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Sadat Larijani M, Biglari A, Sorouri R, Salehi-Vaziri M, Doroud D, Azadmanesh K, Fotouhi F, Mostafavi E, Ramezani A. Lessons from COVID-19 Pandemic: A Successful Policy and Practice by Pasteur Institute of Iran. IRANIAN BIOMEDICAL JOURNAL 2024; 28:1-7. [PMID: 38224028 PMCID: PMC10994636 DOI: 10.61186/ibj.3964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
The present study aims to provide an insight to the comprehensive efforts of Pasteur Institute of Iran (PII) regarding COVID-19 management, research, achievements, and vaccine production, though there are many challenges. The relevant literature review was investigated through national and international database and also reports from the related research departments. Six strategies were taken by PII to manage the pandemic of COVID-19. While this pandemic has been hopefully controlled, SARS-CoV-2 could still be a potential threat. Therefore, COVID-19 data management and updated studies, as well as long-term safety and efficacy of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are still on the agenda.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alireza Biglari
- School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Rahim Sorouri
- IPI Directorate, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Delaram Doroud
- Quality Control Department, Production and research Complex, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Keyhan Azadmanesh
- Department of Molecular Virology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Fotouhi
- Department of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ehsan Mostafavi
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amitis Ramezani
- Clinical Research Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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Farahmand B, Sadat Larijani M, Fotouhi F, Biglari A, Sorouri R, Bagheri Amiri F, Eslamifar A, Jalali T, Salehi-Vaziri M, Banifazl M, Dahmardeh S, Eshratkhah Mohammadnejad A, Bavand A, Tavakoli M, Verez-Bencomo V, Mostafavi E, Noori Daloii H, Ashrafian F, Saberpour M, Ramezani A. Evaluation of PastoCovac plus vaccine as a booster dose on vaccinated individuals with inactivated COVID-19 vaccine. Heliyon 2023; 9:e20555. [PMID: 37810803 PMCID: PMC10551543 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic has been managed through global vaccination programs. However, the antibody waning in various types of vaccines came to notice. Hereby, PastoCovac Plus as a protein subunit vaccine was investigated in immunized health care workers by COVAXIN (BBV152). The booster vaccine was recommended at least three months post the second dose of COVAXIN. Sera collection was done before and after each injection. SARS-CoV-2 PCR test was done monthly to detect any asymptomatic and symptomatic vaccine breakthrough. 47.9 and 24.3% of the participants were seronegative for anti-N and anti-S antibodies three months after the second dose of COVAXIN, respectively. On average, fold-rises of 70, 93, 8 and mean-rises of 23.32, 892.4, 5.59 were recorded regarding neutralizing antibody, quantitative and semi-quantitative anti-Spike antibody, respectively. Anti-Spike and neutralizing antibodies seroconversion was seen 59.3% and 45.7%, respectively. The vaccine breakthrough assessment showed that all the isolated samples belonged to SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. PastoCovac Plus boosting is strongly recommended in combination with inactivated vaccine platforms against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behrokh Farahmand
- Department of Influenza and Other Rrespiratory Viruses, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Fatemeh Fotouhi
- Department of Influenza and Other Rrespiratory Viruses, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Biglari
- School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Rahim Sorouri
- IPI Directorate, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fahimeh Bagheri Amiri
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Eslamifar
- Clinical Research Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Tahmineh Jalali
- COVID-19 National Reference Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Mohammad Banifazl
- Iranian Society for Support of Patients with Infectious Disease, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sarah Dahmardeh
- Vaccination Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Anahita Bavand
- Clinical Research Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahsa Tavakoli
- COVID-19 National Reference Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Ehsan Mostafavi
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hassan Noori Daloii
- Health and Safety Department, Production and Research Complex, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Ashrafian
- Clinical Research Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masoumeh Saberpour
- Department of Influenza and Other Rrespiratory Viruses, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amitis Ramezani
