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Khan K, Alhar MSO, Abbas MN, Abbas SQ, Kazi M, Khan SA, Sadiq A, Hassan SSU, Bungau S, Jalal K. Integrated Bioinformatics-Based Subtractive Genomics Approach to Decipher the Therapeutic Drug Target and Its Possible Intervention against Brucellosis. Bioengineering (Basel) 2022; 9:633. [PMID: 36354544 PMCID: PMC9687753 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering9110633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Brucella suis, one of the causative agents of brucellosis, is Gram-negative intracellular bacteria that may be found all over the globe and it is a significant facultative zoonotic pathogen found in livestock. It may adapt to a phagocytic environment, reproduce, and develop resistance to harmful environments inside host cells, which is a crucial part of the Brucella life cycle making it a worldwide menace. The molecular underpinnings of Brucella pathogenicity have been substantially elucidated due to comprehensive methods such as proteomics. Therefore, we aim to explore the complete Brucella suis proteome to prioritize the novel proteins as drug targets via subtractive proteo-genomics analysis, an effort to conjecture the existence of distinct pathways in the development of brucellosis. Consequently, 38 unique metabolic pathways having 503 proteins were observed while among these 503 proteins, the non-homologs (n = 421), essential (n = 350), drug-like (n = 114), virulence (n = 45), resistance (n = 42), and unique to pathogen proteins were retrieved from Brucella suis. The applied subsequent hierarchical shortlisting resulted in a protein, i.e., isocitrate lyase, that may act as potential drug target, which was finalized after the extensive literature survey. The interacting partners for these shortlisted drug targets were identified through the STRING database. Moreover, structure-based studies were also performed on isocitrate lyase to further analyze its function. For that purpose, ~18,000 ZINC compounds were screened to identify new potent drug candidates against isocitrate lyase for brucellosis. It resulted in the shortlisting of six compounds, i.e., ZINC95543764, ZINC02688148, ZINC20115475, ZINC04232055, ZINC04231816, and ZINC04259566 that potentially inhibit isocitrate lyase. However, the ADMET profiling showed that all compounds fulfill ADMET properties except for ZINC20115475 showing positive Ames activity; whereas, ZINC02688148, ZINC04259566, ZINC04232055, and ZINC04231816 showed hepatoxicity while all compounds were observed to have no skin sensitization. In light of these parameters, we recommend ZINC95543764 compound for further experimental studies. According to the present research, which uses subtractive genomics, proteins that might serve as therapeutic targets and potential lead options for eradicating brucellosis have been narrowed down.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanwal Khan
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi City 75270, Pakistan
| | | | - Muhammad Naseer Abbas
- Department of Pharmacy, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat 26000, Pakistan
| | - Syed Qamar Abbas
- Department of Pharmacy, Sarhad University of Science and Technology, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan
| | - Mohsin Kazi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, P.O. Box-2457, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saeed Ahmad Khan
- Department of Pharmacy, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat 26000, Pakistan
- Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery, The University of Texas at Austin, 2409 University Ave., Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Abdul Sadiq
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Malakand, Chakdara 18000, Pakistan
| | - Syed Shams ul Hassan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory for Molecular Engineering of Chiral Drugs, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Department of Natural Product Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Simona Bungau
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, 410028 Oradea, Romania
| | - Khurshid Jalal
- HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi City 75270, Pakistan
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In silico designing of a recombinant multi-epitope antigen for leprosy diagnosis. J Genet Eng Biotechnol 2022; 20:128. [PMID: 36053342 PMCID: PMC9440174 DOI: 10.1186/s43141-022-00411-7] [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: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Background Leprosy
is caused by Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Most of the affected population lives in low-income countries and may take up to 10 years to show any clinical signs, which is how physicians diagnose it. However, due to progressive cell damage, early diagnosis is very important. The best way to confirm leprosy is through bacilloscopic, which only confirms the diagnosis and has low accuracy or PCR, that requires specialized operators and is expensive. Since the bacteria are fastidious and do not grow in any culture media, therefore, diagnosing leprosy in the lab is still a challenge. In this concern, a recombinant multi-epitope protein can be a beneficial strategy in the management of the diagnosis, as diverse immunogenic epitopes are precisely selected to detect specific antibodies. Therefore, the purposes of the present study were to select immunogenic epitopes from different relevant proteins, with immunogenic properties, and then to construct a recombinant multi-epitope protein that accuses the presence of the antibodies in the early stages of the disease, making it more than appropriate to be applied as a diagnostic tool. Results We selected 22 common proteins from both species and, using bioinformatics tools, predicted B and T cell epitopes. After multiple filtering and analyzing, we ended up with 29 epitopes {MHC-I (total 18) and MHC-II (total 11)} from 10 proteins, which were then merged into one construct. Its secondary and tertiary structures were also predicted and refined to comprise the amino acid residues in the best conformation possible. The multi-epitope protein construct was stable, non-host homologous, non-allergic, non-toxic, and elicit humoral and cellular responses. It has conformational B cell epitopes and potential to elicit IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-10 secretion. Conclusions This novel recombinant multi-epitope protein constructed using the common epitopes from M. leprae and M. lepromatosis has a huge immunological potential, is stable, and can be lyophilized to be used in ELISA plates or even in biosensors, which are user-friendly diagnosis tools, facilitating translation into human sample tests. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s43141-022-00411-7.
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