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Mubarak AS, Ameen ZS, Hassan AS, Ozsahin DU. Enhancing tuberculosis vaccine development: a deconvolution neural network approach for multi-epitope prediction. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10375. [PMID: 38710737 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59291-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) poses a significant threat to human life, and current BCG vaccinations only provide sporadic protection, therefore there is a need for developing efficient vaccines. Numerous immunoinformatic methods have been utilized previously, here for the first time a deep learning framework based on Deconvolutional Neural Networks (DCNN) and Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (DCNN-BiLSTM) was used to predict Mtb Multiepitope vaccine (MtbMEV) subunits against six Mtb H37Rv proteins. The trained model was used to design MEV within a few minutes against TB better than other machine learning models with 99.5% accuracy. The MEV has good antigenicity, and physiochemical properties, and is thermostable, soluble, and hydrophilic. The vaccine's BLAST search ruled out the possibility of autoimmune reactions. The secondary structure analysis revealed 87% coil, 10% beta, and 2% alpha helix, while the tertiary structure was highly upgraded after refinement. Molecular docking with TLR3 and TLR4 receptors showed good binding, indicating high immune reactions. Immune response simulation confirmed the generation of innate and adaptive responses. In-silico cloning revealed the vaccine is highly expressed in E. coli. The results can be further experimentally verified using various analyses to establish a candidate vaccine for future clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Auwalu Saleh Mubarak
- Operational Research Centre in Healthcare, Near East University, TRNC Mersin 10, Nicosia, 99138, Turkey
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil, Kano, Nigeria
| | - Zubaida Said Ameen
- Operational Research Centre in Healthcare, Near East University, TRNC Mersin 10, Nicosia, 99138, Turkey
- Department of Biochemistry, Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano, Nigeria
| | - Abdurrahman Shuaibu Hassan
- Department of Electrical Electronics and Automation Systems Engineering, Kampala International University, Kampala, Uganda.
| | - Dilber Uzun Ozsahin
- Operational Research Centre in Healthcare, Near East University, TRNC Mersin 10, Nicosia, 99138, Turkey.
- Department of Medical Diagnostic Imaging, College of Health Science, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE.
- Research Institute for Medical and Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE.
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Shafaghi M, Bahadori Z, Barzi SM, Afshari E, Madanchi H, Mousavi SF, Shabani AA. A new candidate epitope-based vaccine against PspA PhtD of Streptococcus pneumoniae: a computational experimental approach. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1271143. [PMID: 38035337 PMCID: PMC10684780 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1271143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Pneumococcus is an important respiratory pathogen that is associated with high rates of death in newborn children and the elderly. Given the disadvantages of current polysaccharide-based vaccines, the most promising alternative for developing improved vaccines may be to use protein antigens with different roles in pneumococcus virulence. PspA and PhtD, highly immunogenic surface proteins expressed by almost all pneumococcal strains, are capable of eliciting protective immunity against lethal infections. Methods In this study using immunoinformatics approaches, we constructed one fusion construct (called PAD) by fusing the immunodominant regions of PspA from families 1 & 2 (PA) to the immunodominant regions of PhtD (PD). The objective of this project was to test the immunogenicity of the fusion protein PAD and to compare its protective activity against S. pneumoniae infection with PA or PD alone and a combination of PA and PD. The prediction of physicochemical properties, antigenicity, allergenicity, toxicity, and 3D-structure of the constructs, as well as molecular docking with HLA receptor and immune simulation were performed using computational tools. Finally, mice were immunized and the serum levels of antibodies/cytokines and functionality of antibodies in vitro were evaluated after immunization. The mice survival rates and decrease of bacterial loads in the blood/spleen were examined following the challenge. Results The computational analyses indicated the proposed constructs could be antigenic, non-allergenic, non-toxic, soluble and able to elicit robust immune responses. The results of actual animal experiments revealed the candidate vaccines could induce the mice to produce high levels of antibodies and cytokines. The complement-mediated bactericidal activity of antibodies was confirmed and the antibodies provided favorable survival in immunized mice after bacterial challenge. In general, the experimental results verified the immunoinformatics studies. Conclusion For the first time this report presents novel peptide-based vaccine candidates consisting of immunodominant regions of PspA and PhtD antigens. The obtained findings confirmed that the fusion formulation could be relatively more efficient than the individual and combination formulations. The results propose that the fusion protein alone could be used as a serotype-independent pneumococcal vaccine or as an effective partner protein for a conjugate polysaccharide vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Shafaghi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
- Department of Bacteriology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zohreh Bahadori
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
