method for analyzing the proteolytic activity of natural antibodies produced in viral pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M. Timofeeva
- SB RAS Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Sergey E. Sedykh
- SB RAS Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Pavel S. Dmitrenok
- Elyakov Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of Far East Branch RAS, 100 let Vladivostoku Ave. 159, Vladivostok 690022, Russia
| | - Georgy A. Nevinsky
- SB RAS Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
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24
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Ahmad S, Nazarian S, Alizadeh A, Pashapour Hajialilou M, Tahmasebian S, Alharbi M, Alasmari AF, Shojaeian A, Ghatrehsamani M, Irfan M, Pazoki-Toroudi H, Sanami S. Computational design of a multi-epitope vaccine candidate against Langya henipavirus using surface proteins. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-18. [PMID: 37713338 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2258403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
In July 2022, Langya henipavirus (LayV) was identified in febrile patients in China. There is currently no approved vaccine against this virus. Therefore, this research aimed to design a multi-epitope vaccine against LayV using reverse vaccinology. The best epitopes were selected from LayV's fusion protein (F) and glycoprotein (G), and a multi-epitope vaccine was designed using these epitopes, adjuvant, and appropriate linkers. The physicochemical properties, antigenicity, allergenicity, toxicity, and solubility of the vaccine were evaluated. The vaccine's secondary and 3D structures were predicted, and molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were used to assess the vaccine's interaction and stability with toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Immune simulation, codon optimization, and in silico cloning of the vaccine were also performed. The vaccine candidate showed good physicochemical properties, as well as being antigenic, non-allergenic, and non-toxic, with acceptable solubility. Molecular docking and MD simulation revealed that the vaccine and TLR4 have stable interactions. Furthermore, immunological simulation of the vaccine indicated its ability to elicit immune responses against LayV. The vaccine's increased expression was also ensured using codon optimization. This study's findings were encouraging, but in vitro and in vivo tests are needed to confirm the vaccine's protective effect.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajjad Ahmad
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
- Department of Computer Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
- Department of Natural Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Shahin Nazarian
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Akram Alizadeh
- Nervous System Stem Cells Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Maryam Pashapour Hajialilou
- School of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran, Iran
| | - Shahram Tahmasebian
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Metab Alharbi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah F Alasmari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali Shojaeian
- Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Mahdi Ghatrehsamani
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Muhammad Irfan
- Department of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Hamidreza Pazoki-Toroudi
- Physiology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Samira Sanami
- Nervous System Stem Cells Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
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25
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Rasheed MA, Raza S, Alonazi WB, Ashraf MA, Navid MT, Aslam I, Iqbal MN, Rahman SU, Riaz MI. Design and Assessment of a Novel In Silico Approach for Developing a Next-Generation Multi-Epitope Universal Vaccine Targeting Coronaviruses. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2282. [PMID: 37764127 PMCID: PMC10537730 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11092282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In the past two decades, there have been three coronavirus outbreaks that have caused significant economic and health crises. Biologists predict that more coronaviruses may emerge in the near future. Therefore, it is crucial to develop preventive vaccines that can effectively combat multiple coronaviruses. In this study, we employed computational approaches to analyze genetically related coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its variants, focusing on the spike glycoprotein as a potential vaccine candidate. By predicting common epitopes, we identified the top epitopes and combined them to create a multi-epitope candidate vaccine. The overall quality of the candidate vaccine was validated through in silico analyses, confirming its antigenicity, immunogenicity, and stability. In silico docking and simulation studies suggested a stable interaction between the multi-epitope candidate vaccine and human toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). In silico codon optimization and cloning were used to further explore the successful expression of the designed candidate vaccine in a prokaryotic expression system. Based on computational analysis, the designed candidate vaccine was found to be stable and non-allergenic in the human body. The efficiency of the multi-epitope vaccine in triggering effective cellular and humoral immune responses was assessed through immune stimulation, demonstrating that the designed candidate vaccine can elicit specific immune responses against multiple coronaviruses. Therefore, it holds promise as a potential candidate vaccine against existing and future coronaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Asif Rasheed
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Sahiwal Campus, Sahiwal 57000, Pakistan; (M.A.R.); (I.A.); (M.N.I.)
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Sohail Raza
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Institute of Microbiology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54000, Pakistan; (M.A.A.); (M.I.R.)
| | - Wadi B. Alonazi
- Health Administration Department, College of Business Administration, King Saud University, Riyadh 11587, Saudi Arabia
| | - Muhammad Adnan Ashraf
- Institute of Microbiology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54000, Pakistan; (M.A.A.); (M.I.R.)
| | - Muhammad Tariq Navid
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan;
| | - Irfana Aslam
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Sahiwal Campus, Sahiwal 57000, Pakistan; (M.A.R.); (I.A.); (M.N.I.)
| | - Muhammad Nasir Iqbal
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Sahiwal Campus, Sahiwal 57000, Pakistan; (M.A.R.); (I.A.); (M.N.I.)
| | - Sarfraz Ur Rahman
- Department of Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54000, Pakistan;
| | - Muhammad Ilyas Riaz
- Institute of Microbiology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54000, Pakistan; (M.A.A.); (M.I.R.)
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26
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Rezaei F, Namvar A, Akbari E, Heidarnejad F, Bolhassani A. Immunoinformatics studies of heat shock proteins 27 and 70: Development of potent therapeutic vaccine constructs against human papillomavirus-related cancers. Heliyon 2023; 9:e19261. [PMID: 37664744 PMCID: PMC10470195 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Heat shock proteins (HSPs) improve cross-presentation of linked tumor antigens, thus they can be exploited in therapeutic vaccine design. Herein, in silico analyses of different vaccine constructs were performed based on human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 E7 protein linked to Homo sapiens/Mus musculus Hsp27 or Hsp70 in multiepitope and whole sequence forms. Then, computational comparison between different orientations of Hsp/E7 was carried out in both forms. Finally, molecular docking was performed between the designed constructs and signaling (TLRs) or endocytic (CD14, LOX-1 and SREC-1) receptors. Our data represented the high-ranked T-cell epitopes and the potential B-cell epitopes of Homo sapiens/Mus musculus Hsp27 and Hsp70. Moreover, molecular docking showed that whole sequence of Hsp27 had better interaction with all receptors than whole sequence of Hsp70 suggesting likely stronger stimulation of innate and adaptive immunity. All designed Homo sapiens/Mus musculus Hsp27/E7 constructs had better docking scores with the endocytic receptors especially SREC-1 than all designed Homo sapiens/Mus musculus Hsp70/E7 constructs in both orientations. Generally, the multiepitope-/whole sequence-based Homo sapiens/Mus musculus Hsp27-E7 fusion constructs showed more conservancy and immunogenicity than other designed constructs. These fusion constructs were non-allergenic, non-toxic and stable suggesting them as promising vaccine candidates against HPV-related cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Rezaei
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Namvar
- Iranian Comprehensive Hemophilia Care Center, Tehran, Iran
| | - Elahe Akbari
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Azam Bolhassani
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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27
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Yousaf H, Naz A, Zaman N, Hassan M, Obaid A, Awan FM, Azam SS. Immunoinformatic and reverse vaccinology-based designing of potent multi-epitope vaccine against Marburgvirus targeting the glycoprotein. Heliyon 2023; 9:e18059. [PMID: 37534001 PMCID: PMC10391973 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18059] [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] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Marburg virus (MARV) has been a major concern since its first outbreak in 1967. Although the deadly BSL-4 pathogen has been reported in few individuals with sporadic outbreaks following 1967, its rarity commensurate the degree of disease severity. The virus has been known to cause extreme hemorrhagic fever presenting flu-like symptoms (as implicated in COVID-19) with a 90% case fatality rate (CFR). After a number of plausible evidences, it has been observed that the virus usually originates from African fruit bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus, who themselves do not indicate any signs of illness. Thus, efforts have been made in the recent years for a universal treatment of the infection, but till date, no such vaccine or therapeutics could circumvent the viral pathogenicity. In an attempt to formulate a vaccine design computationally, we have explored the entire proteome of the virus and found a strong correlation of its glycoprotein (GP) in receptor binding and subsequent role in infection progression. The present study, explores the MARV glycoprotein GP1 and GP2 domains for quality epitopes to elicit an extended immune response design potential vaccine construct using appropriate linkers and adjuvants. Finally, the chimeric vaccine wass evaluated for its binding affinity towards the receptors via molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies. The rare, yet deadly zoonotic infection with mild outbreaks in recent years has flustered an alarming future with various challenges in terms of viral diseases. Thus, our study has aimed to provide novel insights to design potential vaccines by using the predictive framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Yousaf