- Clinical Research Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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Santoni D. Peptide Hamming Graphs: A network representation of peptides presented through specific HLAs to identify potential epitope clusters. J Immunol Methods 2023; 517:113474. [PMID: 37068621 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2023.113474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Class I Major Histocompatibility Complex plays a critical role in the adaptive immune response by binding to peptides processed by Proteasome and Transporter associated with antigen processing complex and presenting them on the cell surface to cytotoxic T-cells. Understanding the process of peptide presentation and studying how presented peptides are distributed in the huge space of all potential epitopes could have a dramatic impact in the context of vaccine design, transplantation, autoimmunity, and cancer development. METHODS In the present work we propose a graph-driven approach to investigate the landscape of both self (human) and viral (254 organisms) peptides presented on cell surface through class I Major Histocompatibility Complex considering specific HLAs. For each considered HLA (N = 89) we designed a network, namely Peptide Hamming Graph, where nodes are peptides predicted to be presented by a given HLA and an edge is set when the Hamming distance between two peptides is equal or smaller than 2 (i.e. the same amino acid occurs in at least 7 positions of the two sequences). RESULTS Through the analysis of Peptide Hamming Graphs we studied how predicted presented peptides are distributed in the whole configurational space for different HLAs, identifying sets of viral peptides that can constitute a potential target for the immune system. In particular we selected connected components of the graph made exclusively of viral peptides and sets of viral peptides with high node degree interacting exclusively with viral neighbours. CONCLUSIONS This work constitutes an innovative approach to study potential cytotoxic T-cell epitopes relying on a network approach, overcoming the classical paradigm based on the identification of potential epitopes only considering their features as single peptides. T-cell cross-reactivity plays a focal role for the efficacy of this strategy increasing the probability of recognition, and consequently a stronger immune response, of presented peptides far from self, sharing a common pattern in terms of sequence similarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Santoni
- Institute for System Analysis and Computer Science "Antonio Ruberti", National Research Council of Italy, Via dei Taurini 19, Rome 00185, Italy.
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Bahramali G, Mashhadi Abolghasem Shirazi M, Hannan M, Aghasadeghi MR, Khosravy MS, Arjmand S, Sadat SM. Immunogenicity evaluation of a novel virus-like particle vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 in BALB/c. Pathog Dis 2023; 81:ftad021. [PMID: 37667486 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftad021] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed deployment of an effective vaccine as a worldwide health priority. The new variants of SARS-CoV-2 have also brought serious concerns due to virus eradiation hesitancy. In this study, we evaluated the protective immune system activity of a recombinant viral vector-based vaccine candidate encoding a fusion spike, membrane and nucleocapsid proteins, Spike (528-1273aa)-M-N, in BALB/c via two different routes of delivery, intranasal and subcutaneous. The immune responses were then assessed through specific SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, interleukin and granzyme B secretion. The outcomes showed that the IgG titer and IgA secretion was higher in intranasal route in comparison with the subcutaneous, and what is more, a higher titer of IL-4 was detected through the intranasal route, whereas IFN-γ was highly induced via the subcutaneous route. The cytotoxic cell activities were mostly achieved via subcutaneous route immunization. Vaccination with the target antigen is immunogenic and led to induction of specific antibodies. Both humoral and cellular immunity arms were well activated in immunized mice, especially through intranasal route with detectable IgA and IgG. Therefore, implication of the platform as a potential vaccine candidate has potential as a future prophylactic vaccine that guarantees further investigations for the assessment of its immunogenicity in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Golnaz Bahramali
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS and Blood borne diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran 1316946551, Iran
| | | | - Mina Hannan
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS and Blood borne diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran 1316946551, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Aghasadeghi
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS and Blood borne diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran 1316946551, Iran
| | - Mohammad Sadeq Khosravy
- Department of Rabies Research (B), WHO Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Rabies, Tehran 1316946551, Iran
| | - Sina Arjmand
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS and Blood borne diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran 1316946551, Iran
| | - Seyed Mehdi Sadat
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS and Blood borne diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran 1316946551, Iran
