1
|
Mohammadi M, Razmara J, Hadizadeh M, Parvizpour S, Shahir Shamsir M. Peptide vaccine design against glioblastoma by applying immunoinformatics approach. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 142:113219. [PMID: 39340993 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.113219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2024] [Revised: 09/15/2024] [Accepted: 09/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024]
Abstract
Brain tumors are considered to be one of the most fatal forms of cancer owing to their highly aggressive attributes, diverse characteristics, and notably low rate of survival. Among these tumors, glioblastoma stands out as the prevalent and perilous variant Despite the present advancements in surgical procedures, pharmacological treatment, and radiation therapy, the overall prognosis remains notably unfavorable, as merely 4.3 % of individuals manage to attain a five-year survival rate; For this reason, it has emerged as a challenge for cancer researchers. Therefore, among several immunotherapy methods, using peptide-based vaccines for cancer treatment is considered promising due to their ability to generate a focused immune response with minimal damage. This study endeavors to devise a multi-epitope vaccine utilizing an immunoinformatics methodology to address the challenge posed by glioblastoma disease. Through this approach, it is anticipated that the duration and expenses associated with vaccine manufacturing can be diminished, while simultaneously enhancing the characteristics of the vaccine. The target gene in this research is ITGA5, which was achieved through TCGA analysis by targeting the PI3K-Akt pathway as a significant association with patient survival. Subsequently, the suitable epitopes of T and B cells were selected through various immunoinformatics tools by analyzing their sequence. Then, nine epitopes were merged with GM-CSF as an adjuvant to enhance immunogenicity. The outcomes encompass molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, simulation of the immune response, prognosis and confirmation of the secondary and tertiary structure, Chemical and physical characteristics, toxicity, as well as antigenicity and allergenicity of the potential vaccine candidate against glioblastoma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mahsa Mohammadi
- Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Jafar Razmara
- Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
| | - Morteza Hadizadeh
- Physiology Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Sepideh Parvizpour
- Research Center for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Biomedicine Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mohd Shahir Shamsir
- Bioinformatics Research Group, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
| |
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
|
Mahmoodi S, Amirzakaria JZ, Ghasemian A. A novel multi-epitope peptide vaccine targeting immunogenic antigens of Ebola and monkeypox viruses with potential of immune responses provocation in silico. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 2024. [PMID: 39128888 DOI: 10.1002/bab.2646] [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: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
The emergence or reemergence of monkeypox (Mpox) and Ebola virus (EBOV) agents causing zoonotic diseases remains a huge threat to human health. Our study aimed at designing a multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) candidate to target both the Mpox and EBOV agents using immunoinformatics tools. Viral protein sequences were retrieved, and potential nonallergenic, nontoxic, and antigenic epitopes were obtained. Next, cytotoxic and helper T-cell (CTL and HTL, respectively) and B-cell (BCL) epitopes were predicted, and those potential epitopes were fused utilizing proper linkers. The in silico cloning and expression processes were implemented using Escherichia coli K12. The immune responses were prognosticated using the C-ImmSim server. The MEV construct (29.53 kDa) included four BCL, two CTL, and four HTL epitopes and adjuvant. The MEV traits were pertinent in terms of antigenicity, non-allergenicity, nontoxicity, physicochemical characters, and stability. The MEV candidate was also highly expressed in E. coli K12. The strong affinity of MEV-TLR3 was confirmed using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation analyses. Immune simulation analyses unraveled durable activation and responses of cellular and humoral arms alongside innate immune responses. The designed MEV candidate demonstrated appropriate traits and was promising in the prediction of immune responses against both Mpox and EBOV agents. Further experimental assessments of the MEV are required to verify its efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shirin Mahmoodi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
| | - Javad Zamani Amirzakaria
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abdolmajid Ghasemian
- Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Nugraha MF, Changestu DA, Ramadhan R, Salsabila T, Nurizati A, Pratiwi SE, Ysrafil Y. Novel prophylactic and therapeutic multi-epitope vaccine based on Ag85A, Ag85B, ESAT-6, and CFP-10 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis using an immunoinformatics approach. Osong Public Health Res Perspect 2024; 15:286-306. [PMID: 39091165 PMCID: PMC11391370 DOI: 10.24171/j.phrp.2024.0026] [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: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Current tuberculosis (TB) control strategies face limitations, such as low antibiotic treatment compliance and a rise in multidrug resistance. Furthermore, the lack of a safe and effective vaccine compounds these challenges. The limited efficacy of existing vaccines against TB underscores the urgency for innovative strategies, such as immunoinformatics. Consequently, this study aimed to design a targeted multi-epitope vaccine against TB infection utilizing an immunoinformatics approach. METHODS The multi-epitope vaccine targeted Ag85A, Ag85B, ESAT-6, and CFP-10 proteins. The design adopted various immunoinformatics tools for cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL), helper T lymphocyte (HTL), and linear B lymphocyte (LBL) epitope prediction, the assessment of vaccine characteristics, structure modeling, population coverage analysis, disulfide engineering, solubility prediction, molecular docking/dynamics with toll-like receptors (TLRs), codon optimization/cloning, and immune simulation. RESULTS The multi-epitope vaccine, which was assembled using 12 CTL, 25 HTL, and 21 LBL epitopes associated with CpG adjuvants, showed promising characteristics. The immunoinformatics analysis confirmed the antigenicity, immunogenicity, and lack of allergenicity. Physicochemical evaluations indicated that the proteins were stable, thermostable, hydrophilic, and highly soluble. Docking simulations suggested high-affinity binding to TLRs, including TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9. In silico immune simulation predicted strong T cell (cytokine release) and B cell (immunoglobulin release) responses. CONCLUSION This immunoinformatics-designed multi-epitope vaccine targeting Ag85A, Ag85B, ESAT-6, and CFP-10 proteins showed promising characteristics in terms of stability, immunogenicity, antigenicity, solubility, and predicted induction of humoral and adaptive immune responses. This suggests its potential as a prophylactic and therapeutic vaccine against TB.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rizky Ramadhan
- Medical Program, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tanjungpura, Pontianak, Indonesia
| | - Tasya Salsabila
- Medical Program, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tanjungpura, Pontianak, Indonesia
| | - Arsila Nurizati
- Medical Program, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tanjungpura, Pontianak, Indonesia
| | - Sari Eka Pratiwi
- Department of Biology and Pathobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tanjungpura, Pontianak, Indonesia
| | - Ysrafil Ysrafil
- Department of Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Palangka Raya, Palangka Raya, Indonesia
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
da Silva IBN, de Moraes Rodrigues J, Batista RCG, Gomes VDS, Chacon CDS, Almeida MDS, de Araujo TS, Ortiz da Silva B, Castiñeiras TMPP, Ferreira Junior ODC, Carneiro FA, Montero-Lomeli M. Development and assessment of a multiepitope synthetic antigen for the diagnosis of Dengue virus infection. Braz J Infect Dis 2024; 28:103746. [PMID: 38703788 PMCID: PMC11096929 DOI: 10.1016/j.bjid.2024.103746] [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: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Immunodiagnostic tests for detecting dengue virus infections encounter challenges related to cross-reactivity with other related flaviviruses. Our research focuses on the development of a synthetic multiepitope antigen tailored for dengue immunodiagnostics. Selected dengue epitopes involved structural linearity and dissimilarity from the proteomes of Zika and Yellow fever viruses which served for computationally modeling the three-dimensional protein structure, resulting in the design of two proteins: rDME-C and rDME-BR. Both proteins consist of seven epitopes, separated by the GPGPG linker, and a carboxy-terminal 6 × -histidine tag. The molecular weights of the final proteins rDME-C and rDME-BR are 16.83 kDa and 16.80 kDa, respectively, both with an isoelectric point of 6.35. The distinguishing factor between the two proteins lies in the origin of their epitope sequences, where rDME-C is based on the reference dengue proteome, while rDME-BR utilizes sequences from prevalent Dengue genotypes in Brazil from 2008 to 2019. PyMol analysis revealed exposure of epitopes in the secondary structure. Successful expression of the antigens was achieved in soluble form and fluorescence experiments indicated a disordered structure. In subsequent testing, rDME-BR and rDME-C antigens were assessed using an indirect Elisa protocol against Dengue infected serum, previously examined with a commercial diagnostic test. Optimal concentrations for antigens were determined at 10 µg/mL for rDME-BR and 30 µg/mL for rDME-C, with serum dilutions ranging from 1:50 to 1:100. Both antigens effectively detected IgM and IgG antibodies in Dengue fever patients, with rDME-BR exhibiting higher sensitivity. Our in-house test showed a sensitivity of 77.3 % and 82.6 % and a specificity of 89.4 % and 71.4 % for rDME-C and rDEM-BR antigens. No cross-reactivity was observed with serum from Zika-infected mice but with COVID-19 serum samples. Our findings underscore the utility of synthetic biology in crafting Dengue-specific multiepitope proteins and hold promise for precise clinical diagnosis and monitoring responses to emerging Dengue vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isis Botelho Nunes da Silva
