1
|
Hasan M, Ahmed S, Imranuzzaman M, Bari R, Roy S, Hasan MM, Mia MM. Designing and development of efficient multi-epitope-based peptide vaccine candidate against emerging avian rotavirus strains: A vaccinomic approach. J Genet Eng Biotechnol 2024; 22:100398. [PMID: 39179326 PMCID: PMC11260576 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgeb.2024.100398] [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: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Enteric avian rotavirus (ARV) is the etiological agent of several health problems that pose a global threat to commercial chickens. Therefore, to avoid these widespread epidemics and high mortality rates, only vaccine and strict biosecurity are required. METHOD The present study employs computational techniques to design a unique multi-epitope-based vaccine candidate that successfully activates immune cells against the ARV by combining adjuvant, linker, and B and T-cell epitopes. Starting, homologous sequences in the various ARV serotypes were revealed in the NCBI BLAST database, and then the two surface proteins (VP4 and VP7) of the ARV were retrieved from the UniprotKB database. The Clustal Omega server was then used to identify the conserved regions among the homologous sequences, and the B and T-cell epitopes were predicted using IEDB servers. Then, superior epitopes-2 MHC-1 epitopes, 2 MHC-2 epitopes, and 3B-cell epitopes-were combined with various adjuvants to create a total of four unique vaccine candidates. Afterward, the designed vaccine candidates underwent computational validation to assess their antigenicity, allergenicity, and stability. The vaccine candidate (V2) that demonstrated non-antigenicity, a high VaxiJen score, and non-allergenicity was ultimately chosen for molecular docking and dynamic simulation. RESULTS Although the V2 and V4 vaccine candidates were highly immunogenic, V2 had a higher solubility rate. The predicted values of the aliphatic index and GRAVY value were 30.4 and 0.417, respectively. In terms of binding energy, V2 outperformed V4. Being successfully docked with TLRs, V2 was praised as the finest. After adaptation, the sequence's 50.73 % GC content outside of the BglII or ApaI restriction sites indicated that it was equivalently safe to clone. The chosen sequence was then inserted into the pET28a(+) vector within the BglII and ApaI restriction sites. This resulted in a final clone that was 4914 base pairs long, with the inserted sequence accounting for 478 bp and the vector accounting for the remainder. CONCLUSIONS The immune-mediated simulation results for the selected vaccine construct showed significant response; thus, the study confirmed that the selected V2 vaccine candidate could enhance the immune response against ARV.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mahamudul Hasan
- Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet-3100, Bangladesh.
| | - Shakil Ahmed
- Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet-3100, Bangladesh.
| | - Md Imranuzzaman
- Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet-3100, Bangladesh; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet-3100, Bangladesh
| | - Rezaul Bari
- Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet-3100, Bangladesh
| | - Shiplu Roy
- Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet-3100, Bangladesh; Department of Livestock Production and Management, Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet-3100, Bangladesh
| | - Md Mahadi Hasan
- Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet-3100, Bangladesh
| | - Md Mukthar Mia
- Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet-3100, Bangladesh; Department of Poultry Science, Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet-3100, Bangladesh
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Nguyen TL, Kim H. Integrating immunoinformatics and computational epitope prediction for a vaccine candidate against respiratory syncytial virus. Infect Dis Model 2024; 9:763-774. [PMID: 38708060 PMCID: PMC11068479 DOI: 10.1016/j.idm.2024.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) poses a significant global health threat, especially affecting infants and the elderly. Addressing this, the present study proposes an innovative approach to vaccine design, utilizing immunoinformatics and computational strategies. We analyzed RSV's structural proteins across both subtypes A and B, identifying potential helper T lymphocyte, cytotoxic T lymphocyte, and linear B lymphocyte epitopes. Criteria such as antigenicity, allergenicity, toxicity, and cytokine-inducing potential were rigorously examined. Additionally, we evaluated the conservancy of these epitopes and their population coverage across various RSV strains. The comprehensive analysis identified six major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) binding, five MHC-II binding, and three B-cell epitopes. These were integrated with suitable linkers and adjuvants to form the vaccine. Further, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated stable interactions between the vaccine candidate and human Toll-like receptors (TLR4 and TLR5), with a notable preference for TLR4. Immune simulation analysis underscored the vaccine's potential to elicit a strong immune response. This study presents a promising RSV vaccine candidate and offers theoretical support, marking a significant advancement in vaccine development efforts. However, the promising in silico findings need to be further validated through additional in vivo studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Truc Ly Nguyen
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Heebal Kim
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
- Interdisciplinary Program in Bioinformatics, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
- eGnome, Inc., Seoul, 05836, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Yuan L, Zhang S, Bi R, Liu X, Han Z, Li M, Liao X, Xie T, Bai S, Xie Q, Luo C, Jiang Y, Yuan J, Luo H, Yan H, Sun C, Shu Y. A broad-spectrum multiepitope vaccine against seasonal influenza A and B viruses in mice. EBioMedicine 2024; 106:105269. [PMID: 39111250 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105269] [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: 03/03/2024] [Revised: 07/23/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Influenza viruses pose a persistent threat to global public health, necessitating the development of innovative and broadly effective vaccines. METHODS This study focuses on a multiepitope vaccine (MEV) designed to provide broad-spectrum protection against different influenza viruses. The MEV, containing 19 B-cell linear epitopes, 7 CD4+ T cells, and 11 CD8+ T cells epitopes identified through enzyme-linked immunospot assay (ELISPOT) in influenza viruses infected mice, was administered through a regimen of two doses of DNA vaccine followed by one dose of a protein vaccine in C57BL/6 female mice. FINDINGS Upon lethal challenge with both seasonal circulating strains (H1N1, H3N2, BV, and BY) and historical strains (H1N1-PR8 and H3N2-X31), MEV demonstrated substantial protection against different influenza seasonal strains, with partial efficacy against historical strains. Notably, the increased germinal centre B cells and antibody-secreting cells, along with robust T cell immune responses, highlighted the comprehensive immune defence elicited by MEV. Elevated hemagglutinin inhibition antibody was also observed against seasonal circulating and historical strains. Additionally, mice vaccinated with MEV exhibited significantly lower counts of inflammatory cells in the lungs compared to negative control groups. INTERPRETATION Our results demonstrated the efficacy of a broad-spectrum MEV against influenza viruses in mice. Conducting long-term studies to evaluate the durability of MEV-induced immune responses and explore its potential application in diverse populations will offer valuable insights for the continued advancement of this promising vaccine. FUNDING Funding bodies are described in the Acknowledgments section.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lifang Yuan
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Shengze Zhang
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Rongjun Bi
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Xuejie Liu
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Zirong Han
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Minchao Li
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Xinzhong Liao
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Ting Xie
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Shaohui Bai
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Qian Xie
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Chuming Luo
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China.
| | - Ying Jiang
- Shenzhen Nanshan Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen, 518054, PR China.
| | - Jianhui Yuan
- Shenzhen Nanshan Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen, 518054, PR China.
| | - Huanle Luo
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510080, PR China.