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Susithra Priyadarshni M, Isaac Kirubakaran S, Harish MC. In silico approach to design a multi-epitopic vaccine candidate targeting the non-mutational immunogenic regions in envelope protein and surface glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022; 40:12948-12963. [PMID: 34528491 PMCID: PMC8477437 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1977702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The novel corona virus (COVID-19) is a causative agent for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) and responsible for the current human pandemic situation which has caused global social and economic commotion. The currently available vaccines use whole viruses whereas there is scope for peptide based vaccines. Thus, the global raise in statistics of this infection at an alarming rate evoked us to determine a novel and effective vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2. To find the potential vaccine candidate targets, immunoinformatics approaches were used to analyze the mutations in the envelope protein and surface glycoprotein and determine the conserved region; further specific T-cell epitopes VSLVKPSFY, SLVKPSFYV, RVKNLNSSR, SEETGTLIV, LVKPSFYVY, LTDEMIAQY, YLQPRTFLL, RLFRKSNLK, SPRRARSVA, AEIRASANL, TLLALHRSY, YSRVKNLNS and FELLHAPAT and B-cells epitopes TLAILTALRLCAYCCN and AGTITSGWTFGAGAAL were identified. The 3 D structure of epitope was predicted, refined and validated. The molecular docking analysis of multi-epitope vaccine candidates with TLR receptors, predicted effective binding. Overall, using bioinformatics approach this multi-epitopic target facilitates the proof of concept for SARS-CoV-2 conserved epitopic vaccine design.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - S. Isaac Kirubakaran
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, KS, USA
| | - M. C. Harish
- Department of Biotechnology, Thiruvalluvar University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India,CONTACT M. C. Harish Department of Biotechnology, Thiruvalluvar University, Serkkadu, Vellore632115, India
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Salod Z, Mahomed O. Mapping Potential Vaccine Candidates Predicted by VaxiJen for Different Viral Pathogens between 2017-2021-A Scoping Review. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:1785. [PMID: 36366294 PMCID: PMC9695814 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10111785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Reverse vaccinology (RV) is a promising alternative to traditional vaccinology. RV focuses on in silico methods to identify antigens or potential vaccine candidates (PVCs) from a pathogen's proteome. Researchers use VaxiJen, the most well-known RV tool, to predict PVCs for various pathogens. The purpose of this scoping review is to provide an overview of PVCs predicted by VaxiJen for different viruses between 2017 and 2021 using Arksey and O'Malley's framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. We used the term 'vaxijen' to search PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, and ProQuest One Academic. The protocol was registered at the Open Science Framework (OSF). We identified articles on this topic, charted them, and discussed the key findings. The database searches yielded 1033 articles, of which 275 were eligible. Most studies focused on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), published between 2020 and 2021. Only a few articles (8/275; 2.9%) conducted experimental validations to confirm the predictions as vaccine candidates, with 2.2% (6/275) articles mentioning recombinant protein expression. Researchers commonly targeted parts of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein, with the frequently predicted epitopes as PVCs being major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I T cell epitopes WTAGAAAYY, RQIAPGQTG, IAIVMVTIM, and B cell epitope IAPGQTGKIADY, among others. The findings of this review are promising for the development of novel vaccines. We recommend that vaccinologists use these findings as a guide to performing experimental validation for various viruses, with SARS-CoV-2 as a priority, because better vaccines are needed, especially to stay ahead of the emergence of new variants. If successful, these vaccines could provide broader protection than traditional vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zakia Salod
- Discipline of Public Health Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4051, South Africa
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SARS-CoV-2 Viral Shedding and Associated Factors among COVID-19 Inpatients and Outpatients. Interdiscip Perspect Infect Dis 2022; 2022:1411106. [PMID: 35734510 PMCID: PMC9207016 DOI: 10.1155/2022/1411106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background According to the contagious ability of the new virus, SARS-CoV-2, characterization of viral shedding duration in the period of infection is highly valuable in terms of providing quarantine guidelines and isolation policies. Therefore, we aimed at viral shedding determination in 58 COVID-19 confirmed Iranian subjects in different stages. Methods 58 COVID-19 confirmed Iranian subjects including 21 outpatients and 37 inpatients were investigated. The analytical data and clinical properties were documented in the standard questionnaire. The RT-PCR tests were done two and three weeks after the symptoms initiation. Results Viral eradication occurred in 44.8% two weeks after illness initiation whereas in 71% who achieved a negative PCR test in the third week. Moreover, prolonged viral shedding was observed in hospitalized cases in comparison to outpatients. Almost 30% of patients continued viral shedding three weeks after disease initiation. Conclusion A longer duration of viral shedding in hospitalized cases rather than outpatients was observed in this study. The results similar to other investigations call into question if the current policies are enough to prevent the viral spread or not. This study should be done on a larger sample to provide an appropriate time in isolation policy.