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Juliano de Moraes Rodrigues
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ramon Cid Gismonti Batista
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Vivian Dos Santos Gomes
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Clarissa de Souza Chacon
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Marcius da Silva Almeida
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Plataforma Avançada de Biomoléculas, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Talita Stelling de Araujo
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Plataforma Avançada de Biomoléculas, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Bianca Ortiz da Silva
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes (NEEDIER), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Terezinha Marta Pereira Pinto Castiñeiras
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes (NEEDIER), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Orlando da Costa Ferreira Junior
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudos de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes (NEEDIER), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Biologia, Laboratório de Virologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Fabiana Avila Carneiro
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Núcleo de Pesquisa (Numpex-Bio), Campus Duque de Caxias Professor Geraldo Cidade, Duque de Caxias, RJ, Brazil
| | - Monica Montero-Lomeli
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ghaffar SA, Tahir H, Muhammad S, Shahid M, Naqqash T, Faisal M, Albekairi TH, Alshammari A, Albekairi NA, Manzoor I. Designing of a multi-epitopes based vaccine against Haemophilius parainfluenzae and its validation through integrated computational approaches. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1380732. [PMID: 38690283 PMCID: PMC11058264 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1380732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Haemophilus parainfluenzae is a Gram-negative opportunist pathogen within the mucus of the nose and mouth without significant symptoms and has an ability to cause various infections ranging from ear, eye, and sinus to pneumonia. A concerning development is the increasing resistance of H. parainfluenzae to beta-lactam antibiotics, with the potential to cause dental infections or abscesses. The principal objective of this investigation is to utilize bioinformatics and immuno-informatic methodologies in the development of a candidate multi-epitope Vaccine. The investigation focuses on identifying potential epitopes for both B cells (B lymphocytes) and T cells (helper T lymphocytes and cytotoxic T lymphocytes) based on high non-toxic and non-allergenic characteristics. The selection process involves identifying human leukocyte antigen alleles demonstrating strong associations with recognized antigenic and overlapping epitopes. Notably, the chosen alleles aim to provide coverage for 90% of the global population. Multi-epitope constructs were designed by using suitable linker sequences. To enhance the immunological potential, an adjuvant sequence was incorporated using the EAAAK linker. The final vaccine construct, comprising 344 amino acids, was achieved after the addition of adjuvants and linkers. This multi-epitope Vaccine demonstrates notable antigenicity and possesses favorable physiochemical characteristics. The three-dimensional conformation underwent modeling and refinement, validated through in-silico methods. Additionally, a protein-protein molecular docking analysis was conducted to predict effective binding poses between the multi-epitope Vaccine and the Toll-like receptor 4 protein. The Molecular Dynamics (MD) investigation of the docked TLR4-vaccine complex demonstrated consistent stability over the simulation period, primarily attributed to electrostatic energy. The docked complex displayed minimal deformation and enhanced rigidity in the motion of residues during the dynamic simulation. Furthermore, codon translational optimization and computational cloning was performed to ensure the reliability and proper expression of the multi-Epitope Vaccine. It is crucial to emphasize that despite these computational validations, experimental research in the laboratory is imperative to demonstrate the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the developed vaccine. This would involve practical assessments to ascertain the real-world effectiveness of the multi-epitope Vaccine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sana Abdul Ghaffar
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Haneen Tahir
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Sher Muhammad
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Shahid
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Tahir Naqqash
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan
| | | | - Thamer H. Albekairi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulrahman Alshammari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Norah A. Albekairi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Irfan Manzoor
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Ponne S, Kumar R, Vanmathi SM, Brilhante RSN, Kumar CR. Reverse engineering protection: A comprehensive survey of reverse vaccinology-based vaccines targeting viral pathogens. Vaccine 2024; 42:2503-2518. [PMID: 38523003 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.02.087] [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: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Vaccines have significantly reduced the impact of numerous deadly viral infections. However, there is an increasing need to expedite vaccine development in light of the recurrent pandemics and epidemics. Also, identifying vaccines against certain viruses is challenging due to various factors, notably the inability to culture certain viruses in cell cultures and the wide-ranging diversity of MHC profiles in humans. Fortunately, reverse vaccinology (RV) efficiently overcomes these limitations and has simplified the identification of epitopes from antigenic proteins across the entire proteome, streamlining the vaccine development process. Furthermore, it enables the creation of multiepitope vaccines that can effectively account for the variations in MHC profiles within the human population. The RV approach offers numerous advantages in developing precise and effective vaccines against viral pathogens, including extensive proteome coverage, accurate epitope identification, cross-protection capabilities, and MHC compatibility. With the introduction of RV, there is a growing emphasis among researchers on creating multiepitope-based vaccines aiming to stimulate the host's immune responses against multiple serotypes, as opposed to single-component monovalent alternatives. Regardless of how promising the RV-based vaccine candidates may appear, they must undergo experimental validation to probe their protection efficacy for real-world applications. The time, effort, and resources allocated to the laborious epitope identification process can now be redirected toward validating vaccine candidates identified through the RV approach. However, to overcome failures in the RV-based approach, efforts must be made to incorporate immunological principles and consider targeting the epitope regions involved in disease pathogenesis, immune responses, and neutralizing antibody maturation. Integrating multi-omics and incorporating artificial intelligence and machine learning-based tools and techniques in RV would increase the chances of developing an effective vaccine. This review thoroughly explains the RV approach, ideal RV-based vaccine construct components, RV-based vaccines designed to combat viral pathogens, its challenges, and future perspectives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Saravanaraman Ponne
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Aarupadai Veedu Medical College and Hospital, Vinayaka Mission's Research Foundation (Deemed to be University), Kirumampakkam, Puducherry 607402, India
| | - Rajender Kumar
- Division of Glycoscience, Department of Chemistry, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, Stockholm 106 91, Sweden
| | - S M Vanmathi
- Mahatma Gandhi Medical Advanced Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pondicherry 607402, India
| | - Raimunda Sâmia Nogueira Brilhante
- Medical Mycology Specialized Center, Department of Pathology and Legal Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Chinnadurai Raj Kumar
- Mahatma Gandhi Medical Advanced Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pondicherry 607402, India.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Hayat C, Shahab M, Khan SA, Liang C, Duan X, Khan H, Zheng G, Ul-Haq Z. Design of a novel multiple epitope-based vaccine: an immunoinformatics approach to combat monkeypox. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023; 41:9344-9355. [PMID: 36331082 PMCID: PMC9718376 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2141887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Monkeypox virus is an infectious agent that causes fever, Pneumonitis encephalitis, rash, lymphadenopathy and bacterial infection. The current outbreak of monkeypox has reawakened the global health concern. In the current situation of increasing viral infection, no vaccine or drug is available for monkeypox. Thus, there is an urgent need for viable vaccine development to prevent viral transmission by boosting human immunity. Herein, using immunoinformatics approaches, a multi-epitope vaccine was constructed for the Monkeypox virus. In this connection, B-Cell and T-cell epitopes were identified and joined with the help of adjutants and linkers. The vaccine construct was selected based on promising vaccine candidates and immunogenic potential. Further epitopes were selected based on antigenicity score, non-allergenicity and good immunological properties. Molecular docking reveals strong interactions between TLR-9 and the predicted vaccine construct. Finally, molecular dynamics simulations were performed to evaluate the stability and compactness of the constructed vaccine. The MD simulation results demonstrated the significant stability of the polypeptide vaccine construct. The predicted vaccine represented good stability, expression, immunostimulatory capabilities and significant solubility. Design vaccine was verified as efficient in different computer-based immune response investigations. Additionally, the constructed vaccine also represents a good population coverage in computer base analysis.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chandni Hayat