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), The University of Lahore (UOL), Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Anam Naz
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), The University of Lahore (UOL), Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Naila Zaman
- Computational Biology Lab, National Center for Bioinformatics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Mubashir Hassan
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), The University of Lahore (UOL), Lahore, Pakistan
- The Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA
| | - Ayesha Obaid
- Department of Medical Lab Technology, The University of Haripur, Haripur, Pakistan
| | - Faryal Mehwish Awan
- Department of Medical Lab Technology, The University of Haripur, Haripur, Pakistan
| | - Syed Sikander Azam
- Computational Biology Lab, National Center for Bioinformatics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
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28
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Yaseen AR, Suleman M, Qadri AS, Asghar A, Arshad I, Khan DM. Development of conserved multi-epitopes based hybrid vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 variants: an immunoinformatic approach. In Silico Pharmacol 2023; 11:18. [PMID: 37519944 PMCID: PMC10374517 DOI: 10.1007/s40203-023-00156-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The world has faced unprecedented disruptions like global quarantine and the COVID-19 pandemic due to SARS-CoV-2. To combat these unsettling situations, several effective vaccines have been developed and are currently being used. However, the emergence of new variants due to the high mutation rate of SARS-CoV-2 challenges the efficacy of existing vaccines and has highlighted the need for novel vaccines that will be effective against various SARS-CoV-2 variants. In this study, we exploited the four structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 to execute a potential multi-epitope vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. The vaccine was designed by utilizing the antigenic, non-toxic, and non-allergenic B-cell and T-cell epitopes, which were selected from conserved regions of viral proteins. To build a vaccine construct, epitopes were connected through different linkers and an adjuvant was also attached at the start of the construct to enhance the immunogenicity and specificity of the epitopes. The vaccine construct was then screened through the aforementioned filters and it scored 0.6019 against the threshold of 0.4 on VexiJen 2.0 which validates its antigenicity. Toll-like receptors (i.e., TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR5, and TLR8) and vaccine construct were docked by Cluspro 2.0, and TLR8 showed strong interaction with construct having a maximum negative binding energy of - 1577.1 kCal/mole. C-IMMSIM's immune simulations over three doses of the vaccine and iMODS' molecular dynamic simulations were executed to assess the reliability of the docked complexes. The stability of the vaccine construct was evaluated through the physicochemical analyses and the findings suggested that the manufactured vaccine is stable under a wide range of circumstances and can trigger immune responses against various SARS-CoV-2 variants (due to conserved epitopes). However, to strengthen the formulation of the vaccine and assess its safety and effectiveness, additional investigations and studies are required to support the computational data of this research at in-vitro and in-vivo levels. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40203-023-00156-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allah Rakha Yaseen
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, 54590 Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Suleman
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, 54590 Pakistan
| | - Abdul Salam Qadri
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Central Punjab, Lahore, 54000 Pakistan
| | - Ali Asghar
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Central Punjab, Lahore, 54000 Pakistan
| | - Iram Arshad
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Lahore, 54000 Pakistan
| | - Daulat Munaza Khan
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore, 54000 Pakistan
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29
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Chen JP, Gong JS, Su C, Li H, Xu ZH, Shi JS. Improving the soluble expression of difficult-to-express proteins in prokaryotic expression system via protein engineering and synthetic biology strategies. Metab Eng 2023; 78:99-114. [PMID: 37244368 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2023.05.007] [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: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Solubility and folding stability are key concerns for difficult-to-express proteins (DEPs) restricted by amino acid sequences and superarchitecture, resolved by the precise distribution of amino acids and molecular interactions as well as the assistance of the expression system. Therefore, an increasing number of tools are available to achieve efficient expression of DEPs, including directed evolution, solubilization partners, chaperones, and affluent expression hosts, among others. Furthermore, genome editing tools, such as transposons and CRISPR Cas9/dCas9, have been developed and expanded to construct engineered expression hosts capable of efficient expression ability of soluble proteins. Accounting for the accumulated knowledge of the pivotal factors in the solubility and folding stability of proteins, this review focuses on advanced technologies and tools of protein engineering, protein quality control systems, and the redesign of expression platforms in prokaryotic expression systems, as well as advances of the cell-free expression technologies for membrane proteins production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Ping Chen
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, PR China; Yixing Institute of Food and Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Yixing, 214200, PR China
| | - Jin-Song Gong
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, PR China; Yixing Institute of Food and Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Yixing, 214200, PR China.
| | - Chang Su
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, PR China
| | - Heng Li
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, PR China
| | - Zheng-Hong Xu
- National Engineering Research Center for Cereal Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, PR China; Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for Bioactive Product Processing Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, PR China; Yixing Institute of Food and Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Yixing, 214200, PR China
| | - Jin-Song Shi
- Key Laboratory of Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, PR China; Yixing Institute of Food and Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Yixing, 214200, PR China
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30
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Ternette N, Adamopoulou E, Purcell AW. How mass spectrometric interrogation of MHC class I ligandomes has advanced our understanding of immune responses to viruses. Semin Immunol 2023; 68:101780. [PMID: 37276649 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2023.101780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicola Ternette
- Centre for Immuno-Oncology, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX37BN, UK.
| | - Eleni Adamopoulou
- Centre for Immuno-Oncology, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX37BN, UK
| | - Anthony W Purcell
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
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31
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Suleman M, Khan SH, Rashid F, Khan A, Hussain Z, Zaman N, Rehman SU, Zhai J, Xue M, Zheng C. Designing a multi-epitopes subunit vaccine against human herpes virus 6A based on molecular dynamics and immune stimulation. Int J Biol Macromol 2023:125068. [PMID: 37245745 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.125068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Human Herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) is a prevalent virus associated with various clinical manifestations, including neurological disorders, autoimmune diseases, and promotes tumor cell growth. HHV-6A is an enveloped, double-stranded DNA virus with a genome of approximately 160-170 kb containing a hundred open-reading frames. An immunoinformatics approach was applied to predict high immunogenic and non-allergenic CTL, HTL, and B cell epitopes and design a multi-epitope subunit vaccine based on HHV-6A glycoprotein B (gB), glycoprotein H (gH), and glycoprotein Q (gQ). The stability and correct folding of the modeled vaccines were confirmed through molecular dynamics simulation. Molecular docking found that the designed vaccines have a strong binding network with human TLR3, with Kd values of 1.5E-11 mol/L, 2.6E-12 mol/L, 6.5E-13 mol/L, and 7.1E-11 mol/L for gB-TLR3, gH-TLR3, gQ-TLR3, and the combined vaccine-TLR3, respectively. The codon adaptation index values of the vaccines were above 0.8, and their GC content was around 67 % (normal range 30-70 %), indicating their potential for high expression. Immune simulation analysis demonstrated robust immune responses against the vaccine, with approximately 650,000/ml combined IgG and IgM antibody titer. This study lays a strong foundation for developing a safe and effective vaccine against HHV-6A, with significant implications for treating associated conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Suleman
- Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat, Pakistan.