| | - Huacheng Yan
- Centre for Disease Control and Prevention of Southern Military Theatre, 510610, Guangzhou, PR China.
| | - Caijun Sun
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510080, PR China.
| | - Yuelong Shu
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbes and Biosafetuy, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, PR China; Key Laboratory of Pathogen Infection Prevention and Control (MOE), State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, National Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 102629, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Rendon-Marin S, Ruíz-Saenz J. Universal peptide-based potential vaccine design against canine distemper virus (CDV) using a vaccinomic approach. Sci Rep 2024; 14:16605. [PMID: 39026076 PMCID: PMC11258135 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67781-5] [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: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Canine distemper virus (CDV) affects many domestic and wild animals. Variations among CDV genome linages could lead to vaccination failure. To date, there are several vaccine alternatives, such as a modified live virus and a recombinant vaccine; however, most of these alternatives are based on the ancestral strain Onderstepoort, which has not been circulating for years. Vaccine failures and the need to update vaccines have been widely discussed, and the development of new vaccine candidates is necessary to reduce circulation and mortality. Current vaccination alternatives cannot be used in wildlife animals due to the lack of safety data for most of the species, in addition to the insufficient immune response against circulating strains worldwide in domestic species. Computational tools, including peptide-based therapies, have become essential for developing new-generation vaccines for diverse models. In this work, a peptide-based vaccine candidate with a peptide library derived from CDV H and F protein consensus sequences was constructed employing computational tools. The molecular docking and dynamics of the selected peptides with canine MHC-I and MHC-II and with TLR-2 and TLR-4 were evaluated. In silico safety was assayed through determination of antigenicity, allergenicity, toxicity potential, and homologous canine peptides. Additionally, in vitro safety was also evaluated through cytotoxicity in cell lines and canine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (cPBMCs) and through a hemolysis potential assay using canine red blood cells. A multiepitope CDV polypeptide was constructed, synthetized, and evaluated in silico and in vitro by employing the most promising peptides for comparison with single CDV immunogenic peptides. Our findings suggest that predicting immunogenic CDV peptides derived from most antigenic CDV proteins could aid in the development of new vaccine candidates, such as multiple single CDV peptides and multiepitope CDV polypeptides, that are safe in vitro and optimized in silico. In vivo studies are being conducted to validate potential vaccines that may be effective in preventing CDV infection in domestic and wild animals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Rendon-Marin
- Grupo de Investigación en Ciencias Animales - GRICA, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, sede Bucaramanga, Bucaramanga, Colombia
- Grupo Infettare, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Julián Ruíz-Saenz
- Grupo de Investigación en Ciencias Animales - GRICA, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, sede Bucaramanga, Bucaramanga, Colombia.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Sharma AD, Grewal RK, Gorle S, Cuspoca AF, Kaushik V, Rajjak Shaikh A, Cavallo L, Chawla M. T cell epitope based vaccine design while targeting outer capsid proteins of rotavirus strains infecting neonates: an immunoinformatics approach. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:4937-4955. [PMID: 37382214 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2226721] [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: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Gastrointestinal diarrhea is majorly caused by the rotavirus (RV) in the children who generally are under the age group of 5 years. WHO estimates that ∼95% of the children contract RV infection, by this age. The disease is highly contagious; notably in many cases, it is proven fatal with high mortality rates especially in the developing countries. In India alone, an estimated 145,000 yearly deaths occurs due to RV related gastrointestinal diarrhea. WHO pre-qualified vaccines that are available for RV are all live attenuated vaccines with modest efficacy range between 40 and 60%. Further, the risk of intussusceptions has been reported in some children on RV vaccination. Thus, in a quest to develop alternative candidate to overcome challenges associated with these oral vaccines, we chose immunoinformatics approach to design a multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) while targeting the outer capsid viral proteinsVP4 and VP7 of the neonatal strains of rotavirus. Interestingly, ten epitopes, that is, six CD8+T-cells and four CD4+T-cell epitopes were identified which were predicted to be antigenic, non-allergic, non-toxic and stable. These epitopes were then linked to adjuvants, linkers, and PADRE sequences to create a multi-epitope vaccine for RV. The in silico designed RV-MEV and human TLR5 complex displayed stable interactions during molecular dynamics simulations. Further, the immune simulation studies of RV-MEV corroborated that the vaccine candidate emerges as a promising immunogen. Future investigations while performing in vitro and in vivo analyses with designed RV-MEV construct are highly desirable to warrant the potential of this vaccine candidate in protective immunity against different strains of RVs infecting neonates.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arijit Das Sharma
- School of Bio-Engineering and Bio-Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India
| | - Ravneet Kaur Grewal
- Department of Research and Innovation, STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited, Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - Suresh Gorle
- Department of Research and Innovation, STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited, Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - Andrés Felipe Cuspoca
- Grupo de Investigación Epidemiología Clínica de Colombia (GRECO), Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja, Colombia
- Centro de Atención e Investigación Médica - CAIMED, Chía, Colombia
| | - Vikas Kaushik
- School of Bio-Engineering and Bio-Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India
| | - Abdul Rajjak Shaikh
- Department of Research and Innovation, STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited, Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - Luigi Cavallo
- Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Kaust Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohit Chawla
- Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Kaust Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Das NC, Gorai S, Gupta PSS, Panda SK, Rana MK, Mukherjee S. Immune targeting of filarial glutaredoxin through a multi-epitope peptide-based vaccine: A reverse vaccinology approach. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 133:112120. [PMID: 38657497 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.112120] [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: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Despite the efforts of global programme to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (GPELF), the threat of lymphatic filariasis (LF) still looms over humanity in terms of long-term disabilities, and morbidities across the globe. In light of this situation, investigators have chosen to focus on the development of immunotherapeutics targeting the physiologically important filarial-specific proteins. Glutaredoxin (16.43 kDa) plays a pivotal role in filarial redox biology, serving as a vital contributor. In the context of the intra-host survival of filarial parasites, this antioxidant helps in mitigating the oxidative stress imposed by the host immune system. Given its significant contribution, the development of a vaccine targeting glutaredoxin holds promise as a new avenue for achieving a filaria-free world. Herein, multi-epitope-based vaccine was designed using advanced immunoinformatics approach. Initially, 4B-cell epitopes and 6 T-cell epitopes (4 MHC I and 2 MHC II) were identified from the 146 amino acid long sequence of glutaredoxin of the human filarid, Wuchereria bancrofti. Subsequent clustering of these epitopes with linker peptides finalized the vaccine structure. To boost TLR-mediated innate immunity, TLR-specific adjuvants were incorporated into the designed vaccine. After that, experimental analyses confirm the designed vaccine, Vac4 as anefficient ligand of human TLR5 to elicit protective innate immunity against filarial glutaredoxin. Immune simulation further demonstrated abundant levels of IgG and IgM as crucial contributors in triggering vaccine-induced adaptive responses in the recipients. Hence, to facilitate the validation of immunogenicity of the designed vaccine, Vac4 was cloned in silico in pET28a(+) expression vector for recombinant production. Taken together, our findings suggest that vaccine-mediated targeting of filarial glutaredoxin could be a future option for intervening LF on a global scale.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nabarun Chandra Das