- Department of Bacteriology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Elnaz Afshari
- Department of Bacteriology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Madanchi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
- Drug Design and Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Medical Biotechnology, Biotechnology Research Center, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Ali Akbar Shabani
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
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Afshari E, Ahangari Cohan R, Shams Nosrati MS, Mousavi SF. Development of a bivalent protein-based vaccine candidate against invasive pneumococcal diseases based on novel pneumococcal surface protein A in combination with pneumococcal histidine triad protein D. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1187773. [PMID: 37680628 PMCID: PMC10480505 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1187773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Extensive efforts have been made toward improving effective strategies for pneumococcal vaccination, focusing on evaluating the potential of multivalent protein-based vaccines and overcoming the limitations of pneumococcal polysaccharide-based vaccines. In this study, we investigated the protective potential of mice co-immunization with the pneumococcal PhtD and novel rPspA proteins against pneumococcal sepsis infection. The formulations of each antigen alone or in combination were administered intraperitoneally with alum adjuvant into BALB/c mice three times at 14-day intervals. The production of antigen-specific IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a subclasses, and IL-4 and IFN-γ cytokines, were analyzed. Two in vitro complement- and opsonophagocytic-mediated killing activities of raised antibodies on day 42 were also assessed. Finally, the protection against an intraperitoneal challenge with 106 CFU/mouse of multi-drug resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae ATCC49619 was investigated. Our findings showed a significant increase in the anti-PhtD and anti-rPspA sera IgG levels in the immunized group with the PhtD+rPspA formulation compared to each alone. Moreover, the results demonstrated a synergistic effect with a 6.7- and 1.3- fold increase in anti-PhtD and anti-rPspA IgG1, as well as a 5.59- and 1.08- fold increase in anti-PhtD and anti-rPspA IgG2a, respectively. Co-administration of rPspA+PhtD elicited a mixture of Th-2 and Th-1 immune responses, more towards Th-2. In addition, the highest complement-mediated killing activity was observed in the sera of the immunized group with PhtD+rPspA at 1/16 dilution, and the opsonophagocytic activity was increased from 74% to 86.3%. Finally, the survival rates showed that mice receiving the rPspA+PhtD formulation survived significantly longer (100%) than those receiving protein alone or PBS and exhibited the strongest clearance with a 2 log10 decrease in bacterial load in the blood 24h after challenge compared to the control group. In conclusion, the rPspA+PhtD formulation can be considered a promising bivalent serotype-independent vaccine candidate for protection against invasive pneumococcal infection in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elnaz Afshari
- Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Microbiology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Ahangari Cohan
- Department of Nanobiotechnology, New Technologies Research Group, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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Afshari E, Cohan RA, Sotoodehnejadnematalahi F, Mousavi SF. In-silico design and evaluation of an epitope-based serotype-independent promising vaccine candidate for highly cross-reactive regions of pneumococcal surface protein A. J Transl Med 2023; 21:13. [PMID: 36627666 PMCID: PMC9830136 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03864-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The pathogenicity of pneumococcus with high morbidity, mortality, and multi-drug resistance patterns has been increasing. The limited coverage of the licensed polysaccharide-based vaccines and the replacement of the non-vaccine serotypes are the main reasons for producing a successful serotype-independent vaccine. Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) is an extremely important virulence factor and an interesting candidate for conserved protein-based pneumococcal vaccine classified into two prominent families containing five clades. PspA family-elicited immunity is clade-dependent, and the level of the PspA cross-reactivity is restricted to the same family. METHODS To cover and overcome the clade-dependent immunity of the PspAs in this study, we designed and tested a PspA1-5c+p vaccine candidate composed of the highest immunodominant coverage of B- and T-cell epitope truncated domain of each clade focusing on two cross-reactive B and C regions of the PspAs. The antigenicity, toxicity, physicochemical properties, 3D structure prediction, stability and flexibility of the designed protein using molecular dynamic (MD) simulation, molecular docking of the construct withHLADRB1*(01:01) and human lactoferrin N-lop, and immune simulation were assessed using immunoinformatics tools. In the experimental section, after intraperitoneal immunization of the mice with Alum adjuvanted recombinant PspA1-5c+p, we evaluated the immune response, cross-reactivity, and functionality of the Anti-PspA1-5c+p antibody using ELISA, Opsonophagocytic killing activity, and serum bactericidal assay. RESULTS For the first time, this work suggested a novel PspA-based vaccine candidate using immunoinformatics tools. The designed PspA1-5c+p protein is predicted to be highly antigenic, non-toxic, soluble, stable with low flexibility in MD simulation, and able to