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Kiekens C, Morré SA, Vanrompay D. Advances in Chlamydia trachomatis Vaccination: Unveiling the Potential of Major Outer Membrane Protein Derivative Constructs. Microorganisms 2024; 12:1196. [PMID: 38930578 PMCID: PMC11205628 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12061196] [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: 04/25/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia (C.) trachomatis, a leading cause of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) worldwide, continues to be a significant public health concern. The majority of infections are asymptomatic and, when left untreated, severe sequelae such as infertility and chronic pelvic pain can occur. Despite decades of research, an effective vaccine remains elusive. This review focuses on the potential of Major Outer Membrane Protein (MOMP)-derived constructs as promising candidates for C. trachomatis vaccination. MOMP, the most abundant protein in the outer membrane of C. trachomatis, has been a focal point of vaccine research over the years due to its antigenic properties. To overcome issues associated with the use of full MOMP as a vaccine antigen, derivative constructs have been studied. As these constructs are often not sufficiently immunogenic, antigen delivery systems or accompanying adjuvants are required. Additionally, several immunization routes have been explored with these MOMP-derived vaccine antigens, and determining the optimal route remains an ongoing area of research. Future directions and challenges in the field of C. trachomatis vaccination are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celien Kiekens
- Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Servaas A. Morré
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, GROW School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Microbe&Lab BV, 1105 AG Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Dutch Chlamydia trachomatis Reference Laboratory, Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Health, Medicine & Life Sciences, Maastricht University, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Engineering, Jacob Institute of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Allahabad 211007, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Daisy Vanrompay
- Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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2
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Khan MT, Mahmud A, Islam MM, Sumaia MSN, Rahim Z, Islam K, Iqbal A. Multi-epitope vaccine against drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: a proteome-wide subtraction and immunoinformatics approach. Genomics Inform 2023; 21:e42. [PMID: 37813638 PMCID: PMC10584640 DOI: 10.5808/gi.23021] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the causative agent of tuberculosis, one of the most deadly infections in humans. The emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant Mtb strains presents a global challenge. Mtb has shown resistance to many frontline antibiotics, including rifampicin, kanamycin, isoniazid, and capreomycin. The only licensed vaccine, Bacille Calmette-Guerin, does not efficiently protect against adult pulmonary tuberculosis. Therefore, it is urgently necessary to develop new vaccines to prevent infections caused by these strains. We used a subtractive proteomics approach on 23 virulent Mtb strains and identified a conserved membrane protein (MmpL4, NP_214964.1) as both a potential drug target and vaccine candidate. MmpL4 is a non-homologous essential protein in the host and is involved in the pathogen-specific pathway. Furthermore, MmpL4 shows no homology with anti-targets and has limited homology to human gut microflora, potentially reducing the likelihood of adverse effects and cross-reactivity if therapeutics specific to this protein are developed. Subsequently, we constructed a highly soluble, safe, antigenic, and stable multi-subunit vaccine from the MmpL4 protein using immunoinformatics. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed the stability of the vaccine-bound Toll-like receptor-4 complex on a nanosecond scale, and immune simulations indicated strong primary and secondary immune responses in the host. Therefore, our study identifies a new target that could expedite the design of effective therapeutics, and the designed vaccine should be validated. Future directions include an extensive molecular interaction analysis, in silico cloning, wet-lab experiments, and evaluation and comparison of the designed candidate as both a DNA vaccine and protein vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Tahsin Khan
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh
| | - Araf Mahmud
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Muzahidul Islam
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh
| | - Mst. Sayedatun Nessa Sumaia
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh
| | - Zeaur Rahim
- Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kamrul Islam
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh
| | - Asif Iqbal
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh
- Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea
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3
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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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4
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Gul I, Hassan A, Muneeb JM, Akram T, Haq E, Shah RA, Ganai NA, Ahmad SM, Chikan NA, Shabir N. A multiepitope vaccine candidate against infectious bursal disease virus using immunoinformatics-based reverse vaccinology approach. Front Vet Sci 2023; 9:1116400. [PMID: 36713875 PMCID: PMC9880294 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1116400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Infectious bursal disease virus is the causative agent of infectious bursal disease (Gumboro disease), a highly contagious immunosuppressive disease of chicken with a substantial economic impact on small- and large-scale poultry industries worldwide. Currently, live attenuated vaccines are widely used to control the disease in chickens despite their issues with safety (immunosuppression and bursal atrophy) and efficiency (breaking through the maternally-derived antibody titer). To overcome the drawbacks, the current study has, for the first time, attempted to construct a computational model of a multiepitope based vaccine candidate against infectious bursal disease virus, which has the potential to overcome the safety and