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Anwar T, Ismail S, Parvaiz F, Abbasi SW, A. Al-Abbasi F, M. Alghamdi A, Al-Regaiey K, Ul-Haq A, Kaleem I, Bashir S, Waheed Y. Computational design of experimentally validated multi-epitopes vaccine against hepatitis E virus: An immunological approach. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0294663. [PMID: 38096182 PMCID: PMC10721065 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the leading acute liver infections triggered by viral hepatitis. Patients infected with HEV usually recover and the annual death rate is negligible. Currently, there is no HEV licensed vaccine available globally. This study was carried out to design a multi-epitope HEV peptide-based vaccine by retrieving already experimentally validated epitopes from ViPR database leading to epitope prioritization. Epitopes selected as potential vaccine candidates were non-allergen, immunogenic, soluble, non-toxic and IFN gamma positive. The epitopes were linked together by AAY linkers and the linker EAAAK was used to join adjuvant with epitopes. Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 agonist was used as an adjuvant to boost efficacy of the vaccine. Furthermore, codon optimization followed by disulfide engineering was performed to analyse the designed vaccine's structural stability. Computational modeling of the immune simulation was done to examine the immune response against the vaccine. The designed vaccine construct was docked with TLR-3 receptor for their interactions and then subjected to molecular dynamic simulations. The vaccine model was examined computationally towards the capability of inducing immune responses which showed the induction of both humoral and cell mediated immunity. Taken together, our study suggests an In-silico designed HEV based multi-epitope peptide-based vaccine (MEPV) that needs to be examined in the wet lab-based data that can help to develop a potential vaccine against HEV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tasneem Anwar
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Saba Ismail
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Fahed Parvaiz
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Sumra Wajid Abbasi
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Fahad A. Al-Abbasi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amira M. Alghamdi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalid Al-Regaiey
- Department of Physiology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Asad Ul-Haq
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Imdad Kaleem
- Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Shahid Bashir
- Neuroscience Center, King Fahad Specialist Hospital Dammam, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yasir Waheed
- Office of Research, Innovation & Commercialization, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad, Pakistan
- Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon
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Proof of Concept of a Novel Multiepitope Recombinant Protein for the Serodiagnosis of Patients with Chagas Disease. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12020312. [PMID: 36839584 PMCID: PMC9965379 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12020312] [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: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease remains a neglected disease that is considered to be a public health problem. The early diagnosis of cases is important to improve the prognosis of infected patients and prevent transmission. Serological tests are the method of choice for diagnosis. However, two serological tests are currently recommended to confirm positive cases. In this sense, more sensitive and specific serological tests need to be developed to overcome these current diagnosis problems. This study aimed to develop a new recombinant multiepitope protein for the diagnosis of Chagas disease, hereafter named rTC. The rTC was constructed based on amino acid sequences from different combinations of Trypanosoma cruzi antigens in the same polypeptide and tested using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect different types of Chagas disease. rTC was able to discriminate between indeterminate (IND) and cardiac (CARD) cases and cross-reactive diseases, as well as healthy samples, with 98.28% sensitivity and 96.67% specificity, respectively. These data suggest that rTC has the potential to be tested in future studies against a larger serological panel for the diagnosis of Chagas disease.