- Department of Biochemistry, Computational Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, UCSS, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Shahab
- State Key Laboratories Of Chemical Resources Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Salman Ali Khan
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Chaoqun Liang
- State Key Laboratories Of Chemical Resources Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuyuan Duan
- State Key Laboratories Of Chemical Resources Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Haleema Khan
- Department of Chemistry, UCSS, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Guojun Zheng
- State Key Laboratories Of Chemical Resources Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
| | - Zaheer Ul-Haq
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
- Third World Center for Science and Technology, H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Kumar KM, Karthik Y, Ramakrishna D, Balaji S, Skariyachan S, Murthy TPK, Sakthivel KM, Alotaibi BS, Shukry M, Sayed SM, Mushtaq M. Immunoinformatic exploration of a multi-epitope-based peptide vaccine candidate targeting emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1251716. [PMID: 37915849 PMCID: PMC10616776 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1251716] [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: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Many countries around the world are facing severe challenges due to the recently emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2. Over the last few months, scientists have been developing treatments, drugs, and vaccines to subdue the virus and prevent its transmission. In this context, a peptide-based vaccine construct containing pathogenic proteins of the virus known to elicit an immune response was constructed. An analysis of the spike protein-based epitopes allowed us to design an "epitope-based subunit vaccine" against coronavirus using the approaches of "reverse vaccinology" and "immunoinformatics." Computational experimentation and a systematic, comprehensive protocol were followed with an aim to develop and design a multi-epitope-based peptide (MEBP) vaccine candidate. Our study attempted to predict an MEBP vaccine by introducing mutations of SARS-CoV-2 (Delta, Lambda, Iota, Omicron, and Kappa) in Spike glycoprotein and predicting dual-purpose epitopes (B-cell and T-cell). This was followed by screening the selected epitopes based on antigenicity, allergenicity, and population coverage and constructing them into a vaccine by using linkers and adjuvants. The vaccine construct was analyzed for its physicochemical properties and secondary structure prediction, and a 3D structure was built, refined, and validated. Furthermore, the peptide-protein interaction of the vaccine construct with Toll-like receptor (TLR) molecules was performed. Immune profiling was performed to check the immune response. Codon optimization of the vaccine construct was performed to obtain the GC content before cloning it into the E. coli genome, facilitating its progression it into a vector. Finally, an in-silico simulation of the vaccine-protein complex was performed to comprehend its stability and conformational behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K. M. Kumar
- Department of Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, India
| | - Yalpi Karthik
- Department of Studies and Research in Microbiology, Mangalore University, Chikka Aluvara, Kodagu, Karnataka, India
| | - D. Ramakrishna
- Biotechnology Department, Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Dr. C.D Sagar Centre for Life Sciences, Dayananda Sagar Institutions, Bengaluru, India
| | - S. Balaji
- Centre for Incubation, Innovation, Research and Consultancy (CIIRC), Jyothy Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Sinosh Skariyachan
- Department of Microbiology, St. Pius X College, Rajapuram, Kerala, India
| | - T. P. Krishna Murthy
- Department of Biotechnology, Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | | | - Badriyah S. Alotaibi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mustafa Shukry
- Physiology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
| | - Samy M. Sayed
- Department of Economic Entomology and Pesticides, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
- Department of Science and Technology, University College-Ranyah, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
| | - Muntazir Mushtaq
- MS Swaminathan School of Agriculture, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
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
|
11
|
Dey J, Mahapatra SR, Singh PK, Prabhuswamimath SC, Misra N, Suar M. Designing of multi-epitope peptide vaccine against Acinetobacter baumannii through combined immunoinformatics and protein interaction-based approaches. Immunol Res 2023; 71:639-662. [PMID: 37022613 PMCID: PMC10078064 DOI: 10.1007/s12026-023-09374-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the major pathogenic ESKAPE bacterium, which is responsible for about more than 722,000 cases in a year, globally. Despite the alarming increase in multidrug resistance, a safe and effective vaccine for Acinetobacter infections is still not available. Hence in the current study, a multiepitope vaccine construct was developed using linear B cell, cytotoxic T cell, and helper T cell epitopes from the antigenic and well-conserved lipopolysaccharide assembly proteins employing systematic immunoinformatics and structural vaccinology strategies. The multi-peptide vaccine was predicted to be highly antigenic, non-allergenic, non-toxic, and cover maximum population coverage worldwide. Further, the vaccine construct was modeled along with adjuvant and peptide linkers and validated to achieve a high-quality three-dimensional structure which was subsequently utilized for cytokine prediction, disulfide engineering, and docking analyses with Toll-like receptor (TLR4). Ramachandran plot showed 98.3% of the residues were located in the most favorable and permitted regions, thereby corroborating the feasibility of the modeled vaccine construct. Molecular dynamics simulation for a 100 ns timeframe further confirmed the stability of the binding vaccine-receptor complex. Finally, in silico cloning and codon adaptation were also performed with the pET28a (+) plasmid vector to determine the efficiency of expression and translation of the vaccine. Immune simulation studies demonstrated that the vaccine could trigger both B and T cell responses and can elicit strong primary, secondary, and tertiary immune responses. The designed multi-peptide subunit vaccine would certainly expedite the experimental approach for the development of a vaccine against A. baumannii infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jyotirmayee Dey
- School of Biotechnology, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Deemed to be University, -751024, Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Soumya Ranjan Mahapatra
- School of Biotechnology, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Deemed to be University, -751024, Bhubaneswar, India
| | | | - Samudyata C Prabhuswamimath
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, -570015, Mysuru, Karnataka, India
| | - Namrata Misra
- School of Biotechnology, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Deemed to be University, -751024, Bhubaneswar, India.
- KIIT-Technology Business Incubator (KIIT-TBI), Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Deemed to be University, -751024, Bhubaneswar, India.
| | - Mrutyunjay Suar
- School of Biotechnology, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Deemed to be University, -751024, Bhubaneswar, India.
- KIIT-Technology Business Incubator (KIIT-TBI), Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Deemed to be University, -751024, Bhubaneswar, India.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
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
|
13
|
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: Treatments and Clinical Management. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11020491. [PMID: 36851368 PMCID: PMC9962240 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major healthcare concern, especially for immune-compromised individuals and infants below 5 years of age. Worldwide, it is known to be associated with incidences of morbidity and mortality in infants. Despite the seriousness of the issue and continuous rigorous scientific efforts, no approved vaccine or available drug is fully effective against RSV. The purpose of this review article is to provide insights into the past and ongoing efforts for securing effective vaccines and therapeutics against RSV. The readers will be able to confer the mechanism of existing therapies and the loopholes that need to be overcome for future therapeutic development against RSV. A methodological approach was applied to collect the latest data and updated results regarding therapeutics and vaccine development against RSV. We outline the latest throughput vaccination technologies and prophylactic development efforts linked with RSV. A range of vaccination approaches with the already available vaccine (with limited use) and those undergoing trials are included. Moreover, important drug regimens used alone or in conjugation with adjuvants or vaccines are also briefly discussed. After reading this article, the audience will be able to understand the current standing of clinical management in the form of the vaccine, prophylactic, and therapeutic candidates against RSV. An understanding of the biological behavior acting as a reason behind the lack of effective therapeutics against RSV will also be developed. The literature indicates a need to overcome the limitations attached to RSV clinical management, drugs, and vaccine development that could be explained by dealing with the challenges of current study designs with continuous improvement and further work and approval on novel therapeutic applications.