stimulate both humoral and cellular immune responses. The designed protein also could interact strongly with HLADRB1*(01:01) and human lactoferrin N-lop in the docking study. Our immunoinformatics predictions were validated using experimental data. Results showed that the anti-PspA1-5c+p IgG not only had a high titer with strong and same cross-reactivity coverage against all pneumococcal serotypes used but also had high and effective bioactivity for pneumococcal clearance using complement system and phagocytic cells. CONCLUSION Our findings elucidated the potential application of the PspA1-5c+p vaccine candidate as a serotype-independent pneumococcal vaccine with a strong cross-reactivity feature. Further in-vitro and in-vivo investigations against other PspA clades should be performed to confirm the full protection of the PspA1-5c+p vaccine candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elnaz Afshari
- grid.411463.50000 0001 0706 2472Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Ahangari Cohan
- grid.420169.80000 0000 9562 2611Department of Nanobiotechnology, New Technologies Research Group, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fattah Sotoodehnejadnematalahi
- grid.411463.50000 0001 0706 2472Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Fazlollah Mousavi
- grid.420169.80000 0000 9562 2611Department of Microbiology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, 69 Pasteur Ave., Tehran, 13164 Iran
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Jahantigh HR, Faezi S, Habibi M, Mahdavi M, Stufano A, Lovreglio P, Ahmadi K. The Candidate Antigens to Achieving an Effective Vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10020199. [PMID: 35214658 PMCID: PMC8876328 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10020199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is an opportunistic pathogen that causes various inflammatory local infections, from those of the skin to postinfectious glomerulonephritis. These infections could result in serious threats, putting the life of the patient in danger. Antibiotic-resistant S. aureus could lead to dramatic increases in human mortality. Antibiotic resistance would explicate the failure of current antibiotic therapies. So, it is obvious that an effective vaccine against S. aureus infections would significantly reduce costs related to care in hospitals. Bacterial vaccines have important impacts on morbidity and mortality caused by several common pathogens, however, a prophylactic vaccine against staphylococci has not yet been produced. During the last decades, the efforts to develop an S. aureus vaccine have faced two major failures in clinical trials. New strategies for vaccine development against S. aureus has supported the use of multiple antigens, the inclusion of adjuvants, and the focus on various virulence mechanisms. We aimed to present a compressive review of different antigens of S. aureus and also to introduce vaccine candidates undergoing clinical trials, from which can help us to choose a suitable and effective candidate for vaccine development against S. aureus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamid Reza Jahantigh
- Animal Health and Zoonosis, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, 70010 Bari, Italy;
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Section of Occupational Medicine, University of Bari, 70010 Bari, Italy;
- Correspondence: (H.R.J.); (K.A.); Tel.: +39-3773827669 (H.R.J.)
| | - Sobhan Faezi
- Medical Biotechnology Research Center, School of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht 41937, Iran;
| | - Mehri Habibi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Pasteur Ave., Tehran 13164, Iran;
| | - Mehdi Mahdavi
- Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) Department, Breast Cancer Research Center, Motamed Cancer Institute, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran 1517964311, Iran
- Recombinant Vaccine Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 13164, Iran;
| | - Angela Stufano
- Animal Health and Zoonosis, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, 70010 Bari, Italy;
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Section of Occupational Medicine, University of Bari, 70010 Bari, Italy;
| | - Piero Lovreglio
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Section of Occupational Medicine, University of Bari, 70010 Bari, Italy;
| | - Khadijeh Ahmadi
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas 79391, Iran
- Correspondence: (H.R.J.); (K.A.); Tel.: +39-3773827669 (H.R.J.)
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Evaluation of the immune response to a multi-epitope vaccine candidate in comparison with Hla H35L, MntC, and SACOL0723 proteins against MRSA infection. Biologicals 2021; 73:8-15. [PMID: 34376341 DOI: 10.1016/j.biologicals.2021.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is an important human opportunistic pathogen that can have a major influence on public health. Here, we aimed to evaluate different aspects of the immune response to a novel multi-epitope fusion protein (HMS) based on HlaH35L, MntC, and SACOL0723 proteins in comparison to the individual antigens. For this purpose, specific total IgG, IgG1, and IgG2a isotypes and the cytokines related to Th1, Th2, and Th17 were assessed. The Bio-efficiency of the fusion protein was evaluated by opsonic killing activity. The HMS fusion protein elicited a high specific IgG level and also induced a higher level of Th1, Th2, and Th17-related cytokines which were more polarized towards the Th1 and Th17 compared to individual antigens. The HMS-specific antisera also significantly promoted phagocytosis of S. aureus COL strain by mouse macrophages. In conclusion, the fusion protein might be an effective vaccine for potential protective immunity against a lethal infection of S. aureus in mice.
