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Cui M, Ji X, Guan F, Su G, Du L. Design of a Helicobacter pylori multi-epitope vaccine based on immunoinformatics. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1432968. [PMID: 39247202 PMCID: PMC11377293 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1432968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 08/07/2024] [Indexed: 09/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is an infectious bacterium that colonizes the stomach of approximately half of the global population. It has been classified as a Group I carcinogen by the World Health Organization due to its strong association with an increased incidence of gastric cancer and exacerbation of stomach diseases. The primary treatment for H. pylori infection currently involves triple or quadruple therapy, primarily consisting of antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors. However, the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance poses significant challenges to this approach, underscoring the urgent need for an effective vaccine. In this study, a novel multi-epitope H. pylori vaccine was designed using immunoinformatics. The vaccine contains epitopes derived from nine essential proteins. Software tools and online servers were utilized to predict, evaluate, and analyze the physiochemical properties, secondary and tertiary structures, and immunogenicity of the candidate vaccine. These comprehensive assessments ultimately led to the formulation of an optimal design scheme for the vaccine. Through constructing a novel multi-epitope vaccine based on immunoinformatics, this study offers promising prospects and great potential for the prevention of H. pylori infection. This study also provides a reference strategy to develop multi-epitope vaccines for other pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man Cui
- Research and Development Centre, Beijing Zhifei Lvzhu Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
- Beijing Bacterial Vaccine Engineering Research Centre, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaohui Ji
- Research and Development Centre, Beijing Zhifei Lvzhu Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
- Beijing Bacterial Vaccine Engineering Research Centre, Beijing, China
| | - Fengtao Guan
- Research and Development Centre, Beijing Zhifei Lvzhu Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
- Beijing Bacterial Vaccine Engineering Research Centre, Beijing, China
| | - Guimin Su
- Research and Development Centre, Beijing Zhifei Lvzhu Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
- Beijing Bacterial Vaccine Engineering Research Centre, Beijing, China
| | - Lin Du
- Research and Development Centre, Beijing Zhifei Lvzhu Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
- Beijing Bacterial Vaccine Engineering Research Centre, Beijing, China
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Masum MHU, Wajed S, Hossain MI, Moumi NR, Talukder A, Rahman MM. An mRNA vaccine for pancreatic cancer designed by applying in silico immunoinformatics and reverse vaccinology approaches. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0305413. [PMID: 38976715 PMCID: PMC11230540 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305413] [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: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the most prevalent pancreatic cancer, which is considered a significant global health concern. Chemotherapy and surgery are the mainstays of current pancreatic cancer treatments; however, a few cases are suitable for surgery, and most of the cases will experience recurrent episodes. Compared to DNA or peptide vaccines, mRNA vaccines for pancreatic cancer have more promise because of their delivery, enhanced immune responses, and lower proneness to mutation. We constructed an mRNA vaccine by analyzing S100 family proteins, which are all major activators of receptors for advanced glycation end products. We applied immunoinformatic approaches, including physicochemical properties analysis, structural prediction and validation, molecular docking study, in silico cloning, and immune simulations. The designed mRNA vaccine was estimated to have a molecular weight of 165023.50 Da and was highly soluble (grand average of hydropathicity of -0.440). In the structural assessment, the vaccine seemed to be a well-stable and functioning protein (Z score of -8.94). Also, the docking analysis suggested that the vaccine had a high affinity for TLR-2 and TLR-4 receptors. Additionally, the molecular mechanics with generalized Born and surface area solvation analysis of the "Vaccine-TLR-2" (-141.07 kcal/mol) and "Vaccine-TLR-4" (-271.72 kcal/mol) complexes also suggests a strong binding affinity for the receptors. Codon optimization also provided a high expression level with a GC content of 47.04% and a codon adaptation index score 1.0. The appearance of memory B-cells and T-cells was also observed over a while, with an increased level of helper T-cells and immunoglobulins (IgM and IgG). Moreover, the minimum free energy of the mRNA vaccine was predicted at -1760.00 kcal/mol, indicating the stability of the vaccine following its entry, transcription, and expression. This hypothetical vaccine offers a groundbreaking tool for future research and therapeutic development of pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Habib Ullah Masum
- Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh
- Microbiology, Cancer and Bioinformatics Research Group, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh
| | - Shah Wajed
- Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh
- Microbiology, Cancer and Bioinformatics Research Group, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh
- Infectiology: Biology of Infectious Diseases, Universite Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Md Imam Hossain
- Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh
| | - Nusrat Rahman Moumi
- Medical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom
| | - Asma Talukder