Collapse
|
14
|
Umitaibatin R, Harisna AH, Jauhar MM, Syaifie PH, Arda AG, Nugroho DW, Ramadhan D, Mardliyati E, Shalannanda W, Anshori I. Immunoinformatics Study: Multi-Epitope Based Vaccine Design from SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11020399. [PMID: 36851275 PMCID: PMC9964839 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11020399] [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: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak has become a huge challenge in the human sector for the past two years. The coronavirus is capable of mutating at a higher rate than other viruses. Thus, an approach for creating an effective vaccine is still needed to induce antibodies against multiple variants with lower side effects. Currently, there is a lack of research on designing a multiepitope of the COVID-19 spike protein for the Indonesian population with comprehensive immunoinformatic analysis. Therefore, this study aimed to design a multiepitope-based vaccine for the Indonesian population using an immunoinformatic approach. This study was conducted using the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein sequences from Indonesia that were retrieved from the GISAID database. Three SARS-CoV-2 sequences, with IDs of EIJK-61453, UGM0002, and B.1.1.7 were selected. The CD8+ cytotoxic T-cell lymphocyte (CTL) epitope, CD4+ helper T lymphocyte (HTL) epitope, B-cell epitope, and IFN-γ production were predicted. After modeling the vaccines, molecular docking, molecular dynamics, in silico immune simulations, and plasmid vector design were performed. The designed vaccine is antigenic, non-allergenic, non-toxic, capable of inducing IFN-γ with a population reach of 86.29% in Indonesia, and has good stability during molecular dynamics and immune simulation. Hence, this vaccine model is recommended to be investigated for further study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ramadhita Umitaibatin
- Lab-on-Chip Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Bandung Institute of Technology, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
| | - Azza Hanif Harisna
- Nano Center Indonesia, Jl. Raya Puspiptek, South Tangerang 15314, Indonesia
| | | | - Putri Hawa Syaifie
- Nano Center Indonesia, Jl. Raya Puspiptek, South Tangerang 15314, Indonesia
| | | | - Dwi Wahyu Nugroho
- Nano Center Indonesia, Jl. Raya Puspiptek, South Tangerang 15314, Indonesia
| | - Donny Ramadhan
- Research Center for Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Traditional Medicine, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong 16911, Indonesia
| | - Etik Mardliyati
- Research Center for Vaccine and Drug, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong 16911, Indonesia
| | - Wervyan Shalannanda
- Department of Telecommunication Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Bandung Institute of Technology, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
| | - Isa Anshori
- Lab-on-Chip Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Bandung Institute of Technology, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Salod Z, Mahomed O. Mapping Potential Vaccine Candidates Predicted by VaxiJen for Different Viral Pathogens between 2017-2021-A Scoping Review. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:1785. [PMID: 36366294 PMCID: PMC9695814 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10111785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Reverse vaccinology (RV) is a promising alternative to traditional vaccinology. RV focuses on in silico methods to identify antigens or potential vaccine candidates (PVCs) from a pathogen's proteome. Researchers use VaxiJen, the most well-known RV tool, to predict PVCs for various pathogens. The purpose of this scoping review is to provide an overview of PVCs predicted by VaxiJen for different viruses between 2017 and 2021 using Arksey and O'Malley's framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. We used the term 'vaxijen' to search PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, and ProQuest One Academic. The protocol was registered at the Open Science Framework (OSF). We identified articles on this topic, charted them, and discussed the key findings. The database searches yielded 1033 articles, of which 275 were eligible. Most studies focused on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), published between 2020 and 2021. Only a few articles (8/275; 2.9%) conducted experimental validations to confirm the predictions as vaccine candidates, with 2.2% (6/275) articles mentioning recombinant protein expression. Researchers commonly targeted parts of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein, with the frequently predicted epitopes as PVCs being major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I T cell epitopes WTAGAAAYY, RQIAPGQTG, IAIVMVTIM, and B cell epitope IAPGQTGKIADY, among others. The findings of this review are promising for the development of novel vaccines. We recommend that vaccinologists use these findings as a guide to performing experimental validation for various viruses, with SARS-CoV-2 as a priority, because better vaccines are needed, especially to stay ahead of the emergence of new variants. If successful, these vaccines could provide broader protection than traditional vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zakia Salod
- Discipline of Public Health Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4051, South Africa
| | | |
Collapse
|
16
|
Mia MM, Hasan M, Ahmed S, Rahman MN. Insight into the first multi-epitope-based peptide subunit vaccine against avian influenza A virus (H5N6): An immunoinformatics approach. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2022; 104:105355. [PMID: 36007760 PMCID: PMC9394107 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2022.105355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The rampant spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N6) virus has drawn additional concerns along with ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Due to its migration-related diffusion, the situation is deteriorating. Without an existing effective therapy and vaccines, it will be baffling to take control measures. In this regard, we propose a revers vaccinology approach for prediction and design of a multi-epitope peptide based vaccine. The induction of humoral and cell-mediated immunity seems to be the paramount concern for a peptide vaccine candidate; thus, antigenic B and T cell epitopes were screened from the surface, membrane and envelope proteins of the avian influenza A (H5N6) virus, and passed through several immunological filters to determine the best possible one. Following that, the selected antigenic with immunogenic epitopes and adjuvant were linked to finalize the multi-epitope-based peptide vaccine by appropriate linkers. For the prediction of an effective binding, molecular docking was carried out between the vaccine and immunological receptors (TLR8). Strong binding affinity and good docking scores clarified the stringency of the vaccines. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulation was performed within the highest binding affinity complex to observe the stability, and minimize the designed vaccine's high mobility region to order to increase its stability. Then, Codon optimization and other physicochemical properties were performed to reveal that the vaccine would be suitable for a higher expression at cloning level and satisfactory thermostability condition. In conclusion, predicting the overall in silico assessment, we anticipated that our designed vaccine would be a plausible prevention against avian influenza A (H5N6) virus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Md Mukthar Mia
- Department of Poultry Science, Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh; Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh
| | - 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
| | - Mohammad Nahian Rahman
- Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Novel multi epitope-based vaccine against monkeypox virus: vaccinomic approach. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15983. [PMID: 36156077 PMCID: PMC9510130 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20397-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
While mankind is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, a case of monkeypox virus (MPXV) has been reported to the WHO on May 7, 2022. Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease that has been a public health threat, particularly in Africa. However, it has recently expanded to other parts of the world, so it may soon become a global issue. Thus, the current work was planned and then designed a multi-epitope vaccine against MPXV utilizing the cell surface-binding protein as a target in order to develop a novel and safe vaccine that can evoke the desirable immunological response. The proposed MHC-I, MHC-II, and B-cell epitopes were selected to design multi-epitope vaccine constructs linked with suitable linkers in combination with different adjuvants to enhance the immune responses for the vaccine constructs. The proposed vaccine was composed of 275 amino acids and was shown to be antigenic in Vaxijen server (0.5311) and non-allergenic in AllerTop server. The 3D structure of the designed vaccine was predicted, refined and validated by various in silico tools to assess the stability of the vaccine. Moreover, the solubility of the vaccine construct was found greater than the average solubility provided by protein-Sol server which indicating the solubility of the vaccine construct. Additionally, the most promising epitopes bound to MHC I and MHC II alleles were found having good binding affinities with low energies ranging between − 7.0 and − 8.6 kcal/mol. According to the immunological simulation research, the vaccine was found to elicit a particular immune reaction against the monkeypox virus. Finally, the molecular dynamic study shows that the designed vaccine is stable with minimum RMSF against MHC I allele. We conclude from our research that the cell surface-binding protein is one of the primary proteins involved in MPXV pathogenesis. As a result, our study will aid in the development of appropriate therapeutics and prompt the development of future vaccines against MPXV.