protection issues found in the existing live-attenuated vaccines. The current study used a reverse vaccinology based immunoinformatics approach to construct the vaccine candidate using major and minor capsid proteins of the virus, VP2 and VP3, respectively. The vaccine construct was composed of four CD8+ epitopes, seven CD4+ T-cell epitopes, 11 B-cell epitopes and a Cholera Toxin B adjuvant, connected using appropriate flexible peptide linkers. The vaccine construct was evaluated as antigenic with VaxiJen Score of 0.6781, immunogenic with IEDB score of 2.89887 and non-allergenic. The 55.64 kDa construct was further evaluated for its physicochemical characteristics, which revealed that it was stable with an instability index of 16.24, basic with theoretical pI of 9.24, thermostable with aliphatic index of 86.72 and hydrophilic with GRAVY score of -0.256. The docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies of the vaccine construct with Toll-like receptor-3 revealed fair structural interaction (binding affinity of -295.94 kcal/mol) and complex stability. Further, the predicted induction of antibodies and cytokines by the vaccine construct indicated the possible elicitation of the host's immune response against the virus. The work is a significant attempt to develop next-generation vaccines against the infectious bursal disease virus though further experimental studies are required to assess the efficacy and protectivity of the proposed vaccine candidate in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irfan Gul
- Laboratory of Vaccine Biotechnology, Division of Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, India,Department of Biotechnology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Amreena Hassan
- Laboratory of Vaccine Biotechnology, Division of Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, India,Department of Biotechnology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Jan Mohd Muneeb
- Laboratory of Vaccine Biotechnology, Division of Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Towseef Akram
- Laboratory of Vaccine Biotechnology, Division of Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Ehtishamul Haq
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Riaz Ahmad Shah
- Laboratory of Vaccine Biotechnology, Division of Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Nazir Ahmad Ganai
- Laboratory of Vaccine Biotechnology, Division of Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Syed Mudasir Ahmad
- Laboratory of Vaccine Biotechnology, Division of Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Naveed Anjum Chikan
- Division of Computational Biology, Daskdan Innovations Pvt. Ltd., Srinagar, India
| | - Nadeem Shabir
- Laboratory of Vaccine Biotechnology, Division of Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, India,*Correspondence: Nadeem Shabir ✉
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5
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Rahman MM, Masum MHU, Talukder A, Akter R. An in silico reverse vaccinology approach to design a novel multiepitope peptide vaccine for non-small cell lung cancers. INFORMATICS IN MEDICINE UNLOCKED 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.imu.2023.101169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
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6
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Alharbi N, Skwarczynski M, Toth I. The influence of component structural arrangement on peptide vaccine immunogenicity. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 60:108029. [PMID: 36028180 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.108029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Peptide-based subunit vaccines utilise minimal immunogenic components (i.e. peptides) to generate highly specific immune responses, without triggering adverse reactions. However, strong adjuvants and/or effective delivery systems must be incorporated into such vaccines, as peptide antigens cannot induce substantial immune responses on their own. Unfortunately, many adjuvants are too weak or too toxic to be used in combination with peptide antigens. These shortcomings have been addressed by the conjugation of peptide antigens with lipidic/ hydrophobic adjuvanting moieties. The conjugates have shown promising safety profiles and improved immunogenicity without the help of traditional adjuvants and have been efficient in inducing desired immune responses following various routes of administration, including subcutaneous, oral and intranasal. However, not only conjugation per se, but also component arrangement influences vaccine efficacy. This review highlights the importance of influence of the vaccine chemical structure modification on the immune responses generated. It discusses a variety of factors that affect the immunogenicity of peptide conjugates, including: i) self-adjuvanting moiety length and number; ii) the orientation of epitopes and self-adjuvanting moieties in the conjugate; iii) the presence of spacers between conjugated components; iv) multiepitopic arrangement; and v) the effect of chirality on vaccine efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nedaa Alharbi
- School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; University of Jeddah, College of Science and Arts, Department of Chemistry, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mariusz Skwarczynski
- School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Istvan Toth
- School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4102, Australia.
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7
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Kaushik V, Jain P, Akhtar N, Joshi A, Gupta LR, Grewal RK, Oliva R, Shaikh AR, Cavallo L, Chawla M. Immunoinformatics-Aided Design and In Vivo Validation of a Peptide-Based Multiepitope Vaccine Targeting Canine Circovirus. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.2c00130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Kaushik
- Domain of Bioinformatics, School of Bio-Engineering and Bio-Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144001, Punjab, India
| | - Pankaj Jain
- Domain of Bioinformatics, School of Bio-Engineering and Bio-Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144001, Punjab, India
| | - Nahid Akhtar
- Domain of Bioinformatics, School of Bio-Engineering and Bio-Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144001, Punjab, India
| | - Amit Joshi
- Domain of Bioinformatics, School of Bio-Engineering and Bio-Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144001, Punjab, India
| | - Lovi Raj Gupta