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Ghaedi T, Davoodian P, Hassaniazad M, Eftekhar E, Faezi S, Abparvar AA, Einakian MA, Ahmadi K. Protective efficacy of Hla-MntC-SACOL0723 fusion protein adjuvanted in alum and MPL against Staphylococcus aureus sepsis infection in mice. J Immunol Methods 2021; 494:113055. [PMID: 33857474 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2021.113055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
To develop a suitable and effective vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), we selected the Hla-MntC-SACOL0723 (HMS) recombinant protein with two different formulations of alum and Monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) adjuvants. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the potentials of alum and MPL adjuvants in stimulating the immune response of HMS vaccine candidate against S. aureus. To evaluate the type of induced immune response, anti-HMS total IgG, IgG1, IgG2a, and IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-17 cytokines were determined after vaccination of mice with HMS-alum, HMS-MPL candidates. Mice were challenged with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was isolated from pressure sores and evaluated for bacterial load in the kidney homogenates and survival rate. It was observed that total IgG and isotypes (IgG1 and IgG2a), IL-4, and IL-17 were significantly increased in the group that received HMS-alum vaccine compared with the group that received HMS-MPL formulation. On the other hand, the levels of IFN-γ and IL-2 cytokines in the group that received HMS-MPL were higher than the group that received HMS-alum formulation. Bacterial load in the mice who received HMS protein formulated with alum adjuvant was reduced more than the mice who received HMS protein formulated with MPL adjuvant. Histopathological analysis showed more pathological changes in kidney tissues of the group received of HMS-MPL compared with the HMS-alum formulation. The survival rate was equal in both groups of immunized with HMS-alum and HMS-MPL formulations. Finally, it could be concluded that both adjuvants of alum and MPL are suitable immune response enhancers to HMS vaccine candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tayebeh Ghaedi
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
| | - Parivash Davoodian
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
| | - Mehdi Hassaniazad
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
| | - Ebrahim Eftekhar
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
| | - Sobhan Faezi
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran; Medical Biotechnology Research Center, School of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Ali Atash Abparvar
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Einakian
- Food Health Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
| | - Khadijeh Ahmadi
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
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Jahantigh HR, Stufano A, Lovreglio P, Rezaee SA, Ahmadi K. In silico identification of epitope-based vaccine candidates against HTLV-1. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2021; 40:6737-6754. [PMID: 33648421 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1889669] [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: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Human T cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1) is the cause of adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), uveitis, and certain pulmonary diseases. In recent decades, many scientists have proposed the development of different treatment and prevention strategies to combat HTLV-1 infection. In this study, we used bioinformatics tools to predict peptide and protein vaccine candidates against HTLV-1 that can potentially induce antibody production and both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell immune responses. Five critical proteins, viz., Hbz, Tax, Pol, Gag, and Env, were analyzed for predicting immunogenic T and B cell epitopes and subsequently evaluated using bioinformatics tools. Based on the predictions, the most antigenic epitopes were selected, and their interaction with immune receptors was investigated. We also designed a protein vaccine candidate with an eight-epitopes-rich domain, including overlapping epitopes detected on both B and T cells. Then, the interaction of the epitope and the designed protein with immune receptors was validated in an in silico docking study. The docking analysis showed that the O2 epitope and D8 protein interact strongly with immune receptors, especially the HLA-A*02:01 receptor. The stability of the interactions was investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) for 100 ns. The root mean square deviation, radius of gyration, hydrogen bonds, and solvent-accessible surface area were calculated for the 100 ns trajectory period. MD studies demonstrated that the O2-HLA-A*02:01 and D8-HLA-A*02:01 complexes were stable during the simulation. Analysis of in silico results showed that the peptide and the designed protein could elicit humoral and cell-mediated immune responses.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamid Reza Jahantigh
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine - Section of Occupational Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.,Animal Health and Zoonosis PhD Course, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Angela Stufano
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine - Section of Occupational Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.,Animal Health and Zoonosis PhD Course, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Piero Lovreglio
- Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine - Section of Occupational Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Seyed Abdolrahim Rezaee