Collapse
|
18
|
Arwansyah A, Arif AR, Kade A, Taiyeb M, Ramli I, Santoso T, Ningsih P, Natsir H, Tahril T, Uday Kumar K. Molecular modelling on multiepitope-based vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 using immunoinformatics, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation. SAR AND QSAR IN ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 33:649-675. [PMID: 36083166 DOI: 10.1080/1062936x.2022.2117846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The pandemic of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 has made a worldwide health emergency. Despite the fact that current vaccines are readily available, several SARSCoV-2 variants affecting the existing vaccine are to be less effective due to the mutations in the structural proteins. Furthermore, the appearance of the new variants cannot be easily predicted in the future. Therefore, the attempts to construct new vaccines or to modify the current vaccines are still pivotal works for preventing the spread of the virus. In the present investigation, the computational analysis through immunoinformatics, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is employed to construct an effective vaccine against SARS-CoV2. The structural proteins of SARS-CoV2 are utilized to create a multiepitope-based vaccine (MEV). According to our findings presented by systematic procedures in the current investigation, the MEV construct may be able to trigger a strong immunological response against the virus. Therefore, the designed MEV could be a potential vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2, and also it is expected to be effective for other variants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Arwansyah
- Department of Chemistry Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Tadulako University, Palu, Indonesia
| | - A R Arif
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia
| | - A Kade
- Department of Physics Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Tadulako University, Palu, Indonesia
| | - M Taiyeb
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Makassar State University, Makassar, Indonesia
| | - I Ramli
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universitas Cokroaminoto Palopo, Palopo, Indonesia
| | - T Santoso
- Department of Chemistry Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Tadulako University, Palu, Indonesia
| | - P Ningsih
- Department of Chemistry Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Tadulako University, Palu, Indonesia
| | - H Natsir
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia
| | - T Tahril
- Department of Chemistry Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Tadulako University, Palu, Indonesia
| | - K Uday Kumar
- Department of Radiology, Toxicology and Population Protection, Faculty of Health and Social Studies, University of South Bohemia Cesk´e Budˇejovice, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Dar HA, Almajhdi FN, Aziz S, Waheed Y. Immunoinformatics-Aided Analysis of RSV Fusion and Attachment Glycoproteins to Design a Potent Multi-Epitope Vaccine. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:1381. [PMID: 36146460 PMCID: PMC9502547 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10091381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) usually causes respiratory tract infections of upper airways in infants and young children. Despite recent medical advances, no approved vaccine is available to control RSV infections. Therefore, we conducted an immunoinformatics study to design and evaluate a potential multi-epitope vaccine against RSV. Sequence-based analyses of the glycoproteins F and G revealed a total of eight CD8 T-cell and three CD4 T-cell epitopes after considering antigenicity, binding affinity and other parameters. Molecular docking analysis confirmed that these T-cell epitopes developed strong structural associations with HLA allele(s). By integrating these prioritized epitopes with linkers and a cholera toxin-derived adjuvant, a multi-epitope vaccine was designed. The developed vaccine was found to be stable, non-allergenic, flexible and antigenic. Molecular docking analysis revealed a striking mean HADDOCK score (-143.3) of top-ranked vaccine-TLR cluster and a Gibbs free energy change (ΔG) value of -11.3 kcal mol-1. As per computational immune simulation results, the vaccine generated a high titer of antibodies (especially IgM) and effector T-cells. Also, codon optimization and in silico cloning ensured the increased expression of vaccine in Escherichia coli. Altogether, we anticipate that the multi-epitope vaccine reported in this study will stimulate humoral and cellular responses against RSV infection, subject to follow-up experimental validation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hamza Arshad Dar
- Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Fahad Nasser Almajhdi
- Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shahkaar Aziz
- Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan
| | - Yasir Waheed
- Office of Research, Innovation & Commercialization, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Aziz S, Waqas M, Halim SA, Ali A, Iqbal A, Iqbal M, Khan A, Al-Harrasi A. Exploring whole proteome to contrive multi-epitope-based vaccine for NeoCoV: An immunoinformtics and in-silico approach. Front Immunol 2022; 13:956776. [PMID: 35990651 PMCID: PMC9382669 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.956776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Neo-Coronavirus (NeoCoV) is a novel Betacoronavirus (β-CoVs or Beta-CoVs) discovered in bat specimens in South Africa during 2011. The viral sequence is highly similar to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, particularly that of structural proteins. Thus, scientists have emphasized the threat posed by NeoCoV associated with human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) usage, which could lead to a high death rate and faster transmission rate in humans. The development of a NeoCoV vaccine could provide a promising option for the future control of the virus in case of human infection. In silico predictions can decrease the number of experiments required, making the immunoinformatics approaches cost-effective and convenient. Herein, with the aid of immunoinformatics and reverse vaccinology, we aimed to formulate a multi-epitope vaccine that may be used to prevent and treat NeoCoV infection. Based on the NeoCoV proteins, B-cell, cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL), and helper T lymphocyte (HTL) epitopes were shortlisted. Four vaccines (Neo-1-4) were devised by fusing shortlisted epitopes with appropriate adjuvants and linkers. The secondary and three-dimensional structures of final vaccines were then predicted. The binding interactions of these potential vaccines with toll-like immune receptors (TLR-2, TLR-3, and TLR-4) and major histocompatibility complex molecules (MHC-I and II) reveal that they properly fit into the receptors' binding domains. Besides, Neo-1 and Neo-4 vaccines exhibited better docking energies of -101.08 kcal/mol and -114.47 kcal/mol, respectively, with TLR-3 as compared to other vaccine constructs. The constructed vaccines are highly antigenic, non-allergenic, soluble, non-toxic, and topologically assessable with good physiochemical characteristics. Codon optimization and in-silico cloning confirmed efficient expression of the designed vaccines in Escherichia coli strain K12. In-silico immune simulation indicated that Neo-1 and Neo-4 vaccines could induce a strong immune response against NeoCoV. Lastly, the binding stability and strong binding affinity of Neo-1 and Neo-4 with TLR-3 receptor were validated using molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations (Molecular Mechanics/Generalized Born Surface Area method). The final vaccines require experimental validation to establish their safety and effectiveness in preventing NeoCoV infections.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shahkaar Aziz
- Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, the University of Agriculture Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Waqas
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat-ul-Mouz, Nizwa, Oman
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Hazara University Mansehra, Mansehra, Pakistan
| | - Sobia Ahsan Halim
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat-ul-Mouz, Nizwa, Oman
| | - Amjad Ali
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Hazara University Mansehra, Mansehra, Pakistan
| | - Aqib Iqbal
- Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, the University of Agriculture Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Maaz Iqbal
- Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, the University of Agriculture Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Ajmal Khan
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat-ul-Mouz, Nizwa, Oman
| | - Ahmed Al-Harrasi
- Natural and Medical Sciences Research Center, University of Nizwa, Birkat-ul-Mouz, Nizwa, Oman
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Hasan M, Mia M. Exploratory Algorithm of a Multi-epitope-based Subunit Vaccine Candidate Against Cryptosporidium hominis: Reverse Vaccinology-Based Immunoinformatic Approach. Int J Pept Res Ther 2022; 28:134. [PMID: 35911179 PMCID: PMC9315849 DOI: 10.1007/s10989-022-10438-6] [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] [Accepted: 06/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Cryptosporidiosis is the leading protozoan-induced cause of diarrheal illness in children, and it has been linked to childhood mortality, malnutrition, cognitive development, with retardation of growth. Cryptosporidium hominis, the anthroponotically transmitted species within the Cryptosporidium genus, contributes significantly to the global burden of infection, accounting for the majority of clinical cases in numerous nations, as well as its emergence in the last decade is largely due to detections obtained through noteworthy epidemiologic research. Nevertheless, there is no vaccine available, and the only licensed medication, nitazoxanide, has been demonstrated to have efficacy limitations in a number of patient groups recognized to be at high risk of complications. Therefore, current study delineates the computational vaccine design for Cryptosporidium hominis, the notable pathogen for enteric diarrhea. Firstly, a comprehensive literature search was conducted to identify six proteins based on their toxigenicity, allergenicity, antigenicity, and prediction of transmembrane helices to make up a multi-epitope-based subunit vaccine. Following that, antigenic non-toxic HTL epitope, CTL epitope with B cell epitope were predicted from the selected proteins and construct a vaccine candidate with adding an adjuvant and some linkers with immunologically superior epitopes. Afterwards, the constructed vaccine candidates and TLR2 receptor were put into the ClusPro server for molecular dynamic simulation to know the binding stability of the vaccine-TLR2 complex. Following that, Escherichia coli strain K12 was used as a cloning host for the chosen vaccine construct via the JCat server. As a result of the findings, it was resolute that the proposed chimeric peptide vaccine could improve the immune response to Cryptosporidium hominis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mahamudul Hasan
- Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, 3100 Bangladesh
| | - Mukthar Mia
- Department of Poultry Science, Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, 3100 Bangladesh.,Faculty of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, 3100 Bangladesh
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Immunoinformatics-Based Proteome Mining to Develop a Next-Generation Vaccine Design against Borrelia burgdorferi: The Cause of Lyme Borreliosis. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10081239. [PMID: 36016127 PMCID: PMC9414436 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10081239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Revised: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The tick-borne bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi has been implicated in Lyme disease-a deadly infection, formerly confined to North America, but currently widespread across Europe and Asia. Despite the severity of this disease, there is still no human Lyme disease vaccine available. A reliable immunoinformatic approach is urgently needed for designing a therapeutic vaccine against this Gram-negative pathogen. Through this research, we explored the immunodominant proteins of B. burgdorferi and developed a novel and reliable vaccine design with great immunological predictability as well as low contamination and autoimmunity risks. Our initial analysis involved proteome-wide analysis to filter out proteins on the basis of their redundancy, homology to humans, virulence, immunogenicity, and size. Following the selection of proteins, immunoinformatic tools were employed to identify MHC class I & II epitopes and B-cell epitopes, which were subsequently subjected to a rigorous screening procedure. In the final formulation, ten common MHC-I and II epitopes were used together with a suitable adjuvant. We predicted that the final chimeric multi-epitope vaccine could invoke B-cell responses and IFN-gamma-mediated immunity as well as being stable and non-allergenic. The dynamics simulations predicted the stable folding of the designed molecule, after which the molecular docking predicted the stability of the interaction between the potential antigenic epitopes and human immune receptors. Our studies have shown that the designed next-generation vaccine stimulates desirable immune responses, thus potentially providing a viable way to prevent Lyme disease. Nevertheless, further experimental studies in a wet lab are needed in order to validate the results.