- Microbiology, Cancer and Bioinformatics Research Group, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, and Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Md Mijanur Rahman
- Department of Microbiology, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh
- Microbiology, Cancer and Bioinformatics Research Group, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali, Bangladesh
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, and Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Ghaffari AD, Rahimi F. Immunoinformatics studies and design of a novel multi-epitope peptide vaccine against Toxoplasma gondii based on calcium-dependent protein kinases antigens through an in-silico analysis. Clin Exp Vaccine Res 2024; 13:146-154. [PMID: 38752002 PMCID: PMC11091428 DOI: 10.7774/cevr.2024.13.2.146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Infection by the intracellular apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii has serious clinical consequences in humans and veterinarians around the world. Although about a third of the world's population is infected with T. gondii, there is still no effective vaccine against this disease. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a multimeric vaccine against T. gondii using the proteins calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK)1, CDPK2, CDPK3, and CDPK5. Materials and Methods Top-ranked major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-I and MHC-II binding as well as shared, immunodominant linear B-cell epitopes were predicted and linked using appropriate linkers. Moreover, the 50S ribosomal protein L7/L12 (adjuvant) was mixed with the construct's N-terminal to increase the immunogenicity. Then, the vaccine's physicochemical characteristics, antigenicity, allergenicity, secondary and tertiary structure were predicted. Results The finally-engineered chimeric vaccine had a length of 680 amino acids with a molecular weight of 74.66 kDa. Analyses of immunogenicity, allergenicity, and multiple physiochemical parameters indicated that the constructed vaccine candidate was soluble, non-allergenic, and immunogenic, making it compatible with humans and hence, a potentially viable and safe vaccine candidate against T. gondii parasite. Conclusion In silico, the vaccine construct was able to trigger primary immune responses. However, further laboratory studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness and safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Dalir Ghaffari
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fardin Rahimi
- Department of Medical biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
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Alatrash R, Herrera BB. The Adaptive Immune Response against Bunyavirales. Viruses 2024; 16:483. [PMID: 38543848 PMCID: PMC10974645 DOI: 10.3390/v16030483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The Bunyavirales order includes at least fourteen families with diverse but related viruses, which are transmitted to vertebrate hosts by arthropod or rodent vectors. These viruses are responsible for an increasing number of outbreaks worldwide and represent a threat to public health. Infection in humans can be asymptomatic, or it may present with a range of conditions from a mild, febrile illness to severe hemorrhagic syndromes and/or neurological complications. There is a need to develop safe and effective vaccines, a process requiring better understanding of the adaptive immune responses involved during infection. This review highlights the most recent findings regarding T cell and antibody responses to the five Bunyavirales families with known human pathogens (Peribunyaviridae, Phenuiviridae, Hantaviridae, Nairoviridae, and Arenaviridae). Future studies that define and characterize mechanistic correlates of protection against Bunyavirales infections or disease will help inform the development of effective vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reem Alatrash
- Rutgers Global Health Institute, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases and Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Bobby Brooke Herrera
- Rutgers Global Health Institute, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases and Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
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Shawan MMAK, Sharma AR, Halder SK, Arian TA, Shuvo MN, Sarker SR, Hasan MA. Advances in Computational and Bioinformatics Tools and Databases for Designing and Developing a Multi-Epitope-Based Peptide Vaccine. Int J Pept Res Ther 2023; 29:60. [PMID: 37251529 PMCID: PMC10203685 DOI: 10.1007/s10989-023-10535-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
A vaccine is defined as a biologic preparation that trains the immune system, boosts immunity, and protects against a deadly microbial infection. They have been used for centuries to combat a variety of contagious illnesses by means of subsiding the disease burden as well as eradicating the disease. Since infectious disease pandemics are a recurring global threat, vaccination has emerged as one of the most promising tools to save millions of lives and reduce infection rates. The World Health Organization reports that immunization protects three million individuals annually. Currently, multi-epitope-based peptide vaccines are a unique concept in vaccine formulation. Epitope-based peptide vaccines utilize small fragments of proteins or peptides (parts of the pathogen), called epitopes, that trigger an adequate immune response against a particular pathogen. However, conventional vaccine designing and development techniques are too cumbersome, expensive, and time-consuming. With the recent advancement in bioinformatics, immunoinformatics, and vaccinomics discipline, vaccine science has entered a new era accompanying a modern, impressive, and more realistic paradigm in designing and developing next-generation strong immunogens. In silico designing and developing a safe and novel vaccine construct involves knowledge of reverse vaccinology, various vaccine databases, and high throughput techniques. The computational tools and techniques directly associated with vaccine research are extremely effective, economical, precise, robust, and safe for human use. Many vaccine candidates have entered clinical trials instantly and are available prior to schedule. In light of this, the present article provides researchers with up-to-date information on various approaches, protocols, and databases regarding the computational designing and development of potent multi-epitope-based peptide vaccines that can assist researchers in tailoring vaccines more rapidly and cost-effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Mahfuz Ali Khan Shawan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, 1342 Bangladesh