- Department of Virology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Khadijeh Ahmadi
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
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Bibi S, Ullah I, Zhu B, Adnan M, Liaqat R, Kong WB, Niu S. In silico analysis of epitope-based vaccine candidate against tuberculosis using reverse vaccinology. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1249. [PMID: 33441913 PMCID: PMC7807040 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80899-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) kills more individuals in the world than any other disease, and a threat made direr by the coverage of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the single TB vaccine licensed for use in human beings and effectively protects infants and children against severe military and meningeal TB. We applied advanced computational techniques to develop a universal TB vaccine. In the current study, we select the very conserved, experimentally confirmed Mtb antigens, including Rv2608, Rv2684, Rv3804c (Ag85A), and Rv0125 (Mtb32A) to design a novel multi-epitope subunit vaccine. By using the Immune Epitopes Database (IEDB), we predicted different B-cell and T-cell epitopes. An adjuvant (Griselimycin) was also added to vaccine construct to improve its immunogenicity. Bioinformatics tools were used to predict, refined, and validate the 3D structure and then docked with toll-like-receptor (TLR-3) using different servers. The constructed vaccine was used for further processing based on allergenicity, antigenicity, solubility, different physiochemical properties, and molecular docking scores. The in silico immune simulation results showed significant response for immune cells. For successful expression of the vaccine in E. coli, in-silico cloning and codon optimization were performed. This research also sets out a good signal for the design of a peptide-based tuberculosis vaccine. In conclusion, our findings show that the known multi-epitope vaccine may activate humoral and cellular immune responses and maybe a possible tuberculosis vaccine candidate. Therefore, more experimental validations should be exposed to it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaheen Bibi
- College of Life Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, Gansu, China
- Lanzhou Center for Tuberculosis Research and Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Evidence Based Medicine and Clinical Translation, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Institute of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Inayat Ullah
- Lanzhou Center for Tuberculosis Research and Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Evidence Based Medicine and Clinical Translation, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Institute of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Bingdong Zhu
- Lanzhou Center for Tuberculosis Research and Gansu Provincial Key Laboratory of Evidence Based Medicine and Clinical Translation, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- Institute of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Muhammad Adnan
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 99 Lincheng west Road, Guanshan Lake District, Guiyang, 550081, Guizhou, China
| | - Romana Liaqat
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Wei-Bao Kong
- College of Life Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, Gansu, China
| | - Shiquan Niu
- College of Life Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, Gansu, China.
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Ahmadi K, Hasaniazad M, Kalani M, Faezi S, Ahmadi N, Enayatkhani M, Mahdavi M, Pouladfar G. Comparative study of the immune responses to the HMS-based fusion protein and capsule-based conjugated molecules as vaccine candidates in a mouse model of Staphylococcus aureus systemic infection. Microb Pathog 2020; 150:104656. [PMID: 33253858 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2020.104656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a powerful pathogen that causes a wide range of infectious diseases and results in a high mortality rate in humans. Treating S. aureus-related infections is extremely difficult because of its ability to resist many antibiotics; therefore, developing an effective vaccine against this infection can be an alternative and promising approach. In this study, we evaluated the protective effects of a Hla-MntC-SACOL0723 multi-epitope protein (HMS) compared with HMS conjugated to polysaccharides 5 and 8 (CP5 and CP8) of S. aureus and CP5 and CP8 in a mouse sepsis model. To evaluate the type of induced immune response, specific IgG, and antibody isotypes (IgG1 and IgG2a) were determined using the ELISA method. The functional activity of these vaccine candidates was assessed by opsonophagocytosis. Mice were infected with S. aureus COL strain and evaluated for bacterial load in the kidney and spleen homogenates. Th1, Th2, and Th17-related cytokines in the spleen cell supernatants were assessed by flow cytometry. The therapeutic effect of specific anti-HMS protein IgG antibodies against S. aureus COL strain infection was evaluated by passive immunization. HMS recombinant protein induced a higher level of Th1, Th2, and Th17-related cytokines compared with conjugated molecules. Also, mice immunized with the HMS protein reduced the bacterial load in the kidney and spleen more than the one that received the conjugated molecules. Our study suggests that the HMS fusion protein and conjugate molecule vaccine candidates could be suitable candidates for the removal of S. aureus in the mouse sepsis model but HMS protein can be a more effective candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khadijeh Ahmadi
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
| | - Mehdi Hasaniazad
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.