Collapse
|
23
|
Rida T, Ahmad S, Ullah A, Ismail S, Tahir ul Qamar M, Afsheen Z, Khurram M, Saqib Ishaq M, Alkhathami AG, Alatawi EA, Alrumaihi F, Allemailem KS. Pan-Genome Analysis of Oral Bacterial Pathogens to Predict a Potential Novel Multi-Epitopes Vaccine Candidate. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19148408. [PMID: 35886259 PMCID: PMC9320593 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19148408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Porphyromonas gingivalis is a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium, mainly present in the oral cavity and causes periodontal infections. Currently, no licensed vaccine is available against P. gingivalis and other oral bacterial pathogens. To develop a vaccine against P. gingivalis, herein, we applied a bacterial pan-genome analysis (BPGA) on the bacterial genomes that retrieved a total number of 4908 core proteins, which were further utilized for the identification of good vaccine candidates. After several vaccine candidacy analyses, three proteins, namely lytic transglycosylase domain-containing protein, FKBP-type peptidyl-propyl cis-trans isomerase and superoxide dismutase, were shortlisted for epitopes prediction. In the epitopes prediction phase, different types of B and T-cell epitopes were predicted and only those with an antigenic, immunogenic, non-allergenic, and non-toxic profile were selected. Moreover, all the predicted epitopes were joined with each other to make a multi-epitopes vaccine construct, which was linked further to the cholera toxin B-subunit to enhance the antigenicity of the vaccine. For downward analysis, a three dimensional structure of the designed vaccine was modeled. The modeled structure was checked for binding potency with major histocompatibility complex I (MHC-I), major histocompatibility complex II (MHC-II), and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) immune cell receptors which revealed that the designed vaccine performed proper binding with respect to immune cell receptors. Additionally, the binding efficacy of the vaccine was validated through a molecular dynamic simulation that interpreted strong intermolecular vaccine-receptor binding and confirmed the exposed situation of vaccine epitopes to the host immune system. In conclusion, the study suggested that the model vaccine construct has the potency to generate protective host immune responses and that it might be a good vaccine candidate for experimental in vivo and in vitro studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tehniyat Rida
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan; (T.R.); (A.U.); (Z.A.); (M.S.I.)
| | - Sajjad Ahmad
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan; (T.R.); (A.U.); (Z.A.); (M.S.I.)
- Correspondence: (S.A.); (K.S.A.)
| | - Asad Ullah
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan; (T.R.); (A.U.); (Z.A.); (M.S.I.)
| | - Saba Ismail
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan;
| | - Muhammad Tahir ul Qamar
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan;
| | - Zobia Afsheen
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan; (T.R.); (A.U.); (Z.A.); (M.S.I.)
| | - Muhammad Khurram
- Department of Pharmacy, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan;
| | - Muhammad Saqib Ishaq
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan; (T.R.); (A.U.); (Z.A.); (M.S.I.)
| | - Ali G. Alkhathami
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61481, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Eid A. Alatawi
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Faris Alrumaihi
- 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;
- Correspondence: (S.A.); (K.S.A.)
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Alsowayeh N, Albutti A, Al-Shouli ST. Reverse Vaccinology and Immunoinformatic Assisted Designing of a Multi-Epitopes Based Vaccine Against Nosocomial Burkholderia cepacia. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:929400. [PMID: 35875518 PMCID: PMC9297367 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.929400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Burkholderia cepacia is a Gram-negative nosocomial pathogen and is considered as a troublesome bacterium due to its resistance to many common antibiotics. There is no licensed vaccine available to prevent the pathogen infections, thus making the condition more alarming and warrant the search for novel therapeutic and prophylactic approaches. In order to identify protective antigens from pathogen proteome, substantial efforts are put forth to prioritized potential vaccine targets and antigens that can be easily evaluated experimentally. In this vaccine design investigation, it was found that B. cepacia completely sequenced proteomes available in NCBI genome database has a total of 28,966 core proteins. Out of total, 25,282 proteins were found redundant while 3,684 were non-redundant. Subcellular localization revealed that 18 proteins were extracellular, 31 were part of the outer membrane, 75 proteins were localized in the periplasm, and 23 were virulent proteins. Five proteins namely flagellar hook protein (FlgE), fimbria biogenesis outer membrane usher protein, Type IV pilus secretin (PilQ), cytochrome c4, flagellar hook basal body complex protein (FliE) were tested for positive for antigenic, non-toxic, and soluble epitopes during predication of B-cell derived T-cell epitopes. A vaccine peptide of 14 epitopes (joined together via GPGPG linkers) and cholera toxin B subunit (CTBS) adjuvant (joined to epitopes peptide via EAAAK linker) was constructed. Binding interaction of the modeled vaccine with MHC-I, MHC-II, and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) immune receptors was studied using molecular docking studies and further analyzed in molecular dynamics simulations that affirms strong intermolecular binding and stable dynamics. The maximum root mean square deviation (RMSD) score of complexes in the simulation time touches to 2 Å. Additionally, complexes binding free energies were determined that concluded robust interaction energies dominated by van der Waals. The total energy of each complex is < -190 kcal/mol. In summary, the designed vaccine showed promising protective immunity against B. cepacia and needs to be examined in experiments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Noorah Alsowayeh
- Department of Biology, College of Education (Majmaah), Majmaah University, Al-Majmaah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aqel Albutti
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Samia T. Al-Shouli
- Immunology Unit, Pathology Department, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Aslam S, Ashfaq UA, Zia T, Aslam N, Alrumaihi F, Shahid F, Noor F, Qasim M. Proteome based mapping and reverse vaccinology techniques to contrive multi-epitope based subunit vaccine (MEBSV) against Streptococcus pyogenes. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2022; 100:105259. [PMID: 35231667 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2022.105259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Streptococcus pyogenes is a root cause of human infection like pharyngitis, tonsillitis, scarlet fever, impetigo, and respiratory tract infections. About 11 million individuals in the US suffer from pharyngitis every year. Unfortunately, no vaccine against S. pyogenes is available yet. The purpose of this study is to create a multiepitope-based subunit vaccine (MEBSV) targeting S. pyogenes top four highly antigenic proteins by using a combination of immunological techniques and molecular docking to tackle term group A streptococcal (GAS) infections. T-cell (HTL & CTL), B-cell, and IFN-γ of target proteins were forecasted and epitopes having high antigenic properties being selected for subsequent research. For designing of final vaccine, 5LBL, 9CTL, and 4HTL epitopes were joined by the KK, AAY, and GPGPG linkers. To enhance the immune response, the N-end of the vaccine was linked by adjuvant (Cholera enterotoxin subunit B) with a linker named EAAAK. With the addition of adjuvants and linkers, the construct size was 421 amino acids. IFN-γ and B-cell epitopes illustrate that the modeled construct is optimized for cell-mediated immune or humoral responses. The developed MEBSV structure was assessed to be highly antigenic, non-toxic, and non-allergenic. Moreover, disulphide engineering further enhanced the stability of the final vaccine protein. Molecular docking of the MEBSV with toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was conducted to check the vaccine's compatibility with the receptor. Besides, in-silico cloning has been carried out for credibility validation and proper expression of vaccine construct. These findings suggested that the multi-epitope vaccine produced might be a potential immunogenic against Group A streptococcus infections but further experimental testing is required to validate this study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sidra Aslam