- Domain of Bioinformatics, School of Bio-Engineering and Bio-Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144001, Punjab, India
| | - Ravneet Kaur Grewal
- Department of Research and Innovation, STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited, Faridabad 121002, Haryana, India
| | - Romina Oliva
- Department of Sciences and Technologies, University Parthenope of Naples, Centro Direzionale Isola C4, I-80143, Naples, Italy
| | - Abdul Rajjak Shaikh
- Department of Research and Innovation, STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited, Faridabad 121002, Haryana, India
| | - Luigi Cavallo
- Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Kaust Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohit Chawla
- Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Kaust Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
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8
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Kaushik V, G SK, Gupta LR, Kalra U, Shaikh AR, Cavallo L, Chawla M. Immunoinformatics Aided Design and In-Vivo Validation of a Cross-Reactive Peptide Based Multi-Epitope Vaccine Targeting Multiple Serotypes of Dengue Virus. Front Immunol 2022; 13:865180. [PMID: 35799781 PMCID: PMC9254734 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.865180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV) is an arboviral disease affecting more than 400 million people annually. Only a single vaccine formulation is available commercially and many others are still under clinical trials. Despite all the efforts in vaccine designing, the improvement in vaccine formulation against DENV is very much needed. In this study, we used a roboust immunoinformatics approach, targeting all the four serotypes of DENV to design a multi-epitope vaccine. A total of 13501 MHC II binding CD4+ epitope peptides were predicted from polyprotein sequences of four dengue virus serotypes. Among them, ten conserved epitope peptides that were interferon-inducing were selected and found to be conserved among all the four dengue serotypes. The vaccine was formulated using antigenic, non-toxic and conserved multi epitopes discovered in the in-silico study. Further, the molecular docking and molecular dynamics predicted stable interactions between predicted vaccine and immune receptor, TLR-5. Finally, one of the mapped epitope peptides was synthesized for the validation of antigenicity and antibody production ability where the in-vivo tests on rabbit model was conducted. Our in-vivo analysis clearly indicate that the imunogen designed in this study could stimulate the production of antibodies which further suggest that the vaccine designed possesses good immunogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikas Kaushik
- Domain of Bioinformatics, School of Bio-Engineering and Bio-Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India
| | - Sunil Krishnan G
- Domain of Bioinformatics, School of Bio-Engineering and Bio-Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India
| | - Lovi Raj Gupta
- Domain of Bioinformatics, School of Bio-Engineering and Bio-Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India
| | - Utkarsh Kalra
- Department of Research and Innovation, STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited, Faridabad, India
- Department of Data Science, Innopolis University, Innopolis, Russia
| | - Abdul Rajjak Shaikh
- Department of Research and Innovation, STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited, Faridabad, India
- *Correspondence: Abdul Rajjak Shaikh, ; Luigi Cavallo, ; Mohit Chawla, ;
| | - Luigi Cavallo
- Kaust Catalysis Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- *Correspondence: Abdul Rajjak Shaikh, ; Luigi Cavallo, ; Mohit Chawla, ;
| | - Mohit Chawla
- Kaust Catalysis Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- *Correspondence: Abdul Rajjak Shaikh, ; Luigi Cavallo, ; Mohit Chawla, ;
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9
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Salem-Bekhit MM, Youssof AME, Alanazi FK, Aleanizy FS, Abdulaziz A, Taha EI, Amara AAAF. Bacteria from Infectious Particles to Cell Based Anticancer Targeted Drug Delivery Systems. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:1984. [PMID: 34959266 PMCID: PMC8706210 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13121984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial ghosts (BGs) are empty cell envelopes of nonliving evacuated bacterial cells. They are free from their cytoplasmic contents; however, they sustain their cellular 3D morphology and antigenic structures, counting on bioadhesive properties. Lately, they have been tested as an advanced drug delivery system (DDS) for different materials like DNA, peptides, or drugs, either single components or combinations. Different studies have revealed that, BG DDS were paid the greatest attention in recent years. The current review explores the impact of BGs on the field of drug delivery and drug targeting. BGs have a varied area of applications, including vaccine and tumor therapy. Moreover, the use of BGs, their synthesis, their uniqueness as a delivery system and application principles in cancer are discussed. Furthermore, the safety issues of BGs and stability aspects of using ghost bacteria as delivery systems are discussed. Future perspective efforts that must be followed for this important system to continue to grow are important and promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mounir M. Salem-Bekhit
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.E.Y.); (F.K.A.); (F.S.A.); (A.A.); (E.I.T.)
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
- Kayyali Chair for Pharmaceutical Industry, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah M. E. Youssof
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.E.Y.); (F.K.A.); (F.S.A.); (A.A.); (E.I.T.)
- Kayyali Chair for Pharmaceutical Industry, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fars K. Alanazi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.E.Y.); (F.K.A.); (F.S.A.); (A.A.); (E.I.T.)
- Kayyali Chair for Pharmaceutical Industry, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fadilah Sfouq Aleanizy
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.E.Y.); (F.K.A.); (F.S.A.); (A.A.); (E.I.T.)
| | - Alsuwyeh Abdulaziz
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.E.Y.); (F.K.A.); (F.S.A.); (A.A.); (E.I.T.)
- Kayyali Chair for Pharmaceutical Industry, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ehab I. Taha
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.E.Y.); (F.K.A.); (F.S.A.); (A.A.); (E.I.T.)