- Integrative Biochemistry & Immunology Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol 713 340, West Bengal, India
| | - Sampa Gorai
- Integrative Biochemistry & Immunology Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol 713 340, West Bengal, India
| | - Parth Sarthi Sen Gupta
- School of Biosciences & Bioengineering, D. Y. Patil International University, Akurdi, Pune 411044, India
| | - Saroj Kumar Panda
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Berhampur, India
| | - Malay Kumar Rana
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Berhampur, India
| | - Suprabhat Mukherjee
- Integrative Biochemistry & Immunology Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol 713 340, West Bengal, India.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
de Araújo LP, de Melo Santos NC, Corsetti PP, de Almeida LA. Immunoinformatic Approach for Rational Identification of Immunogenic Peptides Against Host Entry and/or Exit Mpox Proteins and Potential Multiepitope Vaccine Construction. J Infect Dis 2024; 229:S285-S292. [PMID: 37804521 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiad443] [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: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 has intensified humanity's concern about the emergence of new pandemics. Since 2018, epidemic outbreaks of the mpox virus have become worrisome. In June 2022, the World Health Organization declared the disease a global health emergency, with 14 500 cases reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 60 countries. Therefore, the development of a vaccine based on the current virus genome is paramount in combating new cases. In view of this, we hypothesized the obtainment of rational immunogenic peptides predicted from proteins responsible for entry of the mpox virus into the host (A17L, A26L/A30L, A33R, H2R, L1R), exit (A27L, A35R, A36R, C19L), and both (B5R). To achieve this, we aligned the genome sequencing data of mpox virus isolated from an infected individual in the United States in June 2022 (ON674051.1) with the reference genome dated 2001 (NC_003310.1) for conservation analysis. The Immune Epitope Database server was used for the identification and characterization of the epitopes of each protein related to major histocompatibility complex I or II interaction and recognition by B-cell receptors, resulting in 138 epitopes for A17L, 233 for A28L, 48 for A33R, 77 for H2R, 77 for L1R, 270 for A27L, 72 for A35R, A36R, 148 for C19L, and 276 for B5R. These epitopes were tested in silico for antigenicity, physicochemical properties, and allergenicity, resulting in 51, 40, 10, 34, 38, 57, 25, 7, 47, and 53 epitopes, respectively. Additionally, to select an epitope with the highest promiscuity of binding to major histocompatibility complexes and B-cell receptor simultaneously, all epitopes of each protein were aligned, and the most repetitive and antigenic regions were identified. By classifying the results, we obtained 23 epitopes from the entry proteins, 16 from the exit proteins, and 7 from both. Subsequently, 1 epitope from each protein was selected, and all 3 were fused to construct a chimeric protein that has potential as a multiepitope vaccine. The constructed vaccine was then analyzed for its physicochemical, antigenic, and allergenic properties. Protein modeling, molecular dynamics, and molecular docking were performed on Toll-like receptors 2, 4, and 8, followed by in silico immune simulation of the vaccine. Finally, the results indicate an effective, stable, and safe vaccine that can be further tested, especially in vitro and in vivo, to validate the findings demonstrated in silico.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Patrícia Paiva Corsetti
- Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Universidade Federal de Alfenas, Alfenas, Brazil
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Nguyen TL, Kim H. Immunoinformatics and computational approaches driven designing a novel vaccine candidate against Powassan virus. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5999. [PMID: 38472237 PMCID: PMC10933373 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56554-9] [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: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Powassan virus (POWV) is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) capable of causing severe illness in humans for severe neurological complications, and its incidence has been on the rise in recent years due to climate change, posing a growing public health concern. Currently, no vaccines to prevent or medicines to treat POWV disease, emphasizing the urgent need for effective countermeasures. In this study, we utilize bioinformatics approaches to target proteins of POWV, including the capsid, envelope, and membrane proteins, to predict diverse B-cell and T-cell epitopes. These epitopes underwent screening for critical properties such as antigenicity, allergenicity, toxicity, and cytokine induction potential. Eight selected epitopes were then conjugated with adjuvants using various linkers, resulting in designing of a potentially stable and immunogenic vaccine candidate against POWV. Moreover, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and immune simulations revealed a stable interaction pattern with the immune receptor, suggesting the vaccine's potential to induce robust immune responses. In conclusion, our study provided a set of derived epitopes from POWV's proteins, demonstrating the potential for a novel vaccine candidate against POWV. Further in vitro and in vivo studies are warranted to advance our efforts and move closer to the goal of combatting POWV and related arbovirus infections.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Truc Ly Nguyen
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Heebal Kim
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
- Interdisciplinary Program in Bioinformatics, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
- eGnome, Inc., Seoul, 05836, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Giorgi FM, Pozzobon D, Di Meglio A, Mercatelli D. Genomic and transcriptomic analysis of the recent Mpox outbreak. Vaccine 2024; 42:1841-1849. [PMID: 38311533 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.12.086] [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: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
The Mpox (formerly named Monkeypox) virus is the etiological cause of a recent multi-country outbreak, with thousands of distinct cases detected outside the endemic areas of Africa as of December 2023. In this article, we analyze the sequences of full genomes of Mpox virus from Europe and compare them with all available Mpox sequences of historical relevance, annotated by year and geographic origin, as well as related Cowpox and Variola (smallpox) virus sequences. Our results show that the recent outbreak is most likely originating from the West African clade of Mpox, with >99 % sequence identity with sequences derived from historical and recent cases, dating from 1971 to 2017. We analyze specific mutations occurring in viral proteins between the current outbreak, previous Mpox and Cowpox sequences, and the historical Variola virus. Genome-wide sequence analysis of the recent outbreak and other Mpox/Cowpox/Variola viruses shows a very high conservation, with 97.9 % (protein-based) and 97.8 % (nucleotide-based) sequence identity. We identified significant correlation in human transcriptional responses as well, with a conserved immune pathway response induced in human cell cultures by the three families of Pox virus. The similarities identified between the major strains of Pox viruses, as well as within the Mpox clades, both at the genomic and transcriptomic levels, provide a molecular basis for the observed efficacy of Variola vaccines in other Poxviruses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Federico M Giorgi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
| | - Daniele Pozzobon
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Antonio Di Meglio
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Daniele Mercatelli
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Izadi M, Mirzaei F, Bagherzadeh MA, Ghiabi S, Khalifeh A. Discovering conserved epitopes of Monkeypox: Novel immunoinformatic and machine learning approaches. Heliyon 2024; 10:e24972. [PMID: 38318007 PMCID: PMC10839993 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The Monkeypox virus, an Orthopoxvirus with zoonotic origins, has been responsible for a growing number of human infections reminiscent of smallpox since May 2022, as reported by the World Health Organization. As of now, there are no established medical treatments for managing Monkeypox infections. In this study, we used machine learning to select conserved epitopes. Proteins were determined using Reverse Vaccinology and Gene Ontology subcellular localization, and their epitopes were predicted. NextClade was used to calculate the number of mutations in each amino acid position using 2433 Monkeypox sequences. The Unsupervised Nearest Neighbor machine learning algorithm and ideal matrix [0 0] were used to calculate the conservancy score of epitopes. Six proteins were determined for epitope prediction. Finally, 47 MHC-I epitopes, 5 MHC-II epitopes, and 10 Linear B cell epitopes were discovered. Our method can select epitopes for vaccine design to prevent viruses with accelerated evolution and high mutation rate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Izadi
- Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Mirzaei
- Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | | | - Shamim Ghiabi
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Khalifeh
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Dentistry, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad of University, Shiraz, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Dolley A, Goswami HB, Dowerah D, Dey U, Kumar A, Hmuaka V, Mukhopadhyay R, Kundu D, Varghese GM, Doley R, Chandra Deka R, Namsa ND. Reverse vaccinology and immunoinformatics approach to design a chimeric epitope vaccine against Orientia tsutsugamushi. Heliyon 2024; 10:e23616. [PMID: 38187223 PMCID: PMC10767154 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Scrub typhus is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi and it is reportedly associated with up to 20 % of hospitalized cases of febrile illnesses. The major challenge of vaccine development is the lack of identified antigens that can induce both heterotypic and homotypic immunity including the production of antibodies, cytotoxic T lymphocyte, and helper T lymphocytes. We employed a comprehensive immunoinformatic prediction algorithm to identify immunogenic epitopes of the 56-kDa type-specific cell membrane surface antigen and surface cell antigen A of O. tsutsugamushi to select potential candidates for developing vaccines and diagnostic assays. We identified 35 linear and 29 continuous immunogenic B-cell epitopes and 51 and 27 strong-binding T-cell epitopes of major histocompatibility complex class I and class II molecules, respectively, in the conserved and variable regions of the 56-kDa type-specific surface antigen. The predicted B- and T-cell epitopes were used to develop immunogenic multi-epitope candidate vaccines and showed to elicit a broad-range of immune protection. A stable interactions between the multi-epitope vaccines and the host fibronectin protein were observed using docking and simulation methods. Molecular dynamics simulation studies demonstrated that the multi-epitope vaccine constructs and fibronectin docked models were stable during simulation time. Furthermore, the multi-epitope vaccine exhibited properties such as antigenicity, non-allergenicity and ability to induce interferon gamma production and had strong associations with their respective human leukocyte antigen alleles of world-wide population coverage. A correlation of immune simulations and the in-silico predicted immunogenic potential of multi-epitope vaccines implicate for further investigations to accelerate designing of epitope-based vaccine candidates and chimeric antigens for development of serological diagnostic assays for scrub typhus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anutee Dolley
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Napaam, 784028, Assam, India
| | - Himanshu Ballav Goswami
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Napaam, 784028, Assam, India
| | - Dikshita Dowerah
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tezpur University, Napaam, 784028, Assam, India
| | - Upalabdha Dey
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Napaam, 784028, Assam, India
| | - Aditya Kumar
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Napaam, 784028, Assam, India
| | - Vanlal Hmuaka
- Entomology and Biothreat Management Division, Defence Research Laboratory, Tezpur, 784001, Assam, India
| | - Rupak Mukhopadhyay
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Napaam, 784028, Assam, India
| | - Debasree Kundu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Christian Medical College, Vellore, 632002, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - George M. Varghese
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Christian Medical College, Vellore, 632002, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Robin Doley
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Napaam, 784028, Assam, India
| | - Ramesh Chandra Deka
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Tezpur University, Napaam, 784028, Assam, India
| | - Nima D. Namsa
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Napaam, 784028, Assam, India
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Nguyen TL, Kim H. Designing a Multiepitope Vaccine against Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus: Immunoinformatics and Computational Approaches. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:1092-1105. [PMID: 38222668 PMCID: PMC10785064 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c07322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a significant threat to human and animal populations, causing severe encephalitis, often leading to long-term neurological complications and even mortality. Despite this, no approved antiviral treatments or EEEV human vaccines currently exist. In response, we utilized immunoinformatics and computational approaches to design a multiepitope vaccine candidate for EEEV. By screening the structural polyprotein of EEEV, we predicted both T-cell and linear B-cell epitopes. These epitopes underwent comprehensive evaluations for their antigenicity, toxicity, and allergenicity. From these evaluations, we selected ten epitopes highly suitable for vaccine design, which were connected with adjuvants using a stable linker. The resulting vaccine construct demonstrated exceptional antigenic, nontoxic, nonallergenic, and physicochemical properties. Subsequently, we employed molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations to reveal a stable interaction pattern between the vaccine candidate and Toll-like receptor 5. Besides, computational immune simulations predicted the vaccine's capability to induce robust immune responses. Our study addresses the urgent need for effective EEEV preventive strategies and offers valuable insights for EEEV vaccine development. As EEEV poses a severe threat with potential spread due to climate change, our research provides a crucial step in enhancing public health defenses against this menacing zoonotic disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Truc Ly Nguyen
- Department
of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture
and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Heebal Kim
- Department
of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture
and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Interdisciplinary
Program in Bioinformatics, Seoul National
University, Seoul 08826, Republic
of Korea
- eGnome,
Inc., Seoul 05836, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Yuan L, Li X, Li M, Bi R, Li Y, Song J, Li W, Yan M, Luo H, Sun C, Shu Y. In silico design of a broad-spectrum multiepitope vaccine against influenza virus. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 254:128071. [PMID: 37967595 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Influenza remains a global health concern due to its potential to cause pandemics as a result of rapidly mutating influenza virus strains. Existing vaccines often struggle to keep up with these rapidly mutating flu viruses. Therefore, the development of a broad-spectrum peptide vaccine that can stimulate an optimal antibody response has emerged as an innovative approach to addressing the influenza threat. In this study, an immunoinformatic approach was employed to rapidly predict immunodominant epitopes from different antigens, aiming to develop an effective multiepitope influenza vaccine (MEV). The immunodominant B-cell linear epitopes of seasonal influenza strains hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) were predicted using an antibody-peptide microarray, involving a human cohort including vaccinees and infected patients. On the other hand, bioinformatics tools were used to predict immunodominant cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) and helper T-cell (HTL) epitopes. Subsequently, these epitopes were evaluated by various immunoinformatic tools. Epitopes with high antigenicity, high immunogenicity, non-allergenicity, non-toxicity, as well as exemplary conservation were then connected in series with appropriate linkers and adjuvants to construct a broad-spectrum MEV. Moreover, the structural analysis revealed that the MEV candidates exhibited good stability, and the docking results demonstrated their strong affinity to Toll-like receptors 4 (TLR4). In addition, molecular dynamics simulation confirmed the stable interaction between TLR4 and MEVs. Three injections with MEVs showed a high level of B-cell and T-cell immune responses according to the immunological simulations in silico. Furthermore, in-silico cloning was performed, and the results indicated that the MEVs could be produced in considerable quantities in Escherichia coli (E. coli). Based on these findings, it is reasonable to create a broad-spectrum MEV against different subtypes of influenza A and B viruses in silico.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lifang Yuan
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, PR China; School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China.
