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Salahlou R, Farajnia S, Bargahi N, Bakhtiyari N, Elmi F, Shahgolzari M, Fiering S, Venkataraman S. Development of a novel multi‑epitope vaccine against the pathogenic human polyomavirus V6/7 using reverse vaccinology. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:177. [PMID: 38336665 PMCID: PMC10854057 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09046-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human polyomaviruses contribute to human oncogenesis through persistent infections, but currently there is no effective preventive measure against the malignancies caused by this virus. Therefore, the development of a safe and effective vaccine against HPyV is of high priority. METHODS First, the proteomes of 2 polyomavirus species (HPyV6 and HPyV7) were downloaded from the NCBI database for the selection of the target proteins. The epitope identification process focused on selecting proteins that were crucial, associated with virulence, present on the surface, antigenic, non-toxic, and non-homologous with the human proteome. Then, the immunoinformatic methods were used to identify cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL), helper T-lymphocyte (HTL), and B-cell epitopes from the target antigens, which could be used to create epitope-based vaccine. The physicochemical features of the designed vaccine were predicted through various online servers. The binding pattern and stability between the vaccine candidate and Toll-like receptors were analyzed through molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, while the immunogenicity of the designed vaccines was assessed using immune simulation. RESULTS Online tools were utilized to forecast the most optimal epitope from the immunogenic targets, including LTAg, VP1, and VP1 antigens of HPyV6 and HPyV7. A multi-epitope vaccine was developed by combining 10 CTL, 7 HTL, and 6 LBL epitopes with suitable linkers and adjuvant. The vaccine displayed 98.35% of the world's population coverage. The 3D model of the vaccine structure revealed that the majority of residues (87.7%) were located in favored regions of the Ramachandran plot. The evaluation of molecular docking and MD simulation revealed that the constructed vaccine exhibits a strong binding (-1414.0 kcal/mol) towards the host's TLR4. Moreover, the vaccine-TLR complexes remained stable throughout the dynamic conditions present in the natural environment. The immune simulation results demonstrated that the vaccine design had the capacity to elicit robust immune responses in the host. CONCLUSION The multi-parametric analysis revealed that the designed vaccine is capable of inducing sustained immunity against the selected polyomaviruses, although further in-vivo investigations are needed to verify its effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reza Salahlou
- Biotechnology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Safar Farajnia
- Biotechnology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
- Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
| | - Nasrin Bargahi
- Biotechnology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Nasim Bakhtiyari
- Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Faranak Elmi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mehdi Shahgolzari
- Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Steven Fiering
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine, and Dartmouth Cancer Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
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Passerini S, Prezioso C, Prota A, Babini G, Coppola L, Lodi A, Epifani AC, Sarmati L, Andreoni M, Moens U, Pietropaolo V, Ciotti M. Detection Analysis and Study of Genomic Region Variability of JCPyV, BKPyV, MCPyV, HPyV6, HPyV7 and QPyV in the Urine and Plasma of HIV-1-Infected Patients. Viruses 2022; 14:v14112544. [PMID: 36423152 PMCID: PMC9698965 DOI: 10.3390/v14112544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Since it was clearly established that HIV/AIDS predisposes to the infection, persistence or reactivation of latent viruses, the prevalence of human polyomaviruses (HPyVs) among HIV-1-infected patients and a possible correlation between HPyVs and HIV sero-status were investigated. PCR was performed to detect and quantify JCPyV, BKPyV, MCPyV, HPyV6, HPyV7 and QPyV DNA in the urine and plasma samples of 103 HIV-1-infected patients. Subsequently, NCCR, VP1 and MCPyV LT sequences were examined. In addition, for MCPyV, the expression of transcripts for the LT gene was investigated. JCPyV, BKPyV and MCPyV's presence was reported, whereas HPyV6, HPyV7 and QPyV were not detected in any sample. Co-infection patterns of JCPyV, BKPyV and MCPyV were found. Archetype-like NCCRs were observed with some point mutations in plasma samples positive for JCPyV and BKPyV. The VP1 region was found to be highly conserved among these subjects. LT did not show mutations causing stop codons, and LT transcripts were expressed in MCPyV positive samples. A significant correlation between HPyVs' detection and a low level of CD4+ was reported. In conclusion, HPyV6, HPyV7 and QPyV seem to not have a clinical relevance in HIV-1 patients, whereas further studies are warranted to define the clinical importance of JCPyV, BKPyV and MCPyV DNA detection in these subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Passerini
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Prezioso
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- IRCSS San Raffaele Roma, Microbiology of Chronic Neuro-Degenerative Pathologies, 00163 Rome, Italy
| | - Annalisa Prota
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Babini
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Luigi Coppola
- Infectious Diseases Clinic, Polyclinic Tor Vergata, Viale Oxford 81, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Lodi
- Infectious Diseases Clinic, Polyclinic Tor Vergata, Viale Oxford 81, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Chiara Epifani
- Infectious Diseases Clinic, Polyclinic Tor Vergata, Viale Oxford 81, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Loredana Sarmati
- Infectious Diseases Clinic, Polyclinic Tor Vergata, Viale Oxford 81, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo Andreoni