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Usman Ali Ashfaq
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Tuba Zia
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Nosheen Aslam
- Department of Biochemistry, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Faris Alrumaihi
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
| | - Farah Shahid
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Fatima Noor
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Qasim
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Naveed M, Yaseen AR, Khalid H, Ali U, Rabaan AA, Garout M, Halwani MA, Al Mutair A, Alhumaid S, Al Alawi Z, Alhashem YN, Ahmed N, Yean CY. Execution and Design of an Anti HPIV-1 Vaccine with Multiple Epitopes Triggering Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses: An Immunoinformatic Approach. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10060869. [PMID: 35746477 PMCID: PMC9228812 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10060869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Human Parainfluenza Virus (HPIV) Type-1, which is an anti-sense ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus belonging to the paramyxoviridae family, induces upper and lower respiratory tract infections. The infections caused by the HPIV Type-1 virus are usually confined to northwestern regions of America. HPIV-1 causes infections through the virulence of the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein, which plays a key role in the attachment of the viral particle with the host’s receptor cells. To the best of our knowledge, there is no effective antiviral drugs or vaccines being developed to combat the infection caused by HPIV-1. In the current study, a multiple epitope-based vaccine was designed against HPIV-1 by taking the viral HN protein as a probable vaccine candidate. The multiple epitopes were selected in accordance with their allergenicity, antigenicity and toxicity scoring. The determined epitopes of the HN protein were connected simultaneously using specific conjugates along with an adjuvant to construct the subunit vaccine, with an antigenicity score of 0.6406. The constructed vaccine model was docked with various Toll-like Receptors (TLRs) and was computationally cloned in a pET28a (+) vector to analyze the expression of vaccine sequence in the biological system. Immune stimulations carried out by the C-ImmSim Server showed an excellent result of the body’s defense system against the constructed vaccine model. The AllerTop tool predicted that the construct was non-allergen with and without the adjuvant sequence, and the VaxiJen 2.0 with 0.4 threshold predicted that the construct was antigenic, while the Toxinpred predicted that the construct was non-toxic. Protparam results showed that the selected protein was stable with 36.48 instability index (II) scores. The Grand average of Hydropathicity or GRAVY score indicated that the constructed protein was hydrophilic in nature. Aliphatic index values (93.53) confirmed that the construct was thermostable. This integrated computational approach shows that the constructed vaccine model has a potential to combat laryngotracheobronchitis infections caused by HPIV-I.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Naveed
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Central Punjab, Lahore 54000, Pakistan; (A.R.Y.); (U.A.)
- Correspondence: (M.N.); (A.A.R.); (C.Y.Y.)
| | - Allah Rakha Yaseen
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Central Punjab, Lahore 54000, Pakistan; (A.R.Y.); (U.A.)
| | - Hira Khalid
- Department of Medical Education, King Edward Medical University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan;
| | - Urooj Ali
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Central Punjab, Lahore 54000, Pakistan; (A.R.Y.); (U.A.)
| | - Ali A. Rabaan
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran 31311, Saudi Arabia
- College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh 11533, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Public Health and Nutrition, The University of Haripur, Haripur 22610, Pakistan
- Correspondence: (M.N.); (A.A.R.); (C.Y.Y.)
| | - Mohamed Garout
- Department of Community Medicine and Health Care for Pilgrims, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Muhammad A. Halwani
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Al Baha University, Al Baha 4781, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Abbas Al Mutair
- Research Center, Almoosa Specialist Hospital, Al-Ahsa 36342, Saudi Arabia;
- College of Nursing, Princess Norah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11564, Saudi Arabia
- School of Nursing, Wollongong University, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Saad Alhumaid
- Administration of Pharmaceutical Care, Al-Ahsa Health Cluster, Ministry of Health, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Zainab Al Alawi
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Yousef N. Alhashem
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Mohammed AlMana College of Health Sciences, Dammam 34222, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Naveed Ahmed
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kota Bharu 16150, Malaysia;
| | - Chan Yean Yean
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kota Bharu 16150, Malaysia;
- Correspondence: (M.N.); (A.A.R.); (C.Y.Y.)
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Alotaibi G, Khan K, Al Mouslem AK, Ahmad Khan S, Naseer Abbas M, Abbas M, Ali Shah S, Jalal K. Pan Genome Based Reverse Vaccinology Approach to Explore Enterococcus Faecium (VRE) Strains for Identification of Novel Multi-Epitopes Vaccine Candidate. Immunobiology 2022; 227:152221. [DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2022.152221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
|
28
|
Alharbi M, Alshammari A, Alasmari AF, Alharbi S, Tahir ul Qamar M, Abbasi SW, Shaker B, Ahmad S. Whole Proteome-Based Therapeutic Targets Annotation and Designing of Multi-Epitope-Based Vaccines against the Gram-Negative XDR- Alcaligenes faecalis Bacterium. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:462. [PMID: 35335094 PMCID: PMC8955209 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10030462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
This study involved therapeutic targets mining for the extremely drug-resistant bacterial species called Alcaligenes faecalis, which is known to infect humans. The infections caused by this species in different parts of the human body have been linked with a higher degree of resistance to several classes of antibiotics. Meanwhile, alternate therapeutic options are needed to treat these bacterial infections in clinical settings. In the current study, a subtractive proteomics approach was adapted to annotate the whole proteome of Alcaligenes faecalis and prioritize target proteins for vaccine-related therapeutics design. This was followed by targeted protein-specific immune epitope prediction and prioritization. The shortlisted epitopes were further subjected to structural design and in silico validation of putative vaccines against Alcaligenes faecalis. The final vaccine designs were also evaluated for potential interaction analysis with human TLR-2 through molecular docking. Finally, the putative vaccines were subjected to in silico cloning and immune simulation approaches to ensure the feasibility of the target-specific vaccine constructs in further experimental designs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Metab Alharbi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (M.A.); (A.A.); (A.F.A.)
| | - Abdulrahman Alshammari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (M.A.); (A.A.); (A.F.A.)
| | - Abdullah F. Alasmari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (M.A.); (A.A.); (A.F.A.)