| | - Xu Li
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, PR China; School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China; Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medicine, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, Hunan, PR China.
| | - Minchao Li
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, PR China; School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China.
| | - Rongjun Bi
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, PR China; School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China
| | - Yingrui Li
- Shenzhen Digital Life Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518000, PR China.
| | - Jiaping Song
- Shenzhen Digital Life Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518000, PR China.
| | - Wei Li
- Shenzhen Digital Life Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518000, PR China.
| | - Mingchen Yan
- Shenzhen Digital Life Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518000, PR China
| | - Huanle Luo
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, PR China; School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510080, PR China.
| | - Caijun Sun
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, PR China; School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510080, PR China.
| | - Yuelong Shu
- School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, PR China; School of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China; Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control (Sun Yat-sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510080, PR China; Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100176, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Alshiekheid MA, Dou AM, Algahtani M, Al-Megrin WAI, Alhawday YA, Alradhi AE, Bukhari K, Alharbi BF, Algefary AN, Alhunayhani BA, Allemailem KS. Bioinformatics and immunoinformatics assisted multiepitope vaccine construct against Burkholderia anthina. Saudi Pharm J 2024; 32:101917. [PMID: 38226347 PMCID: PMC10788630 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsps.2023.101917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Burkholderia anthina is a pathogenic bacterial species belonging to the Burkholderiaceae family and it is mainly considered the etiological agent of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases associated with cystic fibrosis, due to being intrinsic antibiotic resistant making it difficult to treat pulmonary infections. Hence increased rate of antibiotic-resistant bacterial species vaccine development is the priority to tackle this problem. In research work, we designed a multi-epitope-based vaccine construct against B. anthina using reverse vaccinology immunoinformatics and biophysical approaches. Based on the subtractive proteomic screening of core proteins we identified 3 probable antigenic proteins and good vaccine targets namely, type VI secretion system tube protein hcp Burkholderia, fimbria/pilus periplasmic chaperone and fimbrial biogenesis outer membrane usher protein. The selected 3 proteins were used for B and B cells B-derived T-cell epitopes prediction. In epitopes prediction, different epitopes were predicted with various lengths and percentile scores and subjected to further immunoinformatics analysis. In immunoinformatics screening a total number of 06, IDDGNANAL, KTVKPDPRY, SEVESGSAP, YGGDLTVEV, SVSHDTNGR, and GSKADGYQR epitopes were considered good vaccine target candidates and shortlisted for vaccine construct designing. The vaccine construct was designed by joining selected epitopes with the help of a GPGPG linker and additionally linked with cholera toxin b subunit adjuvant to increase the efficacy of the vaccine construct the sequence of the said adjuvant were retrieved from protein data bank through its (PDB ID: 5ELD). The designed vaccine construct was evaluated for its physiochemical properties analysis in which we reported that the vaccine construct comprises 216 amino acids with a molecular weight of 22.37499 kilo Dalton, 15.55 instability index (II) is computed, and this classifies that the vaccine construct is properly stable. VaxiJen v2.0 web server predicted that the vaccine construct is probable antigenic in nature with 0.6320 predicted value. Furthermore AllerTOP v. 2.0 tool predicted that the designed vaccine construct is non allergic in nature. Molecular docking analysis was done for analysis of the binding affinity of the vaccine construct with TLR-2 (PDB ID: 6NIG), the docking results predicted 799.2 kcal/mol binding energy score that represents the vaccine construct has a good binding ability with TLR-2. Moreover, molecular dynamic simulation analysis results revealed that the vaccine construct and immune cell receptor has proper binding stability over various environmental condition, i.e. change in pressure range, temperature, and motion. After each analysis, we observed that the vaccine construct is safe stable, and probably antigenic and could generate an immune response against the target pathogen but in the future, experimental analysis is still needed to verify in silico base results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maha A. Alshiekheid
- Department of Botany & Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali M. Dou
- Department of Medical Laboratories, Riyadh Security Forces Hospital, Ministry of Interior, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammad Algahtani
- Department of Laboratory & Blood Bank, Security Forces Hospital, P.O. Box 14799, Mecca 21955, Saudi Arabia
| | - Wafa Abdullah I. Al-Megrin
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yaseer Ali Alhawday
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Qassim University Medical City , Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
| | - Arwa Essa Alradhi
- Regional Laboratory and Central Blood Bank, Hafr Al Batin 39513, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khulud Bukhari
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, P. O. Box 1757, Hofuf 36388, Al-Ahsa, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia
| | - Basmah F. Alharbi
- Department of Basic Health Science, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed N. Algefary
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
| | - Basmah Awwadh Alhunayhani
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khaled S. Allemailem
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Rastogi A, Kumar M. Current Status of Vaccine Development for Monkeypox Virus. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 1451:289-300. [PMID: 38801585 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-57165-7_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Monkeypox virus (MPXV) of poxviridae family causes a zoonotic disease called monkeypox (Mpox). MPXV cases have a fatality ratio ranging from 0 to 11% globally and have been more prevalent in children. There are three generations of smallpox vaccines that protect against MPXV. First and second generation of the vaccinia virus (VACV) vaccine protects MPXV. However, various adverse side effects were associated with the first and second generations of vaccines. In contrast, the Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) replication-incompetent vaccine shows fewer adverse effects and a significant amount of neutralizing antibodies in mammalian cells. A third-generation Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) was approved to prevent Mpox in 2019. Recently, MVA-BN-based Imvanex, Imvamune, and JYNNEOS vaccines have also been administered against MPXV. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health emergency in May 2022 due to increased MPXV cases. Various computational studies have also designed a multi-epitope-based vaccine against the MPXV. In the multi-epitope-based vaccine, different epitopes like B-cell, Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte (CTL), CD8+, and CD4+ epitopes were derived from MPXV proteins. Further, these epitopes were linked with the help of various linkers to design a multi-epitope vaccine against MPXV. In summary, we have provided an overview of the current status of the vaccine against MPXV.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amber Rastogi
- Virology Unit, Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Sector 39-A, Chandigarh, 160036, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Manoj Kumar
- Virology Unit, Institute of Microbial Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Sector 39-A, Chandigarh, 160036, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Chawla M, Cuspoca AF, Akthar N, Magdaleno JSL, Rattanabunyong S, Suwattanasophon C, Jongkon N, Choowongkomon K, Shaikh AR, Malik T, Cavallo L. Immunoinformatics-aided rational design of a multi-epitope vaccine targeting feline infectious peritonitis virus. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1280273. [PMID: 38192725 PMCID: PMC10773687 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1280273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a grave and frequently lethal ailment instigated by feline coronavirus (FCoV) in wild and domestic feline species. The spike (S) protein of FCoV assumes a critical function in viral ingress and infection, thereby presenting a promising avenue for the development of a vaccine. In this investigation, an immunoinformatics approach was employed to ascertain immunogenic epitopes within the S-protein of FIP and formulate an innovative vaccine candidate. By subjecting the amino acid sequence of the FIP S-protein to computational scrutiny, MHC-I binding T-cell epitopes were predicted, which were subsequently evaluated for their antigenicity, toxicity, and allergenicity through in silico tools. Our analyses yielded the identification of 11 potential epitopes capable of provoking a robust immune response against FIPV. Additionally, molecular docking analysis demonstrated the ability of these epitopes to bind with feline MHC class I molecules. Through the utilization of suitable linkers, these epitopes, along with adjuvants, were integrated to design a multi-epitope vaccine candidate. Furthermore, the stability of the interaction between the vaccine candidate and feline Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was established via molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation analyses. This suggests good prospects for future experimental validation to ascertain the efficacy of our vaccine candidate in inducing a protective immune response against FIP.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohit Chawla
- Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Kaust Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Andrés Felipe Cuspoca
- Grupo de Investigación en Epidemiología Clínica de Colombia (GRECO), Universidad Pedagógica yTecnológica de Colombia, Tunja, Colombia
- Centro de Atención e Investigación Médica–CAIMED, Chía, Colombia
| | - Nahid Akthar
- Department of Research and Innovation, STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited, Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - Jorge Samuel Leon Magdaleno
- Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Kaust Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | | | | | - Nathjanan Jongkon
- Department of Social and Applied Science, College of Industrial Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Abdul Rajjak Shaikh
- Department of Research and Innovation, STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited, Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - Tabarak Malik
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Luigi Cavallo
- Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Kaust Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Shah M, Jaan S, Shehroz M, Sarfraz A, Asad K, Wara TU, Zaman A, Ullah R, Ali EA, Nishan U, Ojha SC. Deciphering the Immunogenicity of Monkeypox Proteins for Designing the Potential mRNA Vaccine. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:43341-43355. [PMID: 38024731 PMCID: PMC10652822 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c07866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
The Monkeypox virus (MPXV), an orthopox virus, is responsible for monkeypox in humans, a zoonotic disease similar to smallpox. This infection first appeared in the 1970s in humans and then in 2003, after which it kept on spreading all around the world. To date, various antivirals have been used to cure this disease, but now, MPXV has developed resistance against these, thus increasing the need for an alternative cure for this deadly disease. In this study, we devised a reverse vaccinology approach against MPXV using a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine by pinning down the antigenic proteins of this virus. By using bioinformatic tools, we predicted prospective immunogenic B and T lymphocyte epitopes. Based on cytokine inducibility score, nonallergenicity, nontoxicity, antigenicity, and conservancy, the final epitopes were selected. Our analysis revealed the stable structure of the mRNA vaccine and its efficient expression in host cells. Furthermore, strong interactions were demonstrated with toll-like receptors 2 (TLR2) and 4 (TLR4) according to the molecular dynamic simulation studies. The in silico immune simulation analyses revealed an overall increase in the immune responses following repeated exposure to the designed vaccine. Based on our findings, the vaccine candidate designed in this study has the potential to be tested as a promising novel mRNA therapeutic vaccine against MPXV infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohibullah Shah
- Department
of Biochemistry, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 66000, Pakistan
| | - Samavia Jaan
- Department
of Biochemistry, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 66000, Pakistan
- School
of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University
of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Shehroz
- Department
of Bioinformatics, Kohsar University Murree, Murree 47150 Pakistan
| | - Asifa Sarfraz
- Department
of Biochemistry, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 66000, Pakistan
| | - Khamna Asad
- School
of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University
of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
| | - Tehreem Ul Wara
- Department
of Biochemistry, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 66000, Pakistan
| | - Aqal Zaman
- Department
of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 66000, Pakistan
| | - Riaz Ullah
- Department
of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King
Saud University Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Essam A. Ali
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Umar Nishan
- Department
of Chemistry, Kohat University of Science
& Technology, Kohat 26000, Pakistan
| | - Suvash Chandra Ojha
- Department
of Infectious Diseases, The Affiliated Hospital
of Southwest Medical University, 646000 Luzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Farzan M, Farzan M, Mirzaei Y, Aiman S, Azadegan-Dehkordi F, Bagheri N. Immunoinformatics-based multi-epitope vaccine design for the re-emerging monkeypox virus. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 123:110725. [PMID: 37556996 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND On May 7, 2022, WHO reported a new monkeypox case. By May 2023 over 80,000 cases had been reported worldwide outside previously endemic nations. (This primarily affected the men who have sex with men (MSM) community in rich nations). The present research aims to develop a multi-epitope vaccine for the monkeypox virus (MPXV) using structural and cell surface proteins. METHODS The first part of the research involved retrieving protein sequences. The Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) was then used to analyze the B and T lymphocyte epitopes. After analyzing the sensitizing properties, toxicity, antigenicity, and molecular binding, appropriate linkers were utilizedto connect selected epitopes to adjuvants, and the structure of the vaccine was formulated. Algorithms from the field of immunoinformatics predicted the secondary and tertiary structures of vaccines. The physical, chemical, and structural properties were refined and validated to achieve maximum stability. Molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulations were subsequently employed to assess the vaccine's efficacy. Afterward, the ability of the vaccine to interact with toll-like receptors 3 and 4 (TLR3 and TLR4) was evaluated. Finally, the optimized sequence was then introduced into the Escherichia coli (E. coli) PET30A + vector. RESULTS An immunoinformatics evaluation suggested that such a vaccine might be safe revealed that this vaccine is safe, hydrophilic, temperature- and condition-stable, and can stimulate innate immunity by binding to TLR3 and TLR4. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that the first step in MPXV pathogenesis is structural and cell surface epitopes. In this study, the most effective and promising epitopes were selected and designed throughprecision servers. Furthermore,through the utilization of multi-epitope structures and a combination of two established adjuvants, this research has the potential to be a landmarkin developing an antiviralvaccine against MPXV. However, additional in vitro and in vivo tests are required to confirm these results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mahour Farzan
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran; Student Research Committee, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Mahan Farzan
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran; Student Research Committee, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Yousef Mirzaei
- Department of Medical Biochemical Analysis, Cihan University-Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
| | - Sara Aiman
- Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Fatemeh Azadegan-Dehkordi
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
| | - Nader Bagheri
- Clinical Biochemistry Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Kumari S, Leon Magdaleno JS, Grewal RK, Narsing Rao MP, Rajjak Shaikh A, Cavallo L, Chawla M, Kumar M. High potential for biomass-degrading CAZymes revealed by pine forest soil metagenomics. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-12. [PMID: 37768075 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2262600] [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: 05/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