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Probing the Immune System Dynamics of the COVID-19 Disease for Vaccine Designing and Drug Repurposing Using Bioinformatics Tools. IMMUNO 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/immuno2020022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The pathogenesis of COVID-19 is complicated by immune dysfunction. The impact of immune-based therapy in COVID-19 patients has been well documented, with some notable studies on the use of anti-cytokine medicines. However, the complexity of disease phenotypes, patient heterogeneity and the varying quality of evidence from immunotherapy studies provide problems in clinical decision-making. This review seeks to aid therapeutic decision-making by giving an overview of the immunological responses against COVID-19 disease that may contribute to the severity of the disease. We have extensively discussed theranostic methods for COVID-19 detection. With advancements in technology, bioinformatics has taken studies to a higher level. The paper also discusses the application of bioinformatics and machine learning tools for the diagnosis, vaccine design and drug repurposing against SARS-CoV-2.
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Das SK, Paul M, Behera BC, Thatoi H. Current status of COVID-19 vaccination: safety and liability concern for children, pregnant and lactating women. Expert Rev Vaccines 2022; 21:825-842. [PMID: 35313785 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2022.2056025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION : Since its inception, Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has claimed a significant number of lives around the world. AREA COVERED : COVID-19 vaccine development involves several vaccine platforms, including traditional live-attenuated or killed viral particles, viral vectors or DNA, and mRNA-based vaccines. The efficacy and effectiveness (EV) of these vaccines must be assessed in order to determine the extent to which they can protect us against infection. Despite the fact that some affluent countries attempted to vaccinate the majority of their inhabitants, children and pregnant women were first excluded. EXPERT OPINION : While the severity of COVID-19 is less severe in children, the COVID-19-related complications are more severe.SARS-CoV-2 infection is also dangerous for pregnant women. The key to limiting disease spread is early discovery, isolation, and the development of safe and efficient vaccinations. As a result, the purpose of this study is to highlight the current development of various COVID-19 vaccine platforms for different groups of people at higher risk of COVID-19, with a special focus on children, pregnant and lactating women, as well as structural and pathogenicity elements of SARS CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swagat Kumar Das
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Engineering and Technology, Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India-751001
| | - Manish Paul
- Department of Biotechnology, Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University, Sri Ram Chandra Vihar, Baripada, Odisha, India-757003
| | - Bikash Chandra Behera
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar-752050
| | - Hrudayanath Thatoi
- Department of Biotechnology, Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University, Sri Ram Chandra Vihar, Baripada, Odisha, India-757003
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Comparing Outcomes of Two Antiviral Therapy Combinations among COVID-19 Patients. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 2022:1522426. [PMID: 35013710 PMCID: PMC8742149 DOI: 10.1155/2022/1522426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Several therapeutic regimens for COVID-19 have been studied, such as combination antiviral therapies. We aimed to compare outcome of two types of combination therapies atazanavir/ritonavir (ATV/r) or lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) plus hydroxychloroquine among COVID-19 patients. 108 patients with moderate and severe forms of COVID-19 were divided into two groups (each group 54 patients). One group received ATV/r plus hydroxychloroquine, and the other group received hydroxychloroquine plus LPV/r. Then, both groups were evaluated and compared for clinical symptoms, recovery rates, and complications of treatment regimens. Our findings showed a significant increase in bilirubin in ATV/r-receiving group compared to LPV/r receivers. There was also a significant increase in arrhythmias in the LPV/r group compared to the ATV/r group during treatment. Other findings including length of hospital stay, outcome, and treatment complications were not statistically significant. There is no significant difference between protease inhibitor drugs including ATV/r and LPV/r in the treatment of COVID-19 regarding clinical outcomes. However, some side effects such as hyperbilirubinemia and arrhythmia were significantly different by application of atazanavir or lopinavir.