| | - Syed Hunain Khan
- Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat, Pakistan
| | - Farooq Rashid
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Chongqing Public Health Medical Center, Chongqing, China.
| | - Abbas Khan
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, PR China
| | - Zahid Hussain
- Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat, Pakistan.
| | - Nasib Zaman
- Center for Biotechnology and Microbiology, University of Swat, Swat, Pakistan.
| | - Shoaib Ur Rehman
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Science and Technology, Bannu, Pakistan
| | - Jingbo Zhai
- Key Laboratory of Zoonose Prevention and Control at Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Medical College, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao 028000, China.
| | - Mengzhou Xue
- Department of Cerebrovascular Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, 2 Jingba Road, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, China.
| | - Chunfu Zheng
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
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32
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Shawan MMAK, Sharma AR, Halder SK, Arian TA, Shuvo MN, Sarker SR, Hasan MA. Advances in Computational and Bioinformatics Tools and Databases for Designing and Developing a Multi-Epitope-Based Peptide Vaccine. Int J Pept Res Ther 2023; 29:60. [PMID: 37251529 PMCID: PMC10203685 DOI: 10.1007/s10989-023-10535-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
A vaccine is defined as a biologic preparation that trains the immune system, boosts immunity, and protects against a deadly microbial infection. They have been used for centuries to combat a variety of contagious illnesses by means of subsiding the disease burden as well as eradicating the disease. Since infectious disease pandemics are a recurring global threat, vaccination has emerged as one of the most promising tools to save millions of lives and reduce infection rates. The World Health Organization reports that immunization protects three million individuals annually. Currently, multi-epitope-based peptide vaccines are a unique concept in vaccine formulation. Epitope-based peptide vaccines utilize small fragments of proteins or peptides (parts of the pathogen), called epitopes, that trigger an adequate immune response against a particular pathogen. However, conventional vaccine designing and development techniques are too cumbersome, expensive, and time-consuming. With the recent advancement in bioinformatics, immunoinformatics, and vaccinomics discipline, vaccine science has entered a new era accompanying a modern, impressive, and more realistic paradigm in designing and developing next-generation strong immunogens. In silico designing and developing a safe and novel vaccine construct involves knowledge of reverse vaccinology, various vaccine databases, and high throughput techniques. The computational tools and techniques directly associated with vaccine research are extremely effective, economical, precise, robust, and safe for human use. Many vaccine candidates have entered clinical trials instantly and are available prior to schedule. In light of this, the present article provides researchers with up-to-date information on various approaches, protocols, and databases regarding the computational designing and development of potent multi-epitope-based peptide vaccines that can assist researchers in tailoring vaccines more rapidly and cost-effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Mahfuz Ali Khan Shawan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, 1342 Bangladesh
| | - Ashish Ranjan Sharma
- Institute for Skeletal Aging & Orthopedic Surgery, Hallym University-Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon-si, 24252 Gangwon-do Republic of Korea
| | - Sajal Kumar Halder
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, 1342 Bangladesh
| | - Tawsif Al Arian
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, 1342 Bangladesh
| | - Md. Nazmussakib Shuvo
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, 1342 Bangladesh
| | - Satya Ranjan Sarker
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, 1342 Bangladesh
| | - Md. Ashraful Hasan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, 1342 Bangladesh
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Sanami S, Nazarian S, Ahmad S, Raeisi E, Tahir Ul Qamar M, Tahmasebian S, Pazoki-Toroudi H, Fazeli M, Ghatreh Samani M. In silico design and immunoinformatics analysis of a universal multi-epitope vaccine against monkeypox virus. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286224. [PMID: 37220125 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Monkeypox virus (MPXV) outbreaks have been reported in various countries worldwide; however, there is no specific vaccine against MPXV. In this study, therefore, we employed computational approaches to design a multi-epitope vaccine against MPXV. Initially, cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL), helper T lymphocyte (HTL), linear B lymphocytes (LBL) epitopes were predicted from the cell surface-binding protein and envelope protein A28 homolog, both of which play essential roles in MPXV pathogenesis. All of the predicted epitopes were evaluated using key parameters. A total of 7 CTL, 4 HTL, and 5 LBL epitopes were chosen and combined with appropriate linkers and adjuvant to construct a multi-epitope vaccine. The CTL and HTL epitopes of the vaccine construct cover 95.57% of the worldwide population. The designed vaccine construct was found to be highly antigenic, non-allergenic, soluble, and to have acceptable physicochemical properties. The 3D structure of the vaccine and its potential interaction with Toll-Like receptor-4 (TLR4) were predicted. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation confirmed the vaccine's high stability in complex with TLR4. Finally, codon adaptation and in silico cloning confirmed the high expression rate of the vaccine constructs in strain K12 of Escherichia coli (E. coli). These findings are very encouraging; however, in vitro and animal studies are needed to ensure the potency and safety of this vaccine candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samira Sanami
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Shahin Nazarian
- Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Sajjad Ahmad
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Elham Raeisi
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Muhammad Tahir Ul Qamar
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Shahram Tahmasebian
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Pazoki-Toroudi
- Physiology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Fazeli
- WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Rabies, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdi Ghatreh Samani
- Clinical Biochemistry Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
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Tabassum R, Kousar S, Mustafa G, Jamil A, Attique SA. In Silico Method for the Screening of Phytochemicals against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 2023:5100400. [PMID: 37250750 PMCID: PMC10212682 DOI: 10.1155/2023/5100400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has evolved resistance even against the last resort β-lactam antibiotics. This is because of the acquisition of an additional penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a) which is a resistance determinant in MRSA. Currently, available PBP2a inhibitors are ineffective against life-threatening and fatal infections caused by microorganisms. Therefore, there is an urgent need to screen natural compounds that could overpass the resistance issue alone or in combination with antibacterial drugs. We studied the interactions of different phytochemicals with PBP2a so that crosslinking of peptidoglycans could be inhibited. In structure-based drug designing, in silico approach plays a key role in determining phytochemical interactions with PBP2a. In this study, a total of 284 antimicrobial phytochemicals were screened using the molecular docking approach. The binding affinity of methicillin, -11.241 kcal/mol, was used as the threshold value. The phytochemicals having binding affinities with PBP2a stronger than methicillin were identified, and the drug-likeness properties and toxicities of the screened phytochemicals were calculated. Out of the multiple phytochemicals screened, nine were found as good inhibitors to be PBP2a, among which cyanidin, tetrandrine, cyclomorusin, lipomycin, and morusin showed strong binding potential with the receptor protein. These best-selected phytochemicals were also docked to the allosteric site of PBP2a, and most of the compounds revealed strong interactions with the allosteric site. These compounds were safe to be used as drugs because they did not show any toxicity and had good bioactivity scores. Cyanidin had the highest binding affinity (S-score of -16.061 kcal/mol) with PBP2a and with high gastrointestinal (GI) absorption. Our findings suggest that cyanidin can be used as a drug against MRSA infection either in purified form or that its structure can lead to the development of more potent anti-MRSA medicines. However, experimental studies are required to evaluate the inhibitory potential of these phytochemicals against MRSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riaz Tabassum
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
| | - Sumaira Kousar
- Department of Biochemistry, Government College Women University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Ghulam Mustafa
- Department of Biochemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
| | - Amer Jamil
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
| | - Syed Awais Attique
- School of Interdisciplinary Engineering & Science (SINES), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
- Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), Bioinformatics Institute, 30 Biopolis Street, Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore
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de Oliveira Matos A, Vilela Rodrigues TC, Tiwari S, Dos Santos Dantas PH, Sartori GR, de Carvalho Azevedo VA, Martins Da Silva JH, de Castro Soares S, Silva-Sales M, Sales-Campos H. Immunoinformatics-guided design of a multi-valent vaccine against Rotavirus and Norovirus (ChRNV22). Comput Biol Med 2023; 159:106941. [PMID: 37105111 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.106941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Rotavirus (RV) and Norovirus (NV) are the main viral etiologic agents of acute gastroenteritis (AG), a serious pediatric condition associated with significant death rates and long-term complications. Anti-RV vaccination has been proved efficient in the reduction of severe AG worldwide, however, the available vaccines are all attenuated and have suboptimal efficiencies in developing countries, where AG leads to substantial disease burden. On the other hand, no NV vaccine has been licensed so far. Therefore, we used immunoinformatics tools to develop a multi-epitope vaccine (ChRNV22) to prevent severe AG by RV and NV. Epitopes were predicted against 17 prevalent genotypes of four structural proteins (NV's VP1, RV's VP4, VP6 and VP7), and then assembled in a chimeric protein, with two small adjuvant sequences (tetanus toxin P2 epitope and a conserved sequence of RV's enterotoxin, NSP4). Simulations of the immune response and interactions with immune receptors indicated the immunogenic properties of ChRNV22, including a Th1-biased response. In silico search for putative host-homologous, allergenic and toxic regions also indicated the vaccine safety. In summary, we developed a multi-epitope vaccine against different NV and RV genotypes that seems promising for the prevention of severe AG, which will be further assessed by in vivo tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda de Oliveira Matos
- Laboratory of Mucosal Immunology and Immunoinformatics (LIM), Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás (UFG), Goiânia, 746050-050, Brazil
| | - Thaís Cristina Vilela Rodrigues
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Genetics (LGCM), Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Sandeep Tiwari
- Institute of Biology, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, 40170-115, Brazil; Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, 40231-300, Brazil
| | - Pedro Henrique Dos Santos Dantas
- Laboratory of Mucosal Immunology and Immunoinformatics (LIM), Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás (UFG), Goiânia, 746050-050, Brazil
| | | | - Vasco Ariston de Carvalho Azevedo
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Genetics (LGCM), Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, Brazil
| | | | - Siomar de Castro Soares
- Department of Immunology, Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Institute of Biological and Natural Sciences, Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), Uberaba, 38025-180, Brazil
| | - Marcelle Silva-Sales
- Laboratory of Virology and Cellular Culture (LABVICC), Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás (UFG), Goiânia, 746050-050, Brazil
| | - Helioswilton Sales-Campos
- Laboratory of Mucosal Immunology and Immunoinformatics (LIM), Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás (UFG), Goiânia, 746050-050, Brazil.
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Ferreira-Sena EP, Hardoim DDJ, Cardoso FDO, d'Escoffier LN, Soares IF, Carvalho JPRDS, Angnes RA, Fragoso SP, Alves CR, De-Simone SG, Lima-Junior JDC, Bertho AL, Zaverucha-do-Valle T, da Silva FS, Calabrese KDS. A New Strategy for Mapping Epitopes of LACK and PEPCK Proteins of Leishmania amazonensis Specific for Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24065972. [PMID: 36983046 PMCID: PMC10054446 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065972] [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: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis represents a complex of diseases with a broad clinical spectrum and epidemiological diversity, considered a major public health problem. Although there is treatment, there are still no vaccines for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Because Leishmania spp. is an intracellular protozoan with several escape mechanisms, a vaccine must provoke cellular and humoral immune responses. Previously, we identified the Leishmania homolog of receptors for activated C kinase (LACK) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) proteins as strong immunogens and candidates for the development of a vaccine strategy. The present work focuses on the in silico prediction and characterization of antigenic epitopes that might interact with mice or human major histocompatibility complex class I. After immunogenicity prediction on the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) and the Database of MHC Ligands and Peptide Motifs (SYFPEITHI), 26 peptides were selected for interaction assays with infected mouse lymphocytes by flow cytometry and ELISpot. This strategy identified nine antigenic peptides (pL1-H2, pPL3-H2, pL10-HLA, pP13-H2, pP14-H2, pP15-H2, pP16-H2, pP17-H2, pP18-H2, pP26-HLA), which are strong candidates for developing a peptide vaccine against leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edlainne Pinheiro Ferreira-Sena
- Laboratório de Imunomodulação e Protozoologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, RJ, Brazil
| | - Daiana de Jesus Hardoim
- Laboratório de Imunomodulação e Protozoologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, RJ, Brazil
| | - Flavia de Oliveira Cardoso
- Laboratório de Imunomodulação e Protozoologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, RJ, Brazil
| | - Luiz Ney d'Escoffier
- Laboratório de Imunomodulação e Protozoologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, RJ, Brazil
| | - Isabela Ferreira Soares
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, RJ, Brazil
| | - João Pedro Rangel da Silva Carvalho
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Proteínas e Peptídeos, Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Almir Angnes
- Laboratório de Síntese Química, Instituto de Biologia Molecular do Paraná, Curitiba 81350-010, PR, Brazil
| | - Stenio Perdigão Fragoso
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Sistêmica de Tripanossomatídeos, Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Curitiba 81350-010, PR, Brazil
| | - Carlos Roberto Alves
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Doenças Endêmicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, RJ, Brazil
| | - Salvatore Giovanni De-Simone
- Center for Technological Development in Health (CDTS)/National Institute of Science and Technology for Innovation in Diseases of Neglected Populations (INCT-IDPN), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, RJ, Brazil
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Molecular Systematics (LESM), Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, RJ, Brazil
- Post-Graduation Program in Science and Biotechnology, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Biology Institute, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói 22040-036, RJ, Brazil
| | - Josué da Costa Lima-Junior
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, RJ, Brazil
| | - Alvaro Luiz Bertho
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, RJ, Brazil
- Plataforma de Citometria, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, RJ, Brazil
| | - Tânia Zaverucha-do-Valle
- Laboratório de Imunomodulação e Protozoologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, RJ, Brazil
| | - Franklin Souza da Silva
- Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, RJ, Brazil
- Faculdade de Biologia e Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Iguaçu, Dom Rodrigo, Nova Iguaçu, Rio de Janeiro 26275-580, RJ, Brazil
| | - Kátia da Silva Calabrese
- Laboratório de Imunomodulação e Protozoologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, RJ, Brazil
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Joshi A, Akhtar N, Sharma NR, Kaushik V, Borkotoky S. MERS virus spike protein HTL-epitopes selection and multi-epitope vaccine design using computational biology. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:12464-12479. [PMID: 36935104 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2191137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/20/2023]
Abstract
MERS-CoV, a zoonotic virus, poses a serious threat to public health globally. Thus, it is imperative to develop an effective vaccination strategy for protection against MERS-CoV. Immunoinformatics and computational biology tools provide a faster and more cost-effective strategy to design potential vaccine candidates. In this work, the spike proteins from different strains of MERS-CoV were selected to predict HTL-epitopes that show affinity for T-helper MHC-class II HTL allelic determinant (HLA-DRB1:0101). The antigenicity and conservation of these epitopes among the selected spike protein variants in different MERS-CoV strains were analyzed. The analysis identified five epitopes with high antigenicity: QSIFYRLNGVGITQQ, DTIKYYSIIPHSIRS, PEPITSLNTKYVAPQ, INGRLTTLNAFVAQQ and GDMYVYSAGHATGTT. Then, a multi-epitope vaccine candidate was designed using linkers and adjuvant molecules. Finally, the vaccine construct was subjected to molecular docking with TLR5 (Toll-like receptor-5). The proposed vaccine construct had strong binding energy of -32.3 kcal/mol when interacting with TLR5.Molecular dynamics simulation analysis showed that the complex of the vaccine construct and TLR5 is stable. Analysis using in silico immune simulation also showed that the prospective multi-epitope vaccine design had the potential to elicit a response within 70 days, with the immune system producing cytokines and immunoglobulins. Finally, codon adaptation and in silico cloning analysis showed that the candidate vaccine could be expressed in the Escherichia coli K12 strain. Here we also designed support vaccine construct MEV-2 by using B-cell and CD8+ CTL epitopes to generate the complete immunogenic effect. This study opens new avenues for the extension of research on MERS vaccine development.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Joshi
- Department of Biotechnology, Invertis University, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Department of Biochemistry, Kalinga University, Raipur, India
| | - Nahid Akhtar
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India
| | - Neeta Raj Sharma
- Domain of Bioinformatics, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India
| | - Vikas Kaushik
- Domain of Bioinformatics, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India
| | - Subhomoi Borkotoky
- Department of Biotechnology, Invertis University, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Anandhan G, Narkhede YB, Mohan M, Paramasivam P. Immunoinformatics aided approach for predicting potent cytotoxic T cell epitopes of respiratory syncytial virus. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:12093-12105. [PMID: 36935101 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2191136] [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: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 03/21/2023]
Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an infectious viral pathogen that causing serious respiratory infection in adults and neonates. The only approved therapies for RSV are the monoclonal antibodies palivizumab and its derivative motavizumab. Both treatments are expensive and require a hospital setting for administration. A vaccine represents a safe, effective and cheaper alternative for preventing RSV infection. In silico prediction methods have proven to be valuable in speeding up the process of vaccine design. In this study, reverse vaccinology methods were used to predict the cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) epitopes from the entire proteome of RSV strain A. From amongst 3402 predicted binders to 12 high frequency alleles from the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB), 567 had positive processing scores while 327 epitopes were predicted to be immunogenic. A thorough examination of the 327 epitopes for possible antigenicity, allergenicity and toxicity resulted in 95 epitopes with desirable properties. A BLASTp analysis revealed 94 unique and non-homologous epitopes that were subjected to molecular docking across the 12 high frequency alleles. The final dataset of 70 epitopes contained 13 experimentally proven and 57 unique epitopes from a total of 11 RSV proteins. From our findings on selected T-cell-specific RSV antigen epitopes, notably the four epitopes confirmed to exhibit stable binding by molecular dynamics. The prediction pipeline used in this study represents an effective way to screen the immunogenic epitopes from other pathogens.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayathri Anandhan
- Department of Nanoscience and Technology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | | | - Manikandan Mohan
- College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, Athens, USA
- Vaxigen International Research Center, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Premasudha Paramasivam
- Department of Nanoscience and Technology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
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Rahimnahal S, Yousefizadeh S, Mohammadi Y. Novel multi-epitope vaccine against bovine brucellosis: approach from immunoinformatics to expression. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:15460-15484. [PMID: 36927475 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2188962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Abstract
Brucellosis is a zoonotic caused by the Brucella which is a well-known infectious disease agent in domestic animals and if transmitted, it can cause infection in humans. Because brucellosis is contagious, its control depends on the eradication of the animal disease in farms. There are two vaccines based on the killed and/or weakened bacteria against B. melitensis and B. abortus, but no recombinant vaccine is available for preventing the disease. The present study was designed to develop a multi-epitope vaccine against of B. melitensis and B. abortus using virB10, Omp31 and Omp16 antigens by the prediction of T lymphocytes, T cell cytotoxicity and IFN-γ epitopes. 50S L7/L12 Ribosomal protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis was used as a bovine TLR4 and TLR9 agonist. GPGPG, AAY and KK linkers were used as a linker. Brucella construct was well-integrated in the pET-32a Shuttle vector with BamHI and HindIII restriction enzymes. The final construct contained 769 amino acids, that it was soluble protein of about ∼82 kDa after expression in the Escherichia coli SHuffle host. Modeled protein analysis based on the tertiary structure validation, molecular docking studies, molecular dynamics simulations results like RMSD, Gyration and RMSF as well as MM/PBSA analysis showed that this protein has a stable construct and is capable being in interaction with bovine TLR4 and TLR9. Analysis of the data obtained suggests that the proposed vaccine can induce the immune response by stimulating T- and B-cells, and may be used for prevention and remedial purposes, against B. melitensis and B. abortus.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somayyeh Rahimnahal
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran
| | - Shahnaz Yousefizadeh
- Department of Laboratory and Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Para-Veterinary, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran
| | - Yahya Mohammadi
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran
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Rachman A, Iriani A, Sukrisman L, Rajabto W, Mulansari NA, Lubis AM, Cahyanur R, Prasetyawati F, Priantono D, Rumondor BB, Betsy R, Juanputra S. A comparative study of the COVID-19 vaccine efficacy among cancer patients: mRNA versus non-mRNA. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281907. [PMID: 36857323 PMCID: PMC9977046 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer patients have an increased risk of a severe COVID-19 infection with higher mortality rate. This study aimed to analyze the levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD IgG and NAB among cancer patients who were vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines, either with BNT162b2, mRNA-1273, AZD1222/ChAdOx1nCoV-19, or Coronavac/BBIBP-CorV vaccines. METHOD A cross-sectional study was conducted among subjects with either solid or hematological cancers who had received two doses of either mRNA or non-mRNA vaccines within 6 months. The levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD IgG and NAb were analyzed using the Mindray Immunoassay Analyzer CL-900i. Statistical analysis was conducted using mean comparison and regression analysis. RESULT The mRNA-1273 vaccine had the highest median levels of S-RBD IgG and NAb, followed by BNT162b, ChAdOx1nCoV-19, and BBIBP-CorV/Coronavac. The levels of S-RBD IgG and NAb in subjects vaccinated with mRNA vaccines were significantly higher than those of non-mRNA vaccines when grouped based on their characteristics, including age, type of cancer, chemotherapy regimen, and comorbidity (p<0.05). Furthermore, the S-RBD IgG and NAb levels between the subjects vaccinated with non-mRNA vaccines and the subjects vaccinated with mRNA vaccines were significantly different (p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the same types of vaccines. This study demonstrated a very strong correlation between the level of S-RBD IgG and the level of NAb (R = 0.962; p<0.001). The level of anti-SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD IgG was consistently higher compared to the level of NAb. CONCLUSIONS Generally, mRNA vaccines produced significantly higher anti-SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD IgG and NAb levels than non-mRNA vaccines in cancer subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andhika Rachman
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital—Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
- * E-mail:
| | - Anggraini Iriani
- Department of Clinical Pathology, Yarsi University, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Lugyanti Sukrisman
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital—Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Wulyo Rajabto
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital—Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Nadia Ayu Mulansari
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital—Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Anna Mira Lubis
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital—Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Rahmat Cahyanur
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital—Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Findy Prasetyawati
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital—Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Dimas Priantono
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital—Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Bayu Bijaksana Rumondor
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital—Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Rachelle Betsy
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital—Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Samuel Juanputra
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital—Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
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Ullah A, Waqas M, Aziz S, Rahman SU, Khan S, Khalid A, Abdalla AN, Uddin J, Halim SA, Khan A, Al-Harrasi A. Bioinformatics and immunoinformatics approach to develop potent multi-peptide vaccine for coxsackievirus B3 capable of eliciting cellular and humoral immune response. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 239:124320. [PMID: 37004935 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a viral pathogen of various human disorders with no effective preventative interventions. Herein, we aimed to design a chimeric vaccine construct for CVB3 using reverse vaccinology and immunoinformatics approaches by screening the whole viral polyprotein sequence. Firstly, screening and mapping of viral polyprotein to predict 21 immunodominant epitopes (B-cell, CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell epitopes), fused with an adjuvant (Resuscitation-promoting factor), appropriate linkers, HIV-TAT peptide, Pan DR epitope, and 6His-tag to assemble a multi-epitope vaccine construct. The chimeric construct is predicted as probable antigen, non-allergen, stable, possess encouraging physicochemical features, and indicates a broader population coverage (98 %). The tertiary structure of the constructed vaccine was predicted and refined, and its interaction with the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was investigated through molecular docking and dynamics simulation. Computational cloning of the construct was carried out in pET28a (+) plasmid to guarantee the higher expression of the vaccine protein. Lastly, in silico immune simulation foreseen that humoral and cellular immune responses would be elicited in response to the administration of such a potent chimeric construct. Thus, the design constructed could vaccinate against CVB3 infection and various CVB serotypes. However, further in vitro/in vivo research must assess its safety and effectiveness.