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Farshadpour F, Taherkhani R, Shaeri M. Prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis E virus infection among patients with β-thalassemia major in South of Iran. J Immunoassay Immunochem 2022; 43:452-462. [PMID: 35230202 DOI: 10.1080/15321819.2022.2046602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Farshadpour
- Department of Virology, School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Reza Taherkhani
- Department of Virology, School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Marziyeh Shaeri
- Department of Virology, School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
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Mohammadzadeh R, Soleimanpour S, Pishdadian A, Farsiani H. Designing and development of epitope-based vaccines against Helicobacter pylori. Crit Rev Microbiol 2021; 48:489-512. [PMID: 34559599 DOI: 10.1080/1040841x.2021.1979934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Helicobacter pylori infection is the principal cause of serious diseases (e.g. gastric cancer and peptic ulcers). Antibiotic therapy is an inadequate strategy in H. pylori eradication because of which vaccination is an inevitable approach. Despite the presence of countless vaccine candidates, current vaccines in clinical trials have performed with poor efficacy which makes vaccination extremely challenging. Remarkable advancements in immunology and pathogenic biology have provided an appropriate opportunity to develop various epitope-based vaccines. The fusion of proper antigens involved in different aspects of H. pylori colonization and pathogenesis as well as peptide linkers and built-in adjuvants results in producing epitope-based vaccines with excellent therapeutic efficacy and negligible adverse effects. Difficulties of the in vitro culture of H. pylori, high genetic variation, and unfavourable immune responses against feeble epitopes in the complete antigen are major drawbacks of current vaccine strategies that epitope-based vaccines may overcome. Besides decreasing the biohazard risk, designing precise formulations, saving time and cost, and induction of maximum immunity with minimum adverse effects are the advantages of epitope-based vaccines. The present article is a comprehensive review of strategies for designing and developing epitope-based vaccines to provide insights into the innovative vaccination against H. pylori.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roghayeh Mohammadzadeh
- Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.,Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Saman Soleimanpour
- Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.,Reference Tuberculosis Laboratory, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Abbas Pishdadian
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran
| | - Hadi Farsiani
- Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.,Department of Microbiology and Virology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
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Ouji M, Taherkhani R, Farshadpour F. High prevalence of hepatitis E among regular hemodialysis patients in South of Iran. Int J Artif Organs 2021; 44:658-663. [PMID: 34308705 DOI: 10.1177/03913988211027177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the prevalent nosocomially transmitted agents among patients on maintenance hemodialysis due to parenteral transmission of HEV and immunocompromised condition of chronic hemodialysis patients. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate prevalence, risk factors, and genotypic pattern of HEV infection among hemodialysis patients in South of Iran. METHODS All patients on maintenance hemodialysis attending the hemodialysis centers of Bushehr, Borazjan, and Genaveh cities for regular hemodialysis were enrolled in this study. Serum samples were tested for the presence of anti-HEV antibodies using ELISA kit. The serum samples were further tested for detection of HEV RNA using nested RT-PCR. RESULTS Of 226 hemodialysis patients, 155 patients (68.6%, 95% CI: 62.3%-74.3%) were positive for anti-HEV IgG antibody, of which 33 patients (14.6%, 95% CI: 10.6%-19.8%) had anti-HEV IgM antibody. The prevalence of anti-HEV IgG and anti-IgM antibodies in non-hemodialysis controls were 65.1% and 9.6%, respectively. Although the hemodialysis patients had higher prevalence of HEV than the controls, the difference was not significant. All samples were negative for HEV RNA. HEV seroprevalence among hemodialysis patients was not significantly associated with place of residency, ethnicity, level of education, gender distribution, hemodialysis duration, and levels of liver enzymes. HEV seropositive patients had significantly higher mean age compared to seronegative patients. CONCLUSION This study reports the highest seroprevalence of HEV among hemodialysis patients in Iran. Inapparent HEV infection in the dialysis setting calls for regular screening of hemodialysis patients regardless of the hemodialysis duration, clinical symptoms, and liver function parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahbube Ouji
- Department of Microbiology, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz Branch, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Reza Taherkhani
- Department of Virology, School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Farshadpour
- Department of Virology, School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