| | - Amro Abd Al Fattah Amara
- Protein Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, Alexandria 21934, Egypt;
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10
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Deb D, Basak S, Kar T, Narsaria U, Castiglione F, Paul A, Pandey A, Srivastava AP. Immunoinformatics based designing a multi-epitope vaccine against pathogenic Chandipura vesiculovirus. J Cell Biochem 2021; 123:322-346. [PMID: 34729821 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.30170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Chandipura vesiculovirus (CHPV) is a rapidly emerging pathogen responsible for causing acute encephalitis. Due to its widespread occurrence in Asian and African countries, this has become a global threat, and there is an urgent need to design an effective and nonallergenic vaccine against this pathogen. The present study aimed to develop a multi-epitope vaccine using an immunoinformatics approach. The conventional method of vaccine design involves large proteins or whole organism which leads to unnecessary antigenic load with increased chances of allergenic reactions. In addition, the process is also very time-consuming and labor-intensive. These limitations can be overcome by peptide-based vaccines comprising short immunogenic peptide fragments that can elicit highly targeted immune responses, avoiding the chances of allergenic reactions, in a relatively shorter time span. The multi-epitope vaccine constructed using CTL, HTL, and IFN-γ epitopes was able to elicit specific immune responses when exposed to the pathogen, in silico. Not only that, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies confirmed a stable interaction of the vaccine with the immune receptors. Several physicochemical analyses of the designed vaccine candidate confirmed it to be highly immunogenic and nonallergic. The computer-aided analysis performed in this study suggests that the designed multi-epitope vaccine can elicit specific immune responses and can be a potential candidate against CHPV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debashrito Deb
- Department of Life Sciences, Garden City University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Srijita Basak
- Department of Life Sciences, Garden City University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Tamalika Kar
- Department of Life Sciences, Garden City University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Utkarsh Narsaria
- Department of Life Sciences, Garden City University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Filippo Castiglione
- Institute for Applied Computing, National Research Council of Italy, Via dei Taurini, Rome, Italy
| | - Abhirup Paul
- Department of Life Sciences, Garden City University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Ashutosh Pandey
- Plant Metabolic Engineering, National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, India
| | - Anurag P Srivastava
- Department of Life Sciences, Garden City University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
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11
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Identification of immunodominant epitopes in allelic variants VK210 and VK247 of Plasmodium Vivax Circumsporozoite immunogen. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2021; 96:105120. [PMID: 34655808 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2021.105120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax-induced malaria is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in sub-tropical and tropical regions and infect 2.85 billion people globally. The continual rise and propagation of resistance against anti-malarial drugs is a prerequisite to develop a potent vaccine candidate for Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax). Circumsporozoite protein (CSP) is an important immunogen of malaria parasite that has the conserved CSP structure as an immune dominant B-cell epitope. In current study, we focused on designing multi-epitope vaccines (MEVs) using various immunoinformatics tools against Pakistani based allelic variants VK210 and VK247 of P. vivax CSP (PvCSP) gene. Antigenicity, allergic potential and physicochemical parameters of both PvCSP variants were assessed for the designed MEVs and they were within acceptable range suitable for post experimental investigations. The three-dimensional structures of both MEVs have been predicted ab initio, optimized, and validated by using different online servers. The both MEVs candidates were stable and free from aggregation-prone regions. The stability of both MEVs had been improved by a disulfide engineering approach. To estimate the binding energy and stability of the MEVs, molecular docking simulation and binding free energy calculations with TLR-4 immune receptor have been conducted. The docking score of PvCSP210 and PvCSP247 for TLR-4 was -6.34 kJ/mol and - 2.3 kJ/mol, respectively. For PvCSP210-TLR4 system, mean RMSD was 4.96 Å while PvCSP247-TLR4 system, average RMSD was 4.49 Å. The binding free energy of PvCSP210-TLR4 complex and PvCSP247-TLR4 complex was -50.49/-117.15 kcal/mol (MMGBSA/MMPSA) and -52.94/-96.26 kcal/mol (MMGBSA/MMPSA), respectively. The expression of both MEVs produced in Escherichia coli K12 expression system by in silico cloning was significant. Immune simulation revealed that the proposed MEVs induce strong humoral and cellular immunological responses, in addition to significant production of interleukins and cytokines. In conclusions, we believed that the MEVs proposed in current research, using combine approach of immunoinformatics, structural biology and biophysical approaches, could induce protective and effective immune responses against P. vivax and the experimental validation of our findings could contribute to the development of potential malaria vaccine.
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In silico designing of vaccine candidate against Clostridium difficile. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14215. [PMID: 34244557 PMCID: PMC8271013 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93305-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is a spore-forming gram-positive bacterium, recognized as the primary cause of antibiotic-associated nosocomial diarrhoea. Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has emerged as a major health-associated infection with increased incidence and hospitalization over the years with high mortality rates. Contamination and infection occur after ingestion of vegetative spores, which germinate in the gastro-intestinal tract. The surface layer protein and flagellar proteins are responsible for the bacterial colonization while the spore coat protein, is associated with spore colonization. Both these factors are the main concern of the recurrence of CDI in hospitalized patients. In this study, the CotE, SlpA and FliC proteins are chosen to form a multivalent, multi-epitopic, chimeric vaccine candidate using the immunoinformatics approach. The overall reliability of the candidate vaccine was validated in silico and the molecular dynamics simulation verified the stability of the vaccine designed. Docking studies showed stable vaccine interactions with Toll‐Like Receptors of innate immune cells and MHC receptors. In silico codon optimization of the vaccine and its insertion in the cloning vector indicates a competent expression of the modelled vaccine in E. coli expression system. An in silico immune simulation system evaluated the effectiveness of the candidate vaccine to trigger a protective immune response.