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Shafaghi M, Bahadori Z, Madanchi H, Ranjbar MM, Shabani AA, Mousavi SF. Immunoinformatics-aided design of a new multi-epitope vaccine adjuvanted with domain 4 of pneumolysin against Streptococcus pneumoniae strains. BMC Bioinformatics 2023; 24:67. [PMID: 36829109 PMCID: PMC9951839 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-023-05175-6] [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: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Streptococcus pneumoniae (Pneumococcus) has remained a leading cause of fatal infections such as pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis. Moreover, this pathogen plays a major role in bacterial co-infection in patients with life-threatening respiratory virus diseases such as influenza and COVID-19. High morbidity and mortality in over one million cases, especially in very young children and the elderly, are the main motivations for pneumococcal vaccine development. Due to the limitations of the currently marketed polysaccharide-based vaccines, non-serotype-specific protein-based vaccines have received wide research interest in recent years. One step further is to identify high antigenic regions within multiple highly-conserved proteins in order to develop peptide vaccines that can affect various stages of pneumococcal infection, providing broader serotype coverage and more effective protection. In this study, immunoinformatics tools were used to design an effective multi-epitope vaccine in order to elicit neutralizing antibodies against multiple strains of pneumococcus. RESULTS The B- and T-cell epitopes from highly protective antigens PspA (clades 1-5) and PhtD were predicted and immunodominant peptides were linked to each other with proper linkers. The domain 4 of Ply, as a potential TLR4 agonist adjuvant candidate, was attached to the end of the construct to enhance the immunogenicity of the epitope vaccine. The evaluation of the physicochemical and immunological properties showed that the final construct was stable, soluble, antigenic, and non-allergenic. Furthermore, the protein was found to be acidic and hydrophilic in nature. The protein 3D-structure was built and refined, and the Ramachandran plot, ProSA-web, ERRAT, and Verify3D validated the quality of the final model. Molecular docking analysis showed that the designed construct via Ply domain 4 had a strong interaction with TLR4. The structural stability of the docked complex was confirmed by molecular dynamics. Finally, codon optimization was performed for gene expression in E. coli, followed by in silico cloning in the pET28a(+) vector. CONCLUSION The computational analysis of the construct showed acceptable results, however, the suggested vaccine needs to be experimentally verified in laboratory to ensure its safety and immunogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Shafaghi
- grid.486769.20000 0004 0384 8779Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran ,grid.486769.20000 0004 0384 8779Research Center of Biotechnology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran ,grid.420169.80000 0000 9562 2611Department of Bacteriology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zohreh Bahadori
- grid.486769.20000 0004 0384 8779Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran ,grid.486769.20000 0004 0384 8779Research Center of Biotechnology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran ,grid.420169.80000 0000 9562 2611Department of Bacteriology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Madanchi
- grid.486769.20000 0004 0384 8779Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran ,grid.486769.20000 0004 0384 8779Research Center of Biotechnology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran ,grid.420169.80000 0000 9562 2611Drug Design and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Mehdi Ranjbar
- grid.418970.3Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension Organization (AREEO), Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Karaj, Iran
| | - Ali Akbar Shabani
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran. .,Research Center of Biotechnology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.
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Ali Z, Cardoza JV, Basak S, Narsaria U, Singh VP, Isaac SP, França TCC, LaPlante SR, George SS. Computational design of candidate multi-epitope vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 targeting structural (S and N) and non-structural (NSP3 and NSP12) proteins. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:13348-13367. [PMID: 36744449 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2173297] [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: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus has created a global damage and has exposed the vulnerable side of scientific research towards novel diseases. The intensity of the pandemic is huge, with mortality rates of more than 6 million people worldwide in a span of 2 years. Considering the gravity of the situation, scientists all across the world are continuously attempting to create successful therapeutic solutions to combat the virus. Various vaccination strategies are being devised to ensure effective immunization against SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2 spreads very rapidly, and the infection rate is remarkably high than other respiratory tract viruses. The viral entry and recognition of the host cell is facilitated by S protein of the virus. N protein along with NSP3 is majorly responsible for viral genome assembly and NSP12 performs polymerase activity for RNA synthesis. In this study, we have designed a multi-epitope, chimeric vaccine considering the two structural (S and N protein) and two non-structural proteins (NSP3 and NSP12) of SARS-CoV-2 virus. The aim is to induce immune response by generating antibodies against these proteins to target the viral entry and viral replication in the host cell. In this study, computational tools were used, and the reliability of the vaccine was verified using molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation and immune simulation studies in silico. These studies demonstrate that the vaccine designed shows steady interaction with Toll like receptors with good stability and will be effective in inducing a strong and specific immune response in the body.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeeshan Ali
- Krupanidhi College of Physiotherapy, Bangalore, India
| | | | | | | | - Vijay Pratap Singh
- Department of Physiotherapy, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal academy of higher education, Mangalore, Manipal, India
| | | | - Tanos C C França
- Université de Québec, INRS - Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, Québec, Canada
- Laboratory of Molecular Modeling Applied to Chemical and Biological Defense, Military Institute of Engineering, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Hradec Kralove, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic
| | - Steven R LaPlante
- Université de Québec, INRS - Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Laval, Québec, Canada