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Moreira RS, Filho VB, Calomeno NA, Wagner G, Miletti LC. EpiBuilder: A Tool for Assembling, Searching, and Classifying B-Cell Epitopes. Bioinform Biol Insights 2022; 16:11779322221095221. [PMID: 35571557 PMCID: PMC9102138 DOI: 10.1177/11779322221095221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Epitopes are portions of a protein that are recognized by antibodies. These small amino acid sequences represent a significant breakthrough in a branch of bioinformatics called immunoinformatics. Various software are available for linear B-cell epitope (BCE) prediction such as ABCPred, SVMTrip, EpiDope, and EpitopeVec; a well-known BCE predictor is BepiPred-2.0. However, despite the prediction, there are several essential steps, such as epitope assembly, evaluation, and searching for epitopes in other proteomes. Here, we present EpiBuilder (https://epibuilder.sourceforge.io), a user friendly software that assists in epitope assembly, classifying and searching using input results of BepiPred-2.0. EpiBuilder generates several output results from these data and supports a proteome-wide processing approach. In addition, this software provides the following features: Chou & Fasman beta-turn prediction, Emini surface accessibility prediction, Karplus and Schulz flexibility prediction, Kolaskar and Tongaonkar antigenicity, Parker hydrophilicity prediction, N-glycosylation domains, and hydropathy. These information generate a unique topology for each epitope, visually demonstrating its characteristics. The software can search the entire epitope sequence in various FASTA files, and it allows to use BLASTP to identify epitopes that eventually have sequence variations. As an EpiBuilder application, we developed a epitope dataset from the protozoan Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, the gram-positive bacterium Clostridioides difficile, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
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Affiliation(s)
- Renato Simões Moreira
- Laboratório de Hemoparasitas e Vetores, Departamento de Produção Animal e Alimentos, Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias (CAV), Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Lages, Brazil
- Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina (IFSC), Lages, Brazil
| | - Vilmar Benetti Filho
- Laboratório de Bioinformática, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Nathália Anderson Calomeno
- Laboratório de Hemoparasitas e Vetores, Departamento de Produção Animal e Alimentos, Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias (CAV), Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Lages, Brazil
| | - Glauber Wagner
- Laboratório de Bioinformática, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
- Glauber Wagner, Laboratório de Bioinformática, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus João David Ferreira Lima, Setor F, Bloco A, Sala 318, Caixa postal 476, Trindade, Florianópolis 88040-970, SC, Brazil.
| | - Luiz Claudio Miletti
- Laboratório de Hemoparasitas e Vetores, Departamento de Produção Animal e Alimentos, Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias (CAV), Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Lages, Brazil
- Luiz Claudio Miletti, Laboratório de Hemoparasitas e Vetores, Departamento de Produção Animal e Alimentos, Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias (CAV), Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Av. Luiz de Camões, 2090 Bairro Conta Dinheiro, Lages 88520-000, SC, Brazil.
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Wijesinghe VN, Farouk IA, Zabidi NZ, Puniyamurti A, Choo WS, Lal SK. Current vaccine approaches and emerging strategies against herpes simplex virus (HSV). Expert Rev Vaccines 2021; 20:1077-1096. [PMID: 34296960 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2021.1960162] [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: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Vaccine development for the disease caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) has been challenging over the years and is always in dire need of novel approaches for prevention and cure. To date, the HSV disease remains incurable and challenging to prevent. The disease is extremely widespread due to its high infection rate, resulting in millions of infection cases worldwide.Areas covered: This review first explains the diverse forms of HSV-related disease presentations and reports past vaccine history for the disease. Next, this review examines current and novel HSV vaccine approaches being studied and tested for efficacy and safety as well as vaccines in clinical trial phases I to III. Modern approaches to vaccine design using bioinformatics are described. Finally, we discuss measures to enhance new vaccine development pipelines for HSV.Expert opinion: Modernized approaches using in silico analysis and bioinformatics are emerging methods that exhibit potential for producing vaccines with enhanced targets and formulations. Although not yet fully established for HSV disease, we describe current studies using these approaches for HSV vaccine design to shed light on these methods. In addition, we provide up-to-date requirements of immunogenicity, adjuvant selection, and routes of administration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Isra Ahmad Farouk
- School of Science, Monash University, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
| | | | | | - Wee Sim Choo
- School of Science, Monash University, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Sunil Kumar Lal
- School of Science, Monash University, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia.,Tropical Medicine & Biology Platform, Monash University, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