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Enhancement of Hepatitis E Virus DNA Vaccine Immunity by Beclin-1- Mediated Autophagy. Jundishapur J Microbiol 2017. [DOI: 10.5812/jjm.57474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
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Cloning and Expression of a Secretory form of Truncated ORF2 (aa 112-607) from Hepatitis E Virus in the pVAX1 Vector. Jundishapur J Microbiol 2017. [DOI: 10.5812/jjm.13543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Taherkhani R, Farshadpour F. Epidemiology of Hepatitis E in Pregnant Women and Children in Iran: A General Overview. J Clin Transl Hepatol 2016; 4:269-276. [PMID: 27777896 PMCID: PMC5075011 DOI: 10.14218/jcth.2016.00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Revised: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/18/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
From an epidemiological point of view, hepatitis E is an old infection in Iran, but only recently has its importance as a public health concern been considered from research and public health standpoints. As such, there is still a long road ahead to clarify the real burden of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in Iran. According to the available epidemiological studies, the seroprevalence of HEV infection among pregnant women is between 3.6% and 7.4%, and among Iranian children is between 0.9% to 8.5%, varying by geographic regions within the country and directly dependent upon the sanitary status of each. In addition to evaluating the sanitation level of a society, community-based seroprevalence studies of HEV infection demonstrate the most prevalent risk factors, the major routes of transmission, and the epidemiological patterns of HEV among that country's population. In this review, the current knowledge about the pathogenesis and epidemiology of HEV infection in pregnant women and children in Iran, as well as the recent advances in diagnosis, prevention and treatment of HEV infection have been summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Taherkhani
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
- Persian Gulf Biomedical Research Center, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Farshadpour
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
- Persian Gulf Tropical Medicine Research Center, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
- *Correspondence to: Fatemeh Farshadpour, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Moallem Street, P. O. Box 3631, Bushehr 7514633341, Iran. Tel: +98-9171712653, Fax: +98-7714550235, E-mail:
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Taherkhani R, Farshadpour F. Epidemiology of hepatitis E virus in Iran. World J Gastroenterol 2016; 22:5143-5153. [PMID: 27298557 PMCID: PMC4893461 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i22.5143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Revised: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 05/04/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Iran is known as an endemic country for hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection, while there are variations in the epidemiology of HEV infection throughout the country. The available epidemiological studies in different regions of Iran show HEV seroprevalence of 1.1%-14.2% among general population, 4.5% -14.3% among blood donors, 6.1%-22.8% among injecting drug users, 6.3%-28.3% among hemodialysis patients, 1.6%-11.3% among patients infected with other hepatitis viruses, 27.5% among patients with chronic liver disease, 30.8% among kidney transplant recipient patients, and 10%-16.4% among human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients. These variations reflect differences in the status of public health and hygiene, risk factors, and routes of transmission in different regions and groups. Therefore, it is necessary to review the epidemiology of HEV infection to determine the most prevalent risk factors and routes of transmission, and to evaluate the effectiveness of preventive strategies employed in the public health services of the country. Moreover, the other epidemiological aspects of HEV, including the genotypic pattern, extra hepatic manifestations, and incidence of chronic infection need to be investigated among Iranian population to expand the current knowledge on the epidemiology of HEV and to clarify the real burden of HEV infection. Therefore, this review was performed to provide a general overview regarding the epidemiology of HEV in Iran.
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Farshadpour F, Makvandi M, Taherkhani R. Design, Construction and Cloning of Truncated ORF2 and tPAsp-PADRE-Truncated ORF2 Gene Cassette From Hepatitis E Virus in the pVAX1 Expression Vector. Jundishapur J Microbiol 2015; 8:e26035. [PMID: 26865938 PMCID: PMC4744464 DOI: 10.5812/jjm.26035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2014] [Revised: 09/04/2015] [Accepted: 09/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) is the causative agent of enterically transmitted acute hepatitis and has high mortality rate of up to 30% among pregnant women. Therefore, development of a novel vaccine is a desirable goal. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to construct tPAsp-PADRE-truncated open reading frame 2 (ORF2) and truncated ORF2 DNA plasmid, which can assist future studies with the preparation of an effective vaccine against Hepatitis E Virus. MATERIALS AND METHODS A synthetic codon-optimized gene cassette encoding tPAsp-PADRE-truncated ORF2 protein was designed, constructed and analyzed by some bioinformatics software. Furthermore, a codon-optimized truncated ORF2 gene was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), with a specific primer from the previous construct. The constructs were sub-cloned in the pVAX1 expression vector and finally expressed in eukaryotic cells. RESULTS Sequence analysis and bioinformatics studies of the codon-optimized gene cassette revealed that codon adaptation index (CAI), GC content, and frequency of optimal codon usage (Fop) value were improved, and performance of the secretory signal was confirmed. Cloning and sub-cloning of the tPAsp-PADRE-truncated ORF2 gene cassette and truncated ORF2 gene were confirmed by colony PCR, restriction enzymes digestion and DNA sequencing of the recombinant plasmids pVAX-tPAsp-PADRE-truncated ORF2 (aa 112-660) and pVAX-truncated ORF2 (aa 112-660). The expression of truncated ORF2 protein in eukaryotic cells was approved by an Immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study demonstrated that the tPAsp-PADRE-truncated ORF2 gene cassette and the truncated ORF2 gene in recombinant plasmids are successfully expressed in eukaryotic cells. The immunogenicity of the two recombinant plasmids with different formulations will be evaluated as a novel DNA vaccine in future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Farshadpour
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, IR Iran
- Health Research Institute, Infectious and Tropical Disease Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IR Iran
| | - Manoochehr Makvandi
- Health Research Institute, Infectious and Tropical Disease Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, IR Iran
| | - Reza Taherkhani
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, IR Iran
- Persian Gulf Tropical Medicine Research Center, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, IR Iran
- Corresponding author: Reza Taherkhani, Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Moallem St., Bushehr, IR Iran. Tel: +98-9171712653, Fax: +98-77125220814, E-mail:
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Cytokine Profiles and Cell Proliferation Responses to Truncated ORF2 Protein in Iranian Patients Recovered from Hepatitis E Infection. J Trop Med 2015; 2015:523560. [PMID: 26451149 PMCID: PMC4586975 DOI: 10.1155/2015/523560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Revised: 08/23/2015] [Accepted: 09/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. The aim of this study was to evaluate hepatitis E virus (HEV) specific cellular immune responses to truncated ORF2 protein in Iranian patients recovered from HEV infection. Information about HEV-specific immune responses could be useful in finding an effective way for development of HEV vaccine. Methods. A truncated form of HEV ORF2 protein containing amino acids 112-608 was used to stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) separated from HEV-recovered and control groups. Finally, the levels of four cytokines, IFN-γ ELISPOT, and cell proliferative responses following stimulation with the truncated ORF2 protein were assessed in the both groups. Results. The truncated ORF2 protein was able to induce IFN-γ ELISPOT and cell proliferation responses and to produce significant amounts of IFN-γ and IL-12 cytokines, but low amounts of IL-10 and IL-4 cytokines in vitro. These responses were significantly higher in the recovered group compared to the control group. These results indicate the antigenic nature of the truncated ORF2 protein and production of T helper type 1 cytokines. Conclusion. The truncated ORF2 protein can effectively induce significant cellular immune responsesand can be introduced as a potential vaccine candidate. However, further studies are required to evaluate this protein in vivo.
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Prevalence of Hepatitis E Virus among Adults in South-West of Iran. HEPATITIS RESEARCH AND TREATMENT 2015. [PMID: 26199756 PMCID: PMC4493289 DOI: 10.1155/2015/759589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Background. Knowledge regarding prevalence of HEV in general population can be an indicator of the public health and hygiene. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of HEV among adults in South-West of Iran. Methods. Blood samples were taken from 510 participants, 206 (40.4%) males and 304 (59.6%) females from February to July 2014. Detection of anti-HEV IgG and IgM antibodies was carried out by ELISA test. Results. The overall anti-HEV IgG and IgM prevalence rates were 46.1% and 1.4%, respectively. Anti-HEV IgG and IgM seropositivity were not statistically associated with gender and race/ethnicity. Meanwhile, there were significant differences between the age groups regarding HEV IgG and IgM seropositivity. HEV IgG seroprevalence increased with age from 14.3% in subjects aged 18-30 years to 71.4% in persons over 71 years old, and considerably individuals aged 61 to 70 years had the highest HEV prevalence (90.9%). Also, 5.7% in the age group 18-30 years and 2.2% in the age group 31-40 years were positive for anti-HEV IgM antibodies and the highest rate was observed in subjects aged 18-30 years. Conclusion. In conclusion, high HEV IgG seroprevalence of 46.1% was observed among adults in South-West of Iran.
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