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Waqas M, Aziz S, Bushra A, Halim SA, Ali A, Ullah S, Khalid A, Abdalla AN, Khan A, Al-Harrasi A. Employing an immunoinformatics approach revealed potent multi-epitope based subunit vaccine for lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. J Infect Public Health 2023; 16:214-232. [PMID: 36603375 DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2022.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infects many individuals worldwide and causes severe infection in the immunosuppressant recipient, spontaneous abortion, and congenital disabilities in infants. OBJECTIVES There is no specific vaccine or therapeutics available to protect against LCMV infection; thus, there is a need to design a potential vaccine to combat the virus by developing immunity in the population. Herein, we attempted to design a potent multi-epitope vaccine for LCMV using immunoinformatics methods. METHODS The whole proteome of the virus was screened and mapped to extract immunodominant B-cell and T-cell epitopes which were fused with appropriate linkers (EAAAK, GGGS, AAY, GPGPG, and AAY), PADRE sequence (13aa) and an adjuvant (50 S ribosomal protein L7/L12) to formulate a multi-epitope vaccine ensemble. Codon adaptation and in silico cloning of the constructed vaccine were carried out using bioinformatics tools. The secondary and tertiary structure of the vaccine construct was predicted and refined. The physicochemical profile of the designed vaccine was analyzed, and the multi-epitope vaccine's potential to bind Toll-like receptors (TLR2 and TLR4) was evaluated through molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. Computational immune simulation of the designed vaccine antigen was performed using the C-ImmSim server. RESULTS The designed multi-epitope-based vaccine (613 aa) comprised 26 immunodominant (six B-cell, nine cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and 11 helper T lymphocytes) epitopes and is predicted antigenic, non-toxic, non-allergen, soluble, and topographically accessible with a suitable physicochemical profile. The designed vaccine is expected to cover a broad worldwide population (96.35 %) and stimulate a robust adaptive immune response against the virus upon administration. In silico cloning of the constructed vaccine in PET28a (+) vector ensured its optimal expression in the Escherichia coli system. Molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and binding free energy estimation collectively support the stability and energetically favourable interaction of the modeled vaccine-TLR2/4 complexes. CONCLUSION The designed multi-epitope vaccine in the present study could serve as a potential vaccine candidate to protect against LMCV infection; however, the experimental validation and safety testing of the vaccine is warranted to validate the study's outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Waqas
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat-ul-Mouz 616, Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman; Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Hazara University Mansehra, 2100, Pakistan
| | - Shahkaar Aziz
- Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, the University of Agriculture Peshawar, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan
| | - Aiman Bushra
- College of Health and Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Sobia Ahsan Halim
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat-ul-Mouz 616, Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman
| | - Amjad Ali
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Hazara University Mansehra, 2100, Pakistan
| | - Saeed Ullah
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat-ul-Mouz 616, Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman
| | - Asaad Khalid
- Substance Abuse and Toxicology Research Center, Jazan University, P.O. Box: 114, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia; Medicinal and Aromatic Plants and Traditional Medicine Research Institute, National Center for Research, P.O. Box 2404, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Ashraf N Abdalla
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ajmal Khan
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat-ul-Mouz 616, Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman.
| | - Ahmed Al-Harrasi
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat-ul-Mouz 616, Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman.
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Alam R, Samad A, Ahammad F, Nur SM, Alsaiari AA, Imon RR, Talukder MEK, Nain Z, Rahman MM, Mohammad F, Karpiński TM. In silico formulation of a next-generation multiepitope vaccine for use as a prophylactic candidate against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. BMC Med 2023; 21:36. [PMID: 36726141 PMCID: PMC9891764 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-023-02750-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a widespread disease transmitted to humans and livestock animals through the bite of infected ticks or close contact with infected persons' blood, organs, or other bodily fluids. The virus is responsible for severe viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks, with a case fatality rate of up to 40%. Despite having the highest fatality rate of the virus, a suitable treatment option or vaccination has not been developed yet. Therefore, this study aimed to formulate a multiepitope vaccine against CCHF through computational vaccine design approaches. METHODS The glycoprotein, nucleoprotein, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of CCHF were utilized to determine immunodominant T- and B-cell epitopes. Subsequently, an integrative computational vaccinology approach was used to formulate a multi-epitopes vaccine candidate against the virus. RESULTS After rigorous assessment, a multiepitope vaccine was constructed, which was antigenic, immunogenic, and non-allergenic with desired physicochemical properties. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the vaccine-receptor complex show strong stability of the vaccine candidates to the targeted immune receptor. Additionally, the immune simulation of the vaccine candidates found that the vaccine could trigger real-life-like immune responses upon administration to humans. CONCLUSIONS Finally, we concluded that the formulated multiepitope vaccine candidates would provide excellent prophylactic properties against CCHF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahat Alam
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, 7408, Bangladesh.,Laboratory of Computational Biology, Biological Solution Centre (BioSol Centre), Jashore, 7408, Bangladesh
| | - Abdus Samad
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, 7408, Bangladesh.,Laboratory of Computational Biology, Biological Solution Centre (BioSol Centre), Jashore, 7408, Bangladesh
| | - Foysal Ahammad
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, Biological Solution Centre (BioSol Centre), Jashore, 7408, Bangladesh.,Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), 34110, Doha, Qatar
| | - Suza Mohammad Nur
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine Case, Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Ahad Amer Alsaiari
- College of Applied Medical Science, Clinical Laboratories Science Department, Taif University, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia
| | - Raihan Rahman Imon
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, 7408, Bangladesh.,Laboratory of Computational Biology, Biological Solution Centre (BioSol Centre), Jashore, 7408, Bangladesh
| | - Md Enamul Kabir Talukder
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, 7408, Bangladesh.,Laboratory of Computational Biology, Biological Solution Centre (BioSol Centre), Jashore, 7408, Bangladesh
| | - Zulkar Nain
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Md Mashiar Rahman
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Jashore University of Science and Technology, Jashore, 7408, Bangladesh
| | - Farhan Mohammad
- Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS), College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), 34110, Doha, Qatar.
| | - Tomasz M Karpiński
- Chair and Department of Medical Microbiology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka 10, 60-806, Poznań, Poland.
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State of the art in epitope mapping and opportunities in COVID-19. Future Sci OA 2023; 16:FSO832. [PMID: 36897962 PMCID: PMC9987558 DOI: 10.2144/fsoa-2022-0048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The understanding of any disease calls for studying specific biological structures called epitopes. One important tool recently drawing attention and proving efficiency in both diagnosis and vaccine development is epitope mapping. Several techniques have been developed with the urge to provide precise epitope mapping for use in designing sensitive diagnostic tools and developing rpitope-based vaccines (EBVs) as well as therapeutics. In this review, we will discuss the state of the art in epitope mapping with a special emphasis on accomplishments and opportunities in combating COVID-19. These comprise SARS-CoV-2 variant analysis versus the currently available immune-based diagnostic tools and vaccines, immunological profile-based patient stratification, and finally, exploring novel epitope targets for potential prophylactic, therapeutic or diagnostic agents for COVID-19.