| | - Mehdi Kalani
- Alborzi Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Sobhan Faezi
- Medical Biotechnology Research Center, School of Paramedicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
| | - Nahid Ahmadi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Enayatkhani
- Molecular Medicine Department, Biotechnology Research Centre, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehdi Mahdavi
- Recombinant Vaccine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Immunotherapy Group, The Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (TIPS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Gholamreza Pouladfar
- Alborzi Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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11
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Safavi A, Kefayat A, Mahdevar E, Abiri A, Ghahremani F. Exploring the out of sight antigens of SARS-CoV-2 to design a candidate multi-epitope vaccine by utilizing immunoinformatics approaches. Vaccine 2020; 38:7612-7628. [PMID: 33082015 PMCID: PMC7546226 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 causes a severe respiratory disease called COVID-19. Currently, global health is facing its devastating outbreak. However, there is no vaccine available against this virus up to now. In this study, a novel multi-epitope vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 was designed to provoke both innate and adaptive immune responses. The immunodominant regions of six non-structural proteins (nsp7, nsp8, nsp9, nsp10, nsp12 and nsp14) of SARS-CoV-2 were selected by multiple immunoinformatic tools to provoke T cell immune response. Also, immunodominant fragment of the functional region of SARS-CoV-2 spike (400-510 residues) protein was selected for inducing neutralizing antibodies production. The selected regions' sequences were connected to each other by furin-sensitive linker (RVRR). Moreover, the functional region of β-defensin as a well-known agonist for the TLR-4/MD complex was added at the N-terminus of the vaccine using (EAAAK)3 linker. Also, a CD4 + T-helper epitope, PADRE, was used at the C-terminal of the vaccine by GPGPG and A(EAAAK)2A linkers to form the final vaccine construct. The physicochemical properties, allergenicity, antigenicity, functionality and population coverage of the final vaccine construct were analyzed. The final vaccine construct was an immunogenic, non-allergen and unfunctional protein which contained multiple CD8 + and CD4 + overlapping epitopes, IFN-γ inducing epitopes, linear and conformational B cell epitopes. It could form stable and significant interactions with TLR-4/MD according to molecular docking and dynamics simulations. Global population coverage of the vaccine for HLA-I and II were estimated 96.2% and 97.1%, respectively. At last, the final vaccine construct was reverse translated to design the DNA vaccine. Although the designed vaccine exhibited high efficacy in silico, further experimental validation is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashkan Safavi
- Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amirhosein Kefayat
- Department of Oncology, Cancer Prevention Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Elham Mahdevar
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Science and Arts University, Yazd, Iran
| | - Ardavan Abiri
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Ghahremani
- Department of Medical Physics and Radiotherapy, Arak School of Paramedicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
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12
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Pritam M, Singh G, Swaroop S, Singh AK, Pandey B, Singh SP. A cutting-edge immunoinformatics approach for design of multi-epitope oral vaccine against dreadful human malaria. Int J Biol Macromol 2020; 158:159-179. [PMID: 32360460 PMCID: PMC7189201 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.04.191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Revised: 03/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Human malaria is a pathogenic disease mainly caused by Plasmodium falciparum, which was responsible for about 405,000 deaths globally in the year 2018. To date, several vaccine candidates have been evaluated for prevention, which failed to produce optimal output at various preclinical/clinical stages. This study is based on designing of polypeptide vaccines (PVs) against human malaria that cover almost all stages of life-cycle of Plasmodium and for the same 5 genome derived predicted antigenic proteins (GDPAP) have been used. For the development of a multi-immune inducer, 15 PVs were initially designed using T-cell epitope ensemble, which covered >99% human population as well as linear B-cell epitopes with or without adjuvants. The immune simulation of PVs showed higher levels of T-cell and B-cell activities compared to positive and negative vaccine controls. Furthermore, in silico cloning of PVs and codon optimization followed by enhanced expression within Lactococcus lactis host system was also explored. Although, the study has sound theoretical and in silico findings, the in vitro/in vivo evaluation seems imperative to warrant the immunogenicity and safety of PVs towards management of P. falciparum infection in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manisha Pritam
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow Campus, Lucknow 226028, India
| | - Garima Singh
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow Campus, Lucknow 226028, India
| | - Suchit Swaroop
- Experimental & Public Health Lab, Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow 226007, India
| | - Akhilesh Kumar Singh
- Department of Biotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Bihar 845401, India
| | - Brijesh Pandey
- Department of Biotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Bihar 845401, India
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