The undisturbed environment in Netarhat, with its high levels of accumulated lignocellulosic biomass, presents an opportunity to identify microbes for biomass digestion. This study focuses on the bioprospecting of native soil microbes from the Netarhat forest in Jharkhand, India, with the potential for lignocellulosic substrate digestion. These biocatalysts could help overcome the bottleneck of biomass saccharification and reduce the overall cost of biofuel production, replacing harmful fossil fuels. The study used metagenomic analysis of pine forest soil via whole genome shotgun sequencing, revealing that most of the reads matched with the bacterial species, very low percentage of reads (0.1%) belongs to fungal species, with 13% of unclassified reads. Actinobacteria were found to be predominant among the bacterial species. MetaErg annotation identified 11,830 protein family genes and 2 metabolic marker genes in the soil samples. Based on the Carbohydrate Active EnZyme (CAZy) database, 3,996 carbohydrate enzyme families were identified, with family Glycosyl hydrolase (GH) dominating with 1,704 genes. Most observed GH families in the study were GH0, 3, 5, 6. 9, 12. 13, 15, 16, 39, 43, 57, and 97. Modelling analysis of a representative GH 43 gene suggested a strong affinity for cellulose than xylan. This study highlights the lignocellulosic digestion potential of the native microfauna of the lesser-known pine forest of Netarhat.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sonam Kumari
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
| | - Jorge S Leon Magdaleno
- Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Kaust Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ravneet Kaur Grewal
- Department of Research and Innovation, STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited, Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - Manik Prabhu Narsing Rao
- Instituto de Ciencias Aplicadas, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Sede Talca, Talca, Chile
| | - Abdul Rajjak Shaikh
- Department of Research and Innovation, STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited, Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - Luigi Cavallo
- Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Kaust Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohit Chawla
- Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Kaust Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Manoj Kumar
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Mustafa MI, Mohammed A. Revolutionizing antiviral therapy with nanobodies: Generation and prospects. BIOTECHNOLOGY REPORTS (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2023; 39:e00803. [PMID: 37332617 PMCID: PMC10276140 DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 05/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
As the world continues to grapple with infectious diseases, scientists are constantly searching for effective ways to combat these deadly pathogens. One promising avenue of research is the use of nanobodies as neutralization agents. These small proteins, derived from camelid antibodies, have several unique advantages over traditional antibodies, including their small size. Nanobodies are much smaller than conventional antibodies, typically weighing in at around 15 kDa compared to the 150 kDa of a typical human antibody. This small size allows them to penetrate into tight spaces that larger molecules cannot reach, such as the crevices on the surface of viruses or bacteria. This makes them highly effective at neutralizing viruses by binding to and blocking their key functional sites. In this mini-review we discuss the construction approaches of nanobodies, and some methods to increase the half-life of nanobodies. Moreover, we discuss Nanobodies and their therapeutic potential for infectious agents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mujahed I. Mustafa
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Applied and Industrial Sciences, University of Bahri, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Ahmed Mohammed
- Department of biotechnology, school of life sciences and technology, Omdurman Islamic university, Omdurman, Sudan
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Magdaleno JSL, Grewal RK, Medina-Franco JL, Oliva R, Shaikh AR, Cavallo L, Chawla M. Toward α-1,3/4 fucosyltransferases targeted drug discovery: In silico uncovering of promising natural inhibitors of fucosyltransferase 6. J Cell Biochem 2023; 124:1173-1185. [PMID: 37357420 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.30440] [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: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
Sialyl Lewis X (sLex ) antigen is a fucosylated cell-surface glycan that is normally involved in cell-cell interactions. The enhanced expression of sLex on cell surface glycans, which is attributed to the upregulation of fucosyltransferase 6 (FUT6), has been implicated in facilitating metastasis in human colorectal, lung, prostate, and oral cancers. The role that the upregulated FUT6 plays in the progression of tumor to malignancy, with reduced survival rates, makes it a potential target for anticancer drugs. Unfortunately, the lack of experimental structures for FUT6 has hampered the design and development of its inhibitors. In this study, we used in silico techniques to identify potential FUT6 inhibitors. We first modeled the three-dimensional structure of human FUT6 using AlphaFold. Then, we screened the natural compound libraries from the COCONUT database to sort out potential natural products (NPs) with best affinity toward the FUT6 model. As a result of these simulations, we identified three NPs for which we predicted binding affinities and interaction patterns quite similar to those we calculated for two experimentally tested FUT6 inhibitors, that is, fucose mimetic-1 and a GDP-triazole derived compound. We also performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for the FUT6 complexes with identified NPs, to investigate their stability. Analysis of the MD simulations showed that the identified NPs establish stable contacts with FUT6 under dynamics conditions. On these grounds, the three screened compounds appear as promising natural alternatives to experimentally tested FUT6 synthetic inhibitors, with expected comparable binding affinity. This envisages good prospects for future experimental validation toward FUT6 inhibition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Samuel Leon Magdaleno
- Department of Research and Innovation, STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited, Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - Ravneet K Grewal
- Department of Research and Innovation, STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited, Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - José L Medina-Franco
- Department of Pharmacy, DIFACQUIM Research Group, School of Chemistry, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Romina Oliva
- Department of Sciences and Technologies, University Parthenope of Naples, Naples, Italy
| | - Abdul Rajjak Shaikh
- Department of Research and Innovation, STEMskills Research and Education Lab Private Limited, Faridabad, Haryana, India
| | - Luigi Cavallo
- Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Kaust Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohit Chawla
- Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, Kaust Catalysis Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Rcheulishvili N, Mao J, Papukashvili D, Feng S, Liu C, Wang X, He Y, Wang PG. Design, evaluation, and immune simulation of potentially universal multi-epitope mpox vaccine candidate: focus on DNA vaccine. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1203355. [PMID: 37547674 PMCID: PMC10403236 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1203355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Monkeypox (mpox) is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by the mpox virus. Mpox symptoms are similar to smallpox with less severity and lower mortality. As yet mpox virus is not characterized by as high transmissibility as some severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants, still, it is spreading, especially among men who have sex with men (MSM). Thus, taking preventive measures, such as vaccination, is highly recommended. While the smallpox vaccine has demonstrated considerable efficacy against the mpox virus due to the antigenic similarities, the development of a universal anti-mpox vaccine remains a necessary pursuit. Recently, nucleic acid vaccines have garnered special attention owing to their numerous advantages compared to traditional vaccines. Importantly, DNA vaccines have certain advantages over mRNA vaccines. In this study, a potentially universal DNA vaccine candidate against mpox based on conserved epitopes was designed and its efficacy was evaluated via an immunoinformatics approach. The vaccine candidate demonstrated potent humoral and cellular immune responses in silico, indicating the potential efficacy in vivo and the need for further research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Yunjiao He
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Peng George Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Wang Y, Yang K, Zhou H. Immunogenic proteins and potential delivery platforms for mpox virus vaccine development: A rapid review. Int J Biol Macromol 2023:125515. [PMID: 37353117 PMCID: PMC10284459 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.125515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Since May 2022, the mpox virus (MPXV) has spread worldwide and become a potential threat to global public health. Vaccines are important tools for preventing MPXV transmission and infection in the population. However, there are still no available potent and applicable vaccines specifically for MPXV. Herein, we highlight several potential vaccine targets for MPVX and emphasize potent immunogens, such as M1R, E8L, H3L, A29L, A35R, and B6R proteins. These proteins can be integrated into diverse vaccine platforms to elicit powerful B-cell and T-cell responses, thereby providing protective immunity against MPXV infection. Overall, research on the MPXV vaccine targets would provide valuable information for developing timely effective MPXV-specific vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wang