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Bayani F, Safaei Hashkavaei N, Karamian MR, Uskoković V, Sefidbakht Y. In silico design of a multi-epitope vaccine against the spike and the nucleocapsid proteins of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:11748-11762. [PMID: 36703619 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2170470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Computational studies can comprise an effective approach to treating and preventing viral infections. Since 2019, the world has been dealing with the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The most important achievement in this short period of time in the effort to reduce morbidity and mortality was the production of vaccines and effective antiviral drugs. Although the virus has been significantly suppressed, it continues to evolve, spread, and evade the host's immune system. Recently, researchers have turned to immunoinformatics tools to reduce side effects and save the time and cost of traditional vaccine production methods. In the present study, an attempt has been made to design a multi-epitope vaccine with humoral and cellular immune response stimulation against the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 by investigating new mutations in spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins. The population coverage of the vaccine was evaluated as appropriate compared to other studies. The results of molecular dynamics simulation and molecular mechanics/generalized Born surface area (MM/GBSA) calculations predict the stability and proper interaction of the vaccine with Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) as an innate immune receptor. The results of the immune simulation show a significant increase in the coordinated response of IgM and IgG after the third injection of the vaccine. Also, in the continuation of the research, spike proteins from BA.4 and BA.5 lineages were screened by immunoinformatics filters and effective epitopes were suggested for vaccine design. Despite the high precision of computational studies, in-vivo and in-vitro research is needed for final confirmation.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Bayani
- Protein Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Mohammad Reza Karamian
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Vuk Uskoković
- TardigradeNano LLC, Irvine, CA, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Yahya Sefidbakht
- Protein Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
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Waqas M, Aziz S, Liò P, Khan Y, Ali A, Iqbal A, Khan F, Almajhdi FN. Immunoinformatics design of multivalent epitope vaccine against monkeypox virus and its variants using membrane-bound, enveloped, and extracellular proteins as targets. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1091941. [PMID: 36776835 PMCID: PMC9908764 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1091941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The current monkeypox (MPX) outbreak, caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), has turned into a global concern, with over 59,000 infection cases and 23 deaths worldwide. Objectives Herein, we aimed to exploit robust immunoinformatics approach, targeting membrane-bound, enveloped, and extracellular proteins of MPXV to formulate a chimeric antigen. Such a strategy could similarly be applied for identifying immunodominant epitopes and designing multi-epitope vaccine ensembles in other pathogens responsible for chronic pathologies that are difficult to intervene against. Methods A reverse vaccinology pipeline was used to select 11 potential vaccine candidates, which were screened and mapped to predict immunodominant B-cell and T-cell epitopes. The finalized epitopes were merged with the aid of suitable linkers, an adjuvant (Resuscitation-promoting factor), a PADRE sequence (13 aa), and an HIV TAT sequence (11 aa) to formulate a multivalent epitope vaccine. Bioinformatics tools were employed to carry out codon adaptation and computational cloning. The tertiary structure of the chimeric vaccine construct was modeled via I-TASSER, and its interaction with Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was evaluated using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation. C-ImmSim server was implemented to examine the immune response against the designed multi-epitope antigen. Results and discussion The designed chimeric vaccine construct included 21 immunodominant epitopes (six B-cell, eight cytotoxic T lymphocyte, and seven helper T-lymphocyte) and is predicted non-allergen, antigenic, soluble, with suitable physicochemical features, that can promote cross-protection among the MPXV strains. The selected epitopes indicated a wide global population coverage (93.62%). Most finalized epitopes have 70%-100% sequence similarity with the experimentally validated immune epitopes of the vaccinia virus, which can be helpful in the speedy progression of vaccine design. Lastly, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation computed stable and energetically favourable interaction between the putative antigen and TLR4. Conclusion Our results show that the multi-epitope vaccine might elicit cellular and humoral immune responses and could be a potential vaccine candidate against the MPXV infection. Further experimental testing of the proposed vaccine is warranted to validate its safety and efficacy profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Waqas
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat-ul-Mouz, Nizwa, Oman
| | - Shahkaar Aziz
- Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Pietro Liò
- Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Yumna Khan
- Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Amjad Ali
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan
| | - Aqib Iqbal
- Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan
- Department of Biotechnology, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Faizullah Khan
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat-ul-Mouz, Nizwa, Oman
- Department of Pharmacy, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Fahad Nasser Almajhdi
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Andongma BT, Huang Y, Chen F, Tang Q, Yang M, Chou SH, Li X, He J. In silico design of a promiscuous chimeric multi-epitope vaccine against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2023; 21:991-1004. [PMID: 36733703 PMCID: PMC9883148 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2023.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is a global health threat, killing approximately 1.5 million people each year. The eradication of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the main causative agent of TB, is increasingly challenging due to the emergence of extensive drug-resistant strains. Vaccination is considered an effective way to protect the host from pathogens, but the only clinically approved TB vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), has limited protection in adults. Multi-epitope vaccines have been found to enhance immunity to diseases by selectively combining epitopes from several candidate proteins. This study aimed to design a multi-epitope vaccine against TB using an immuno-informatics approach. Through functional enrichment, we identified eight proteins secreted by M. tuberculosis that are either required for pathogenesis, secreted into extracellular space, or both. We then analyzed the epitopes of these proteins and selected 16 helper T lymphocyte epitopes with interferon-γ inducing activity, 15 cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes, and 10 linear B-cell epitopes, and conjugated them with adjuvant and Pan HLA DR-binding epitope (PADRE) using appropriate linkers. Moreover, we predicted the tertiary structure of this vaccine, its potential interaction with Toll-Like Receptor-4 (TLR4), and the immune response it might elicit. The results showed that this vaccine had a strong affinity for TLR4, which could significantly stimulate CD4+ and CD8+ cells to secrete immune factors and B lymphocytes to secrete immunoglobulins, so as to obtain good humoral and cellular immunity. Overall, this multi-epitope protein was predicted to be stable, safe, highly antigenic, and highly immunogenic, which has the potential to serve as a global vaccine against TB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binda T. Andongma
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology & Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, PR China
| | - Yazheng Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology & Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, PR China
| | - Fang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology & Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, PR China
| | - Qing Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology & Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, PR China
| | - Min Yang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, PR China
| | - Shan-Ho Chou
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology & Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, PR China
| | - Xinfeng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology & Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, PR China,CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, PR China,Correspondence to: The State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, No. 1 Shizishan Street, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, PR China.
| | - Jin He
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology & Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, PR China,Correspondence to: The State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, No. 1 Shizishan Street, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, PR China.
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50
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Devarakonda Y, Reddy MVNJ, Neethu RS, Chandran A, Syal K. Multi epitope vaccine candidate design against Streptococcus pneumonia. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:12654-12667. [PMID: 36636838 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2167123] [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: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Streptococcus pneumonia, the causative agent of sepsis, meningitis and pneumonia, is held responsible for causing invasive diseases predominantly in children along with adults from both developing and developed countries. The available vaccines coverage in the context of different serotypes is limited and emergence of non-vaccine serotypes could further emerge as a threat in future. Advanced immunoinformatics tools have been used for developing a multi epitope subunit vaccine. In the current study we have subjected these four surface antigenic proteins Ply, PsaA, PspA and PspK to construct vaccine designs. We have predicted different B-cell and T-cell epitopes by using NetCTL 1.2, IEDB (Immune Epitope Databases) and ABCpred. An adjuvant (griselimycin) has been added to the vaccine construct sequence in order to improve its immunogenicity. The vaccine construct has been evaluated for its antigenicity, allergenicity, toxicity and different physio-chemical properties. The bioinformatic tools have been used for prediction, refinement and validation of the 3 D structure. Further, the vaccine structure has been docked with a toll-like receptor (TLR-4) by ClusPro 2.0. In conclusion, the proposed multi-epitope vaccine designs could potentially activate both humoral and cellular immune responses and has a potential to be a vaccine candidate against S.pneumoniae, and requires experimental validation for ensuring immunogenicity and safety profile.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yogeshwar Devarakonda
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Genetics and Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Eminence, Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences-Pilani, Hyderabad, India
| | - M V N Janaradhan Reddy
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Genetics and Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Eminence, Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences-Pilani, Hyderabad, India
| | - R S Neethu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Genetics and Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Eminence, Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences-Pilani, Hyderabad, India
| | - Aneesh Chandran
- Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, Kannur University, Kannur, India
| | - Kirtimaan Syal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Genetics and Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Eminence, Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences-Pilani, Hyderabad, India
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