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Khan MT, Islam R, Jerin TJ, Mahmud A, Khatun S, Kobir A, Islam MN, Akter A, Mondal SI. Immunoinformatics and molecular dynamics approaches: Next generation vaccine design against West Nile virus. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0253393. [PMID: 34138958 PMCID: PMC8211291 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
West Nile Virus (WNV) is a life threatening flavivirus that causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. No preventive therapeutics including vaccines against WNV are available for human use. In this study, immunoinformatics approach was performed to design a multi epitope-based subunit vaccine against this deadly pathogen. Human (HLA) and Mice (H-2) allele specific potential T-cell and B-cell epitopes were shortlisted through a stringent procedure. Molecular docking showed selected epitopes that have stronger binding affinity with human TLR-4. Molecular dynamics simulation confirmed the stable nature of the docked complex. Furthermore, in silico cloning analysis ensures efficient expression of desired gene in the microbial system. Interestingly, previous studies showed that two of our selected epitopes have strong immune response against WNV. Therefore, selected epitopes could be strong vaccine candidates to prevent WNV infections in human. However, further in vitro and in vivo investigations could be strengthening the validation of the vaccine candidate against WNV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Tahsin Khan
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Rahatul Islam
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Tarhima Jahan Jerin
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Tangail, Bangladesh
| | - Araf Mahmud
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Sahara Khatun
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
| | - Ahasanul Kobir
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Md Nahidul Islam
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Arzuba Akter
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
- * E-mail: (SIM); (AA)
| | - Shakhinur Islam Mondal
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
- * E-mail: (SIM); (AA)
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Murray SM, McKay PF. Chlamydia trachomatis: Cell biology, immunology and vaccination. Vaccine 2021; 39:2965-2975. [PMID: 33771390 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.03.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis is the causative agent of a highly prevalent sexually transmitted bacterial disease and is associated with a number of severe disease complications. Current therapy options are successful at treating disease, but patients are left without protective immunity and do not benefit the majority asymptomatic patients who do not seek treatment. As such, there is a clear need for a broad acting, protective vaccine that can prevent transmission and protect against symptomatic disease presentation. There are three key elements that underlie successful vaccine development: 1) Chlamydia biology and immune-evasion adaptations, 2) the correlates of protection that prevent disease in natural and experimental infection, 3) reflection upon the evidence provided by previous vaccine attempts. In this review, we give an overview of the unique intra-cellular biology of C. trachomatis and give insight into the dynamic combination of adaptations that allow Chlamydia to subvert host immunity and survive within the cell. We explore the current understanding of chlamydial immunity in animal models and in humans and characterise the key immune correlates of protection against infection. We discuss in detail the specific immune interactions involved in protection, with relevance placed on the CD4+ T lymphocyte and B lymphocyte responses that are key to pathogen clearance. Finally, we provide a timeline of C. trachomatis vaccine research to date and evaluate the successes and failures in development so far. With insight from these three key elements of research, we suggest potential solutions for chlamydial vaccine development and promising avenues for further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam M Murray
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK.
| | - Paul F McKay
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK.
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Al Zamane S, Nobel FA, Jebin RA, Amin MB, Somadder PD, Antora NJ, Hossain MI, Islam MJ, Ahmed K, Moni MA. Development of an in silico multi-epitope vaccine against SARS-COV-2 by précised immune-informatics approaches. INFORMATICS IN MEDICINE UNLOCKED 2021; 27:100781. [PMID: 34746365 PMCID: PMC8563510 DOI: 10.1016/j.imu.2021.100781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus family has been infecting the human population for the past two decades, but the ongoing coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 has posed an enigmatic challenge to global public health security. Since last year, the mutagenic quality of this virus is causing changes to its genetic material. To prevent those situations, the FDA approved some emergency vaccines but there is no assurance that these will function properly in the complex human body system. In point of view, a short but efficient effort has made in this study to develop an immune epitope-based therapy for the rapid exploitation of SARS-CoV-2 by applying in silico structural biology and advancing immune information strategies. The antigenic epitopes were screened from the Surface, Membrane, Envelope proteins of SARS-CoV-2 and passed through several immunological filters to determine the best possible one. According to this, 7CD4+, 10CD8+ and 5 B-cell epitopes were found to be prominent, antigenic, immunogenic, and most importantly, highly conserved among 128 Bangladeshi and 110 other infected countries SARS-CoV-2 variants. After that, the selected epitopes and adjuvant were linked to finalize the multi-epitope vaccine by appropriate linkers. The immune simulation disclosed that the engineered vaccine could activate both humoral and innate immune responses. For the prediction of an effective binding, molecular docking was carried out between the vaccine and immunological receptors (TLRs). Strong binding affinity and good docking scores clarified the stringency of the vaccines. Furthermore, MD simulation was performed within the highest binding affinity complex to observe the stability. Codon optimization and other physicochemical properties revealed that the vaccine would be suitable for a higher expression at cloning level. So, monitoring the overall in silico assessment, we anticipated that our engineered vaccine would be a plausible prevention against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saad Al Zamane
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail, 1902, Bangladesh
| | - Fahim Alam Nobel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail, 1902, Bangladesh
| | - Ruksana Akter Jebin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail, 1902, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammed Badrul Amin
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Mohakhali, Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Pratul Dipta Somadder
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail, 1902, Bangladesh
| | - Nusrat Jahan Antora
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, East West University, Aftabnagar, Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh
| | - Md Imam Hossain
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail, 1902, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammod Johirul Islam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail, 1902, Bangladesh
| | - Kawsar Ahmed
- Group of Biophotomatiχ, Department of Information and Communication Technology, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Santosh, Tangail, 1902, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammad Ali Moni
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Pabna University of Science and Technology, Pabna, 6600, Bangladesh
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Rehman HM, Mirza MU, Ahmad MA, Saleem M, Froeyen M, Ahmad S, Gul R, Alghamdi HA, Aslam MS, Sajjad M, Bhinder MA. A Putative Prophylactic Solution for COVID-19: Development of Novel Multiepitope Vaccine Candidate against SARS-COV-2 by Comprehensive Immunoinformatic and Molecular Modelling Approach. BIOLOGY 2020; 9:E296. [PMID: 32962156 PMCID: PMC7563440 DOI: 10.3390/biology9090296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The outbreak of 2019-novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes severe respiratory infection (COVID-19) has spread in China, and the World Health Organization has declared it a pandemic. However, no approved drug or vaccines are available, and treatment is mainly supportive and through a few repurposed drugs. The urgency of the situation requires the development of SARS-CoV-2-based vaccines. Immunoinformatic and molecular modelling are time-efficient methods that are generally used to accelerate the discovery and design of the candidate peptides for vaccine development. In recent years, the use of multiepitope vaccines has proved to be a promising immunization strategy against viruses and pathogens, thus inducing more comprehensive protective immunity. The current study demonstrated a comprehensive in silico strategy to design stable multiepitope vaccine construct (MVC) from B-cell and T-cell epitopes of essential SARS-CoV-2 proteins with the help of adjuvants and linkers. The integrated molecular dynamics simulations analysis revealed the stability of MVC and its interaction with human Toll-like receptors (TLRs), which trigger an innate and adaptive immune response. Later, the in silico cloning in a known pET28a vector system also estimated the possibility of MVC expression in Escherichia coli. Despite that this study lacks validation of this vaccine construct in terms of its efficacy, the current integrated strategy encompasses the initial multiple epitope vaccine design concepts. After validation, this MVC can be present as a better prophylactic solution against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hafiz Muzzammel Rehman
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Punjab, Pakistan; (H.M.R.); (M.S.A.)
- Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore 54590, Punjab, Pakistan; (M.A.A.); (M.A.B.)
| | - Muhammad Usman Mirza
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Medicinal Chemistry, University of Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium; (M.U.M.); (M.F.)
| | - Mian Azhar Ahmad
- Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore 54590, Punjab, Pakistan; (M.A.A.); (M.A.B.)
- Department of Health, Government of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Mahjabeen Saleem
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Punjab, Pakistan; (H.M.R.); (M.S.A.)
| | - Matheus Froeyen
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Medicinal Chemistry, University of Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium; (M.U.M.); (M.F.)
| | - Sarfraz Ahmad
- Drug Design and Development Research Group (DDDRG), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia;
| | - Roquyya Gul
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Gulab Devi Educational Complex, Lahore 54590, Punjab, Pakistan;
| | - Huda Ahmed Alghamdi
- Department of Biology, College of Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Muhammad Shahbaz Aslam
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Punjab, Pakistan; (H.M.R.); (M.S.A.)
| | - Muhammad Sajjad
- School of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Quaid e Azam Campus, Lahore 54590, Punjab, Pakistan;
| | - Munir Ahmad Bhinder
- Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore 54590, Punjab, Pakistan; (M.A.A.); (M.A.B.)
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17
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Kar T, Narsaria U, Basak S, Deb D, Castiglione F, Mueller DM, Srivastava AP. A candidate multi-epitope vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10895. [PMID: 32616763 PMCID: PMC7331818 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67749-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 187] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past two decades, 7 coronaviruses have infected the human population, with two major outbreaks caused by SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV in the year 2002 and 2012, respectively. Currently, the entire world is facing a pandemic of another coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, with a high fatality rate. The spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 mediates entry of virus into the host cell and is one of the most important antigenic determinants, making it a potential candidate for a vaccine. In this study, we have computationally designed a multi-epitope vaccine using spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. The overall quality of the candidate vaccine was validated in silico and Molecular Dynamics Simulation confirmed the stability of the designed vaccine. Docking studies revealed stable interactions of the vaccine with Toll-Like Receptors and MHC Receptors. The in silico cloning and codon optimization supported the proficient expression of the designed vaccine in E. coli expression system. The efficiency of the candidate vaccine to trigger an effective immune response was assessed by an in silico immune simulation. The computational analyses suggest that the designed multi-epitope vaccine is structurally stable which can induce specific immune responses and thus, can be a potential vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamalika Kar
- Department of Life Sciences, Garden City University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Utkarsh Narsaria
- Department of Life Sciences, Garden City University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Srijita Basak
- Department of Life Sciences, Garden City University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Debashrito Deb
- Department of Life Sciences, Garden City University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Filippo Castiglione
- Institute for Applied Computing, National Research Council of Italy, Via dei Taurini, Rome, Italy
| | - David M Mueller
- Center for Genetic Diseases, The Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, USA
| | - Anurag P Srivastava
- Department of Life Sciences, Garden City University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
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18
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Wang L, Cai Y, Xiong Y, Du W, Cen D, Zhang C, Song Y, Zhu S, Xue X, Zhang L. DNA plasmid vaccine carrying Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) major outer membrane and human papillomavirus 16L2 proteins for anti-Ct infection. Oncotarget 2018; 8:33241-33251. [PMID: 28402260 PMCID: PMC5464864 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.16601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) is one of the most frequently encountered sexual infection all over the world, yielding tremendous reproductive problems (e.g. infertility and ectopic pregnancy) in the women. This work described the design of a plasmid vaccine that protect mice from Ct infection, and reduce productive tract damage by generating effective antibody and cytotoxic T cell immunity. The vaccine, s was composed of MOMP multi-epitope and HPV16L2 genes carried in pcDNA plasmid (i.e. pcDNA3.1/MOMP/HPV16L). In transfection, the vaccine expressed the chimeric genes (i.e. MOMP and HPV16L2), as demonstrated via western blot, RT-PCR and fluorescence imaging. In vitro, the vaccine transfected COS-7 cells and expressed the proteins corresponding to the genes carried in the vaccine. Through intramuscular immunization in BALB/c mice, the vaccine induced higher levels of anti-Ct IgG titer, anti-HPV16L2 IgG titer in serum and IgA titer in local mucosal secretions, compared to plasmid vaccines that carry only Ct MOMP multi-epitope or HPV16L2 chimeric component only. In mice intravaginally challenged with Ct, the vaccines pcDNA3.1/MOMP/HPV16L2 generated a higher level of genital protection compared to other vaccine formulations. Additionally, histochemical staining indicated that pcDNA3.1/MOMP/HPV16L2 eliminated mouse genital tract tissue pathologies induced by Ct infection. This work demonstrated that pcDNA/MOMP/HPV16L2 vaccine can protect against Ct infection by regulating antibody production, cytotoxic T cell killing functions and reducing pathological damage in mice genital tract. This work can potentially offer us a new vaccine platform against Ct infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ledan Wang