- College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610000, China
| | - Kaiwen Yang
- College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610000, China
| | - Hao Zhou
- College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610000, China.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Shamim MA, Satapathy P, Padhi BK, Veeramachaneni SD, Akhtar N, Pradhan A, Agrawal A, Dwivedi P, Mohanty A, Pradhan KB, Kabir R, Rabaan AA, Alotaibi J, Al Ismail ZA, Alsoliabi ZA, Al Fraij A, Sah R, Rodriguez-Morales AJ. Pharmacological treatment and vaccines in monkeypox virus: a narrative review and bibliometric analysis. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1149909. [PMID: 37214444 PMCID: PMC10196034 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1149909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Mpox (earlier known as monkeypox) virus infection is a recognized public health emergency. There has been little research on the treatment options. This article reviews the specific drugs used to treat mpox virus infection and the vaccines used here. Instead of focusing on the mechanistic basis, this review narrates the practical, real-life experiences of individual patients of mpox virus disease being administered these medicines. We conducted a bibliometric analysis on the treatment of the mpox virus using data from several databases like PubMed, Scopus, and Embase. The research on this topic has grown tremendously recently but it is highly concentrated in a few countries. Cidofovir is the most studied drug. This is because it is indicated and also used off-label for several conditions. The drugs used for mpox virus infection include tecovirimat, cidofovir, brincidofovir, vaccinia immune globulin, and trifluridine. Tecovirimat is used most frequently. It is a promising option in progressive mpox disease in terms of both efficacy and safety. Brincidofovir has been associated with treatment discontinuation due to elevated hepatic enzymes. Cidofovir is also not the preferred drug, often used because of the unavailability of tecovirimat. Trifluridine is used topically as an add-on agent along with tecovirimat for ocular manifestations of mpox virus disease. No study reports individual patient data for vaccinia immune globulin. Though no vaccine is currently approved for mpox virus infection, ACAM 2000 and JYNNEOS are the vaccines being mainly considered. ACAM 2000 is capable of replicating and may cause severe adverse reactions. It is used when JYNNEOS is contraindicated. Several drugs and vaccines are under development and have been discussed alongside pragmatic aspects of mpox virus treatment and prevention. Further studies can provide more insight into the safety and efficacy of Tecovirimat in actively progressing mpox virus disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Prakisini Satapathy
- Department of Virology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Bijaya Kumar Padhi
- Department of Community Medicine, School of Public Health, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | | | - Naushaba Akhtar
- Indian Council of Medical Research—Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Anindita Pradhan
- Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
| | - Abhimanyu Agrawal
- Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, India
| | - Pradeep Dwivedi
- Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
- Centre of Excellence for Tribal Health, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
| | - Aroop Mohanty
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Gorakhpur, India
| | | | - Russell Kabir
- School of Allied Health, Anglia Ruskin University, Essex, United Kingdom
| | - Ali A. Rabaan
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jawaher Alotaibi
- Infectious Diseases Unit, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Department of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Zainab A. Al Ismail
- Long Term Care Department, Dhahran Long Term Hospital, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Ali Al Fraij
- Medical Laboratories and Blood Bank Department, Jubail Health Network, Jubail, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ranjit Sah
- Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Dr D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune, Maharashtra, India
| | - Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima, Peru
- Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Secreted Aspartyl Proteinases Targeted Multi-Epitope Vaccine Design for Candida dubliniensis Using Immunoinformatics. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11020364. [PMID: 36851241 PMCID: PMC9964391 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Candida dubliniensis is an opportunistic pathogen associated with oral and invasive fungal infections in immune-compromised individuals. Furthermore, the emergence of C. dubliniensis antifungal drug resistance could exacerbate its treatment. Hence, in this study a multi-epitope vaccine candidate has been designed using an immunoinformatics approach by targeting C. dubliniensis secreted aspartyl proteinases (SAP) proteins. In silico tools have been utilized to predict epitopes and determine their allergic potential, antigenic potential, toxicity, and potential to elicit interleukin-2 (IL2), interleukin-4 (IL4), and IFN-γ. Using the computational tools, eight epitopes have been predicted that were then linked with adjuvants for final vaccine candidate development. Computational immune simulation has depicted that the immunogen designed emerges as a strong immunogenic candidate for a vaccine. Further, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation analyses revealed stable interactions between the vaccine candidate and the human toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5). Finally, immune simulations corroborated the promising candidature of the designed vaccine, thus calling for further in vivo investigation.
Collapse
|
26
|
Jiang F, Liu Y, Xue Y, Cheng P, Wang J, Lian J, Gong W. Developing a multiepitope vaccine for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 and monkeypox virus co-infection: A reverse vaccinology analysis. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 115:109728. [PMID: 36652758 PMCID: PMC9832108 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.109728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 01/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and monkeypox virus (MPXV) severely threaten human health; however, currently, no vaccine can prevent a co-infection with both viruses. METHODS Five antigens were selected to predict dominant T and B cell epitopes screened for immunogenicity, antigenicity, toxicity, and sensitization. After screening, all antigens joined in the construction of a novel multiepitope vaccine. The physicochemical and immunological characteristics, and secondary and tertiary structures of the vaccine were predicted and analyzed using bio- and immunoinformatics. Finally, codon optimization and cloning in-silico were performed. RESULTS A new multiepitope vaccine, named S7M8, was constructed based on four helper T lymphocyte (HTL) epitopes, six cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes, five B cell epitopes, as well as Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists. The antigenicity and immunogenicity scores of the S7M8 vaccine were 0.907374 and 0.6552, respectively. The S7M8 vaccine was comprised of 26.96% α-helices, the optimized Z-value of the tertiary structure was -5.92, and the favored area after majorization in the Ramachandran plot was 84.54%. Molecular docking showed that the S7M8 vaccine could tightly bind to TLR2 (-1100.6 kcal/mol) and TLR4 (-950.3 kcal/mol). In addition, the immune stimulation prediction indicated that the S7M8 vaccine could activate T and B lymphocytes to produce high levels of Th1 cytokines and antibodies. CONCLUSION S7M8 is a promising biomarker with good antigenicity, immunogenicity, non-toxicity, and non-sensitization. The S7M8 vaccine can trigger significantly high levels of Th1 cytokines and antibodies and may be a potentially powerful tool in preventing SARS-CoV-2 and MPXV.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fan Jiang
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China,The Second Brigade of Cadet, Basic Medical Science Academy of Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, China,Department of Infectious Diseases, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yinping Liu
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Xue
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Peng Cheng
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Wang
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jianqi Lian
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Wenping Gong
- Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Key Laboratory/Beijing Key Laboratory of New Techniques of Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment, Senior Department of Tuberculosis, The 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
| |
Collapse
|