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Aljindan RY, Al-Subaie AM, Al-Ohali AI, Kumar D T, Doss C GP, Kamaraj B. Investigation of nonsynonymous mutations in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and its interaction with the ACE2 receptor by molecular docking and MM/GBSA approach. Comput Biol Med 2021; 135:104654. [PMID: 34346317 PMCID: PMC8282961 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.104654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
COVID-19 is an infectious and pathogenic viral disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 that leads to septic shock, coagulation dysfunction, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The spreading rate of SARS-CoV-2 is higher than MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV. The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the Spike-protein (S-protein) interacts with the human cells through the host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. However, the molecular mechanism of pathological mutations of S-protein is still unclear. In this perspective, we investigated the impact of mutations in the S-protein and their interaction with the ACE2 receptor for SAR-CoV-2 viral infection. We examined the stability of pathological nonsynonymous mutations in the S-protein, and the binding behavior of the ACE2 receptor with the S-protein upon nonsynonymous mutations using the molecular docking and MM_GBSA approaches. Using the extensive bioinformatics pipeline, we screened the destabilizing (L8V, L8W, L18F, Y145H, M153T, F157S, G476S, L611F, A879S, C1247F, and C1254F) and stabilizing (H49Y, S50L, N501Y, D614G, A845V, and P1143L) nonsynonymous mutations in the S-protein. The docking and binding free energy (ddG) scores revealed that the stabilizing nonsynonymous mutations show increased interaction between the S-protein and the ACE2 receptor compared to native and destabilizing S-proteins and that they may have been responsible for the virulent high level. Further, the molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) approach reveals the structural transition of mutants (N501Y and D614G) S-protein. These insights might help researchers to understand the pathological mechanisms of the S-protein and provide clues regarding mutations in viral infection and disease propagation. Further, it helps researchers to develop an efficient treatment approach against this SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reem Y Aljindan
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Abeer M Al-Subaie
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Ahoud I Al-Ohali
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Thirumal Kumar D
- Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600078, India.
| | - George Priya Doss C
- School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India.
| | - Balu Kamaraj
- Department of Neuroscience Technology, College of Applied Medical Sciences in Jubail, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Jubail, Saudi Arabia.
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14
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Gao Z, Shao JJ, Zhang GL, Ge SD, Chang YY, Xiao L, Chang HY. Development of an indirect ELISA to specifically detect antibodies against African swine fever virus: bioinformatics approaches. Virol J 2021; 18:97. [PMID: 33952293 PMCID: PMC8097255 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-021-01568-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND African swine fever (ASF), characterized by acute, severe, and fast-spreading, is a highly lethal swine infectious disease caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), which has caused substantial economic losses to the pig industry worldwide in the past 100 years. METHODS This study started with bioinformatics methods and verified the epitope fusion protein method's reliability that does not rely on traditional epitope identification. Meanwhile, it will also express and purify the constructed genes through prokaryotic expression and establish antibody detection methods. RESULTS The results indicated that the protein had good reactivity and did not cross-react with other swine diseases. The receiver-operating characteristic analysis was performed to verify the determination. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.9991 (95% confidence interval 0.9973 to 1.001). CONCLUSIONS It was proved that the recombinant protein is feasible as a diagnostic antigen to distinguish ASFV and provides a new idea for ASFV antibody detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhan Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, OIE/National Foot-and-Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 1 Xujiaping, Yanchangbao, Chengguan District, Lanzhou, 730046, Gansu, China
| | - Jun-Jun Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, OIE/National Foot-and-Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 1 Xujiaping, Yanchangbao, Chengguan District, Lanzhou, 730046, Gansu, China
| | - Guang-Lei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, OIE/National Foot-and-Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 1 Xujiaping, Yanchangbao, Chengguan District, Lanzhou, 730046, Gansu, China
| | - Su-Dan Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, OIE/National Foot-and-Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 1 Xujiaping, Yanchangbao, Chengguan District, Lanzhou, 730046, Gansu, China
| | - Yan-Yan Chang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, OIE/National Foot-and-Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 1 Xujiaping, Yanchangbao, Chengguan District, Lanzhou, 730046, Gansu, China
| | - Lei Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, OIE/National Foot-and-Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 1 Xujiaping, Yanchangbao, Chengguan District, Lanzhou, 730046, Gansu, China
| | - Hui-Yun Chang
- State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, OIE/National Foot-and-Mouth Disease Reference Laboratory, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 1 Xujiaping, Yanchangbao, Chengguan District, Lanzhou, 730046, Gansu, China.