- Department of Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yiqi Cai
- Department of Gastrointestinal, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yirong Xiong
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wangqi Du
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Danwei Cen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Chanqiong Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yiling Song
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shanli Zhu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiangyang Xue
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lifang Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, China
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Madico G, Gursky O, Fairman J, Massari P. Structural and Immunological Characterization of Novel Recombinant MOMP-Based Chlamydial Antigens. Vaccines (Basel) 2017; 6:vaccines6010002. [PMID: 29295593 PMCID: PMC5874643 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines6010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Revised: 12/02/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia is the most common cause of bacterial sexually transmitted infections worldwide. While infections resolve with antibiotic treatment, this is often neglected in women due to frequent asymptomatic infections, leading to disease progression and severe sequelae (pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, infertility). Development of a vaccine against Chlamydia is crucial. Whole organism-based vaccines have short-lived activity, serovar/subgroup-specific immunity and can cause adverse reactions in vaccinated subjects. The Chlamydia major outer membrane protein (MOMP) is a prime candidate for a subunit vaccine. MOMP contains four regions of sequence variability (variable domains, VDs) with B-cell and T-cell epitopes that elicit protective immunity. However, barriers for developing a MOMP-based vaccine include solubility, yield and refolding. We have engineered novel recombinant antigens in which the VDs are expressed into a carrier protein structurally similar to MOMP and suitable for recombinant expression at a high yield in a correctly folded and detergent-free form. Using a carrier such as the PorB porin from the human commensal organism N. lactamica, we show that PorB/VD chimeric proteins are immunogenic, antigenic and cross-reactive with MOMP. VDs are unique for each serovar but if combined in a single vaccine, a broad coverage against the major Chlamydia serovars can be ensured.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Madico
- National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Boston University, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
| | - Olga Gursky
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics and the Amyloidosis Treatment and Research Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
| | | | - Paola Massari
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
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Multi-epitope vaccines: a promising strategy against tumors and viral infections. Cell Mol Immunol 2017; 15:182-184. [PMID: 28890542 DOI: 10.1038/cmi.2017.92] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
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21
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Jiang P, Cai Y, Chen J, Ye X, Mao S, Zhu S, Xue X, Chen S, Zhang L. Evaluation of tandem Chlamydia trachomatis MOMP multi-epitopes vaccine in BALB/c mice model. Vaccine 2017; 35:3096-3103. [PMID: 28456528 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.04.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2016] [Revised: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct), an obligate intracellular parasite, is the leading cause of bacterial sexually transmitted diseases worldwide. The best solution to control the spread of Ct is to develop safe and effective vaccines. However, an effective vaccine has not been developed due to some challenges such as selection of appropriate candidate antigens and an effective delivery system. In our previous study, we have developed a Ct vaccine that comprises a multi-epitope peptide of Ct major outer membrane protein (MOMP370-387) and Hepatitis B virus core antigen (HBcAg). The vaccine was evaluated in a murine model with chlamydial genital infection. The results indicated that Ct MOMP multi-epitope delivered by HBcAg could be an effective vaccine for the prevention of Ct. In this study, another two epitopes were selected from the MOMP protein and tandemly linked with MOMP370-387 to enhance the immunogenicity and the protective effect of the candidate vaccine. Our results revealed that both the immunogenicity and the protective effect of the tandem Ct MOMP multi-epitopes were much better than that of the single epitope. Therefore, vaccines based on the tandem Ct MOMP multi-epitopes could be more effective immune prophylactics to prevent Ct infection than the single epitope in murine model system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Jiang
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Yiqi Cai
- Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Jun Chen
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Xiaoxian Ye
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Shanshan Mao
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Shanli Zhu
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Xiangyang Xue
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Shao Chen
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Lifang Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, Zhejiang, PR China.