| | - Ashish Ranjan Sharma
- Institute for Skeletal Aging & Orthopedic Surgery, Hallym University-Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Chuncheon-si, 24252 Gangwon-do Republic of Korea
| | - Sajal Kumar Halder
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, 1342 Bangladesh
| | - Tawsif Al Arian
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, 1342 Bangladesh
| | - Md. Nazmussakib Shuvo
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, 1342 Bangladesh
| | - Satya Ranjan Sarker
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, 1342 Bangladesh
| | - Md. Ashraful Hasan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka, 1342 Bangladesh
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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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Dhanda SK, Malviya J, Gupta S. Not all T cell epitopes are equally desired: a review of in silico tools for the prediction of cytokine-inducing potential of T-cell epitopes. Brief Bioinform 2022; 23:6692551. [PMID: 36070623 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbac382] [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: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Assessment of protective or harmful T cell response induced by any antigenic epitope is important in designing any immunotherapeutic molecule. The understanding of cytokine induction potential also helps us to monitor antigen-specific cellular immune responses and rational vaccine design. The classical immunoinformatics tools served well for prediction of B cell and T cell epitopes. However, in the last decade, the prediction algorithms for T cell epitope inducing specific cytokines have also been developed and appreciated in the scientific community. This review summarizes the current status of such tools, their applications, background algorithms, their use in experimental setup and functionalities available in the tools/web servers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Kumar Dhanda
- Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA-38015.,Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Science, Chennai, India
| | - Jitendra Malviya
- Department of Life Sciences and Biological Science, IES University Bhopal, India
| | - Sudheer Gupta
- NGS & Bioinformatics Division, 3B BlackBio Biotech India Ltd., 7-C, Industrial Area, Govindpura, Bhopal, India
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Hammed-Akanmu M, Mim M, Osman AY, Sheikh AM, Behmard E, Rabaan AA, Suppain R, Hajissa K. Designing a Multi-Epitope Vaccine against Toxoplasma gondii: An Immunoinformatics Approach. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10091389. [PMID: 36146470 PMCID: PMC9505382 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10091389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Infection with the intracellular apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii causes serious clinical outcomes in both human and veterinary settings worldwide. Although approximately one-third of the world’s population is infected with T. gondii, an effective human vaccine for this disease remains unavailable. We aimed to design a potential T. gondii vaccine candidate that consisted of the B- and T-lymphocyte epitopes of three parasite immunogenic antigens. Firstly, the immunodominant epitopes expressed within the ROP2, MIC3, and GRA7 proteins of T. gondii were identified. Subsequently, six B-cell epitopes, five CTL epitopes, and five HTL epitopes were combined to generate a multi-epitope vaccine, and the 50S ribosomal protein L7/L12 was added as an adjuvant to boost the vaccine’s immunogenicity. All these epitopes were found to be antigenic, nonallergenic, nontoxic, and nonhuman homologs. The designed vaccine construct has a molecular weight of 51 kDa, an antigenicity score of 0.6182, and a solubility of 0.903461. Likewise, the candidate vaccine was immunogenic, nonallergenic, and stable. Molecular docking analysis revealed stable interactions between the vaccine construct and the TLR-4 immune receptor. Meanwhile, the stability of the developed vaccine was validated using molecular dynamics simulation. In silico, the vaccine construct was able to trigger primary immune responses. However, further laboratory-based assessments are needed to confirm its efficacy and safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mutiat Hammed-Akanmu
- Department of Biomedicine, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Maria Mim
- Department of Biomedicine, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Abdinasir Yusuf Osman
- The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Abdulrahman M. Sheikh
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Esmaeil Behmard
- School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
| | - Ali A. Rabaan
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran 31311, Saudi Arabia
- College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh 11533, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Public Health and Nutrition, The University of Haripur, Haripur 22610, Pakistan
| | - Rapeah Suppain
- Department of Biomedicine, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia
- Correspondence: (R.S.); (K.H.)
| | - Khalid Hajissa
- The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Omdurman Islamic University, Omdurman P.O. Box 382, Sudan
- Correspondence: (R.S.); (K.H.)
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