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15
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Fotouhi F, Salehi-Vaziri M, Farahmand B, Mostafavi E, Pouriayevali MH, Jalali T, Mazaheri V, Sadat Larijani M, Tavakoli M, Eshratkhah Mohammadnejad A, Afzali N, Zokaei A, Hosseini S, Mortazavipour MM, Oskouei F, Ramezani A. Prolonged viral shedding and antibody persistence in patients with COVID-19. Microbes Infect 2021; 23:104810. [PMID: 33741515 PMCID: PMC7963517 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2021.104810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 as a new global threat has affected global population for one year. Despite the great effort to eradicate this infection, there are still some challenges including different viral presentation, temporal immunity in infected individuals and variable data of viral shedding. We studied 255 COVID-19 suspected individuals to assess the viral shedding duration and also the antibody development against SARS-CoV-2 among the cases. Real Time RT-PCR assay was applied to determine the virus presence and SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were evaluated using SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG kits. 113 patients were confirmed for COVID-19 infection. The patients were followed until negative PCR achieved. The median viral shedding among studied population was obtained 34.16 (±17.65) days which was not significantly associated with age, sex and underlying diseases. Shiver and body pain were found in prolonged form of the infection and also patients who had gastrointestinal problems experienced longer viral shedding. Moreover, IgG was present in 84% of patients after 150 days. According to this data, the median viral shedding prolongation was 34.16 days which indicates that 14 days isolation might not be enough for population. In addition, IgG profiling indicated that it is persistent in a majority of patients for nearly 6 months which has brought some hopes in vaccine efficacy and application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Fotouhi
- Department of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mostafa Salehi-Vaziri
- Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Reference Laboratory), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; COVID-19 National Reference Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Behrokh Farahmand
- Department of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Ehsan Mostafavi
- Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mohammad Hassan Pouriayevali
- Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Reference Laboratory), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; COVID-19 National Reference Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Tahmineh Jalali
- Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Reference Laboratory), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; COVID-19 National Reference Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Vahideh Mazaheri
- Department of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | | | - Mahsa Tavakoli
- Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Reference Laboratory), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; COVID-19 National Reference Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | | | - Neda Afzali
- COVID-19 National Reference Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Afsaneh Zokaei
- COVID-19 National Reference Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - SeyedeAtefe Hosseini
- COVID-19 National Reference Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | | | | | - Amitis Ramezani
- Clinical Research Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
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16
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Salehi-Vaziri M, Omrani MD, Pouriayevali MH, Fotouhi F, Banifazl M, Farahmand B, Sadat Larijani M, Ahmadi Z, Fereydouni Z, Tavakoli M, Jalali T, Ramezani A. SARS-CoV-2 presented moderately during two episodes of the infection with lack of antibody responses. Virus Res 2021; 299:198421. [PMID: 33836204 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2021.198421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The world has gone through the critical phase of SARS-CoV-2 crisis caused by the new variants of the virus. The globally concerted effort to characterize viral genomic mutations across different clades has revealed several changes in the coding and also non-coding regions which might lead to a violent presentation or re-infection occurrence. Here, we studied a COVID-19 subject who represented the symptoms following the full recovery of the first infection. COVID-19 specific IgM and IgG were evaluated in both steps. The viral samples from oropharyngeal/nasopharyngeal were subjected to RT-PCR and full sequencing was done in both incidences. The sequencing data was fully investigated with the reference sequence of SARS-CoV-2 and the changes were detected. The obtained data is in favor of re-infection with 128 days of interval. SARS-CoV-2 presented more severely in the second episode of the disease and the specific antibodies against COVID-19 were not detectable. Both infections were caused by the same clade 20G, however, the mutation rates were higher in the second incidence including 10 nucleotide substitutions which had rarely been reported before. In the present study, the nucleotide mutations in various regions of the viral genome have been presented. The re-infection could have significant effect on clinical implications as well as vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa Salehi-Vaziri
- COVID-19 National Reference Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Reference Laboratory), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mir Davood Omrani
- Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hassan Pouriayevali
- COVID-19 National Reference Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Reference Laboratory), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Fotouhi
- Department of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses of Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Banifazl
- Iranian Society for Support of Patients with Infectious Disease, Tehran, Iran
| | - Behrokh Farahmand
- Department of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses of Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Zahra Ahmadi
- COVID-19 National Reference Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Reference Laboratory), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Fereydouni
- COVID-19 National Reference Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Reference Laboratory), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahsa Tavakoli
- COVID-19 National Reference Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Reference Laboratory), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Tahmineh Jalali
- COVID-19 National Reference Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Reference Laboratory), Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Amitis Ramezani
- Clinical Research Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
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