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Wang W, Feng F, Lv J, Xie Z, Chen J, Zhang L, Li W. Major Immunodominant Region of Hepatitis B Virus Core Antigen as a Delivery Vector to Improve the Immunogenicity of the Fusion Antigen ROP2-SAG1 Multiepitope from Toxoplasma gondii in Mice. Viral Immunol 2017; 30:508-515. [PMID: 28436740 DOI: 10.1089/vim.2016.0135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
To prepare the dominant multiepitope fusion antigen ROP2-SAG1 (RSmultiepitope) from Toxoplasma gondii in a prokaryotic system, the major immunodominant region (MIR) of the human hepatitis B virus core antigen (HBcAg(MIR)) was used as a delivery vector. The gene encoding the RSmultiepitope was inserted into HBcAg(MIR), and rHBcAg(MIR)-RSmultiepitope was prepared, purified, and administered to BALB/c mice through intradermal injection. An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis based on a multiepitope peptide facilitated the specific differentiation of sera obtained from mice immunized with the rHBcAg(MIR)-RSmultiepitope protein, and high titers (greater than 1:6,400) of specific anti-RSmultiepitope antibodies were obtained. Immunized splenocytes demonstrated enhanced IFN-γ production. Based on these results, the HBcAg(MIR) vector is easily applied in vitro for targeting the RSmultiepitope and efficiently presents this target epitope for the induction of significant humoral and cellular immune responses. This study offers a novel strategy for the design of a target epitope delivery system for a toxoplasmosis vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhuan Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou, China
| | - Fangfang Feng
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou, China
| | - Jinhui Lv
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou, China
| | - Zixin Xie
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou, China
| | - Jun Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou, China
| | - Lifang Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou, China
| | - Wenshu Li
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou, China
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23
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Jiang P, Du W, Xiong Y, Lv Y, Feng J, Zhu S, Xue X, Chen S, Zhang L. Hepatitis B virus core antigen as a carrier for Chlamydia trachomatis MOMP multi-epitope peptide enhances protection against genital chlamydial infection. Oncotarget 2016; 6:43281-92. [PMID: 26657117 PMCID: PMC4791232 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.6533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 11/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) is the leading cause of sexually transmitted diseases worldwide. There is no safe and effective vaccine to control the spread of Ct. In development of Ct vaccine, selection of appropriate candidate antigens and an effective delivery system may be the main challenges. Multi-epitope of major outer membrane protein (MOMPm) is the most suitable candidate for a Ct vaccine, while hepatitis B virus core antigen (HBcAg) has unique advantages as vaccine delivery system. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the immunogenicity and protective immune response of a novel candidate vaccine in a murine model of chlamydial genital infection. This candidate vaccine comprises MOMPm peptide delivered with HBcAg. Our results of Ct-specific serum IgG and secretory IgA assay, cytokine assay, and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte assay revealed that immunogenicity of the candidate vaccine was much better than that of the corresponding synthetic MOMPm peptide. Furthermore, the protective effect of the candidate vaccine was also shown much better than that of the synthetic peptide by calculating the isolation of Chlamydia from vaginal swabs and histopathological analysis. Taken together, our results indicate that HBcAg carrying Ct MOMPm could be an effective immune prophylactic for chlamydial infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Jiang
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Wangqi Du
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Yirong Xiong
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Yan Lv
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Juan Feng
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Shanli Zhu
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Xiangyang Xue
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Shao Chen
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Lifang Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, P. R. China
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24
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Liang M, Wen Y, Ran O, Chen L, Wang C, Li L, Xie Y, Zhang Y, Chen C, Wu Y. Protective immunity induced by recombinant protein CPSIT_p8 of Chlamydia psittaci. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2016; 100:6385-6393. [PMID: 27052378 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-016-7494-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Revised: 03/17/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Chlamydia psittaci is a zoonotic pathogen with a broad host range that can lead to severe respiratory and systemic disease in humans. Currently, an effective commercial vaccine against C. psittaci infection is not available. The chlamydial plasmid is an important virulence factor and encodes plasmid proteins that play important roles in chlamydial infection and the corresponding immune response. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of vaccination with plasmid proteins at preventing C. psittaci lung infection in a murine model. BALB/c mice were immunized intraperitoneally, three times at 2-week intervals, with purified recombinant CPSIT_p8 protein and then infected with C. psittaci. Immunization significantly decreased chlamydial load in the lungs of infected mice, resulted in a lower level of IFN-γ, and reduced the extent of inflammation. In vivo or in vitro neutralization of C. psittaci with sera collected from immunized mice did not reduce the amount of viable C. psittaci in the lungs of mice, indicating that CPSIT_p8-specific antibodies do not have neutralizing capacity. Furthermore, confocal fluorescence microscopy using a mouse anti-CPSIT_p8 antibody revealed that CPSIT_p8 was localized inside the inclusion of C. psittaci 6BC-infected cells. Our results demonstrate that CPSIT_p8 protein induces significant protective immunity against challenge with C. psittaci in mice and represents a promising new vaccine candidate for the prevention of C. psittaci infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingxing Liang
- Pathogenic Biology Institute, Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China.,Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Yating Wen
- Pathogenic Biology Institute, Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Ou Ran
- Pathogenic Biology Institute, Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China.,Department of Clinical Laboratory, Central Hospital of Xiangtan, Xiangtan, 411100, China
| | - Liesong Chen
- Pathogenic Biology Institute, Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Chuan Wang
- Pathogenic Biology Institute, Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Li Li
- Pathogenic Biology Institute, Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Yafeng Xie
- Pathogenic Biology Institute, Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Department of Pathology, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China
| | - Chaoqun Chen
- Pathogenic Biology Institute, Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China. .,Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, Hengyang, 421001, China.
| | - Yimou Wu
- Pathogenic Biology Institute, Medical College, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Special Pathogens Prevention and Control, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China. .,Hunan Province Cooperative Innovation Center for Molecular Target New Drug Study, Hengyang, 421001, China.
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