- Infectious Diseases Clinic, Polyclinic Tor Vergata, Viale Oxford 81, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Ugo Moens
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø—The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Valeria Pietropaolo
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Ciotti
- Virology Unit, Polyclinic Tor Vergata, Viale Oxford 81, 00133 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence:
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Prevalence of MCPyV, HPyV6, HPyV7 and TSPyV in Actinic Keratosis Biopsy Specimens. Viruses 2022; 14:v14020427. [PMID: 35216020 PMCID: PMC8876850 DOI: 10.3390/v14020427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
To date, 14 human polyomaviruses (HPyVs) have been identified using high-throughput technologies. Among them, MCPyV, HPyV6, HPyV7 and TSPyV present a skin tropism, but a causal role in skin diseases has been established only for MCPyV as a causative agent of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) and TSPyV as an etiological agent of Trichodysplasia Spinulosa (TS). In the search for a possible role for cutaneous HPyVs in the development of skin malignant lesions, we investigated the prevalence of MCPyV, HPyV6, HPyV7 and TSPyV in actinic keratosis (AK), a premalignant skin lesion that has the potential to progress towards a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). One skin lesion and one non-lesion skin from nine affected individuals were analyzed by qualitative PCR. MCPyV was detected in 9 out of 9 lesion biopsies and 6 out of 8 non-lesion biopsies. HPyV6 was detected only in healthy skin, while HPyV7 and TSPyV were not detected in any skin sample. These findings argue against a possible role of cutaneous HPyVs in AK. However, considering the small sample size analyzed, a definitive conclusion cannot be drawn. Longitudinal studies on large cohorts are warranted.
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BK Polyomavirus-Biology, Genomic Variation and Diagnosis. Viruses 2021; 13:v13081502. [PMID: 34452367 PMCID: PMC8402805 DOI: 10.3390/v13081502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The BK polyomavirus (BKPyV), a representative of the family Polyomaviridae, is widespread in the human population. While the virus does not cause significant clinical symptoms in immunocompetent individuals, it is activated in cases of immune deficiency, both pharmacological and pathological. Infection with the BKPyV is of particular importance in recipients of kidney transplants or HSC transplantation, in which it can lead to the loss of the transplanted kidney or to haemorrhagic cystitis, respectively. Four main genotypes of the virus are distinguished on the basis of molecular differentiation. The most common genotype worldwide is genotype I, with a frequency of about 80%, followed by genotype IV (about 15%), while genotypes II and III are isolated only sporadically. The distribution of the molecular variants of the virus is associated with the region of origin. BKPyV subtype Ia is most common in Africa, Ib-1 in Southeast Asia, and Ib-2 in Europe, while Ic is the most common variant in Northeast Asia. The development of molecular methods has enabled significant improvement not only in BKPyV diagnostics, but in monitoring the effectiveness of treatment as well. Amplification of viral DNA from urine by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) and qPCR Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction) is a non-invasive method that can be used to confirm the presence of the genetic material of the virus and to determine the viral load. Sequencing techniques together with bioinformatics tools and databases can be used to determine variants of the virus, analyse their circulation in populations, identify relationships between them, and investigate the directions of evolution of the virus.
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Prezioso C, Van Ghelue M, Pietropaolo V, Moens U. Detection of Quebec Polyomavirus DNA in Samples from Different Patient Groups. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9051082. [PMID: 34070030 PMCID: PMC8158138 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9051082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Polyomaviruses infect many species, including humans. So far, 15 polyomaviruses have been described in humans, but it remains to be established whether all of these are genuine human polyomaviruses. The most recent polyomavirus to be detected in a person is Quebec polyomavirus (QPyV), which was identified in a metagenomic analysis of a stool sample from an 85-year-old hospitalized man. We used PCR to investigate the presence of QPyV DNA in urine samples from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients (67 patients; 135 samples), multiple sclerosis patients (n = 35), HIV-positive patients (n = 66) and pregnant women (n = 65). Moreover, cerebrospinal fluid from patients with suspected neurological diseases (n = 63), nasopharyngeal aspirates from patients (n = 80) with respiratory symptoms and plasma samples from HIV-positive patients (n = 65) were examined. QPyV DNA was found in urine from 11 (16.4%), 10 (15.4%) and 5 (14.3%) SLE patients, pregnant women, and multiple sclerosis patients, respectively. No QPyV DNA could be detected in the other samples. Alignment with the only available QPyV sequence in the GenBank revealed amino acid substitutions in the HI-loop of capsid protein VP1 in 6/28 of the isolates. Our results show that QPyV viruria can occur, but whether it may cause clinical symptoms in the patients remains to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Prezioso
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy;
- IRCSS San Raffaele Pisana, Microbiology of Chronic Neuro-degenerative Pathologies, 00163 Rome, Italy
| | - Marijke Van Ghelue
- Department of Medical Genetics, Division of Child and Adolescent Health, University Hospital of North Norway, 9038 Tromsø, Norway;
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø—The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Valeria Pietropaolo
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy;
- Correspondence: (V.P.); (U.M.)
| | - Ugo Moens
- Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø—The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
- Correspondence: (V.P.); (U.M.)
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