| | | | - Muhammad Tahir ul Qamar
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
| | - Sumra Wajid Abbasi
- NUMS Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi 46000, Pakistan;
| | - Bilal Shaker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06974, Korea;
| | - Sajjad Ahmad
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Damas MSF, Mazur FG, Freire CCDM, da Cunha AF, Pranchevicius MCDS. A Systematic Immuno-Informatic Approach to Design a Multiepitope-Based Vaccine Against Emerging Multiple Drug Resistant Serratia marcescens. Front Immunol 2022; 13:768569. [PMID: 35371033 PMCID: PMC8967166 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.768569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Serratia marcescens is now an important opportunistic pathogen that can cause serious infections in hospitalized or immunocompromised patients. Here, we used extensive bioinformatic analyses based on reverse vaccinology and subtractive proteomics-based approach to predict potential vaccine candidates against S. marcescens. We analyzed the complete proteome sequence of 49 isolate of Serratia marcescens and identified 5 that were conserved proteins, non-homologous from human and gut flora, extracellular or exported to the outer membrane, and antigenic. The identified proteins were used to select 5 CTL, 12 HTL, and 12 BCL epitopes antigenic, non-allergenic, conserved, hydrophilic, and non-toxic. In addition, HTL epitopes were able to induce interferon-gamma immune response. The selected peptides were used to design 4 multi-epitope vaccines constructs (SMV1, SMV2, SMV3 and SMV4) with immune-modulating adjuvants, PADRE sequence, and linkers. Peptide cleavage analysis showed that antigen vaccines are processed and presented via of MHC class molecule. Several physiochemical and immunological analyses revealed that all multiepitope vaccines were non-allergenic, stable, hydrophilic, and soluble and induced the immunity with high antigenicity. The secondary structure analysis revealed the designed vaccines contain mainly coil structure and alpha helix structures. 3D analyses showed high-quality structure. Molecular docking analyses revealed SMV4 as the best vaccine construct among the four constructed vaccines, demonstrating high affinity with the immune receptor. Molecular dynamics simulation confirmed the low deformability and stability of the vaccine candidate. Discontinuous epitope residues analyses of SMV4 revealed that they are flexible and can interact with antibodies. In silico immune simulation indicated that the designed SMV4 vaccine triggers an effective immune response. In silico codon optimization and cloning in expression vector indicate that SMV4 vaccine can be efficiently expressed in E. coli system. Overall, we showed that SMV4 multi-epitope vaccine successfully elicited antigen-specific humoral and cellular immune responses and may be a potential vaccine candidate against S. marcescens. Further experimental validations could confirm its exact efficacy, the safety and immunogenicity profile. Our findings bring a valuable addition to the development of new strategies to prevent and control the spread of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria with high clinical relevance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Fernando Gabriel Mazur
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil
| | | | | | - Maria-Cristina da Silva Pranchevicius
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Biodiversidade Tropical – BIOTROP, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Rouzbahani AK, Kheirandish F, Hosseini SZ. Design of a multi-epitope-based peptide vaccine against the S and N proteins of SARS-COV-2 using immunoinformatics approach. EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL HUMAN GENETICS 2022; 23:16. [PMID: 37521850 PMCID: PMC8813187 DOI: 10.1186/s43042-022-00224-w] [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: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background As the new pandemic created by COVID-19 virus created the need of rapid acquisition of a suitable vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 to develop Immunity and to reduce the mortality, the aim of this study was to identify SARS-CoV-2 S protein and N antigenic epitopes by using immunoinformatic methods to design a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, for which S and N protein-dependent epitopes are predicted. B cell, CTL and HTL were determined based on antigenicity, allergenicity and toxicity that were non-allergenic, non-toxic, and antigenic and were selected for the design of a multi-epitope vaccine structure. Then, in order to increase the safety of Hbd-3 and Hbd-2 as adjuvants, they were connected to the N and C terminals of the vaccine construct, respectively, with a linker. The three-dimensional structure of the structure was predicted and optimized, and its quality was evaluated. The vaccine construct was ligated to MHCI. Finally, after optimizing the codon to increase expression in E. coli K12, the vaccine construct was cloned into pET28a (+) vector. Results Epitopes which were used in our survey were based on non-allergenic, non-toxic and antigenic. Therefore, 543-amino-acid-long multi-epitope vaccine formation was invented through linking 9 cytotoxic CTL, 5 HTL and 14 B cell epitopes with appropriate adjuvants and connectors that can control the SARS coronavirus 2 infection and could be more assessed in medical scientific researches. Conclusion We believe that the proposed multi-epitope vaccine can effectively evoke an immune response toward SARS-CoV-2. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s43042-022-00224-w.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Farnaz Kheirandish
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
| | - Seyedeh Zeinab Hosseini
- Razi Herbal Medicines Research Center, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Khalid K, Irum S, Ullah SR, Andleeb S. In-Silico Vaccine Design Based on a Novel Vaccine Candidate Against Infections Caused by Acinetobacter baumannii. Int J Pept Res Ther 2021; 28:16. [PMID: 34873398 PMCID: PMC8636788 DOI: 10.1007/s10989-021-10316-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii is notorious for causing serious infections of the skin, lungs, soft tissues, bloodstream, and urinary tract. Despite the overwhelming information available so far, there has still been no approved vaccine in the market to prevent these infections. Therefore, this study focuses on developing a rational vaccine design using the technique of epitope mapping to curb the infections caused by A. baumannii. An outer membrane protein with immunogenic potential as well as all the properties of a good vaccine candidate was selected and used to calculate epitopes for selection on the basis of a low percentile rank, high binding scores, good immunological properties, and non-allergenicity. Thus, a 240 amino-acid vaccine sequence was obtained by manually joining all the epitopes in sequence-wise manner with the appropriate linkers, namely AAY, GPGPG, and EAAAK. Additionally, a 50S ribosomal protein L7/L12, agonist to the human innate immune receptors was attached to the N-terminus to increase the overall immune response towards the vaccine. As a result, enhanced overall protein stability, expression, immunostimulatory capabilities, and solubility of the designed construct were observed. Molecular dynamic simulations revealed the compactness and stability of the polypeptide construct. Moreover, molecular docking exhibited strong binding of the designed vaccine with TLR-4 and TLR-9. In-silico immune simulations indicated an immense increment in T-cell and B-cell populations. Bioinformatic tools also significantly assisted with optimizing codons which allowed for successful cloning of constructs into desired host vectors. Using in-silico tools to design a vaccine against A. baumannii demonstrated that this construct could pave the way for successfully combating infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kashaf Khalid
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 44000 Pakistan
| | - Sidra Irum
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 44000 Pakistan
| | - Sidra Rahmat Ullah
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 44000 Pakistan
| | - Saadia Andleeb
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, 44000 Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Albutti A. An integrated computational framework to design a multi-epitopes vaccine against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21929. [PMID: 34753983 PMCID: PMC8578660 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01283-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly contagious disease that mostly affects the lungs and is caused by a bacterial pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The associated mortality rate of TB is much higher compared to any other disease and the situation is more worrisome by the rapid emergence of drug resistant strains. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is the only licensed attenuated vaccine available for use in humans however, many countries have stopped its use as it fails to confer protective immunity. Therefore, urgent efforts are required to identify new and safe vaccine candidates that are not only provide high immune protection but also have broad spectrum applicability. Considering this, herein, I performed an extensive computational vaccine analysis to investigate 200 complete sequenced genomes of M. tuberculosis to identify core vaccine candidates that harbor safe, antigenic, non-toxic, and non-allergic epitopes. To overcome literature reported limitations of epitope-based vaccines, I carried out additional analysis by designing a multi-epitopes vaccine to achieve maximum protective immunity as well as to make experimental follow up studies easy by selecting a vaccine that can be easily analyzed because of its favorable physiochemical profile. Based on these analyses, I identified two potential vaccine proteins that fulfill all required vaccine properties. These two vaccine proteins are diacylglycerol acyltransferase and ESAT-6-like protein. Epitopes: DSGGYNANS from diacylglycerol acyltransferase and AGVQYSRAD, ADEEQQQAL, and VSRADEEQQ from ESAT-6-like protein were found to cover all necessary parameters and thus used in a multi-epitope vaccine construct. The designed vaccine is depicting a high binding affinity for different immune receptors and shows stable dynamics and rigorous van der Waals and electrostatic binding energies. The vaccine also simulates profound primary, secondary, tertiary immunoglobulin production as well as high interleukins and interferons count. In summary, the designed vaccine is ideal to be evaluated experimentally to decipher its real biological efficacy in controlling drug resistant infections of M. tuberculosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aqel Albutti
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Tariq MH, Bhatti R, Ali NF, Ashfaq UA, Shahid F, Almatroudi A, Khurshid M. Rational design of chimeric Multiepitope Based Vaccine (MEBV) against human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1: An integrated vaccine informatics and molecular docking based approach. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258443. [PMID: 34705829 PMCID: PMC8550388 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is an infectious virus that has been linked to adult T cell leukemia /lymphoma, aggressive CD4-T cell malignancy and many other immune-related medical illnesses. So far, no effective vaccine is known to combat HTLV-1, hence, the current research work was performed to design a potential multi-epitope-based subunit vaccine (MEBV) by adopting the latest methodology of reverse vaccinology. Briefly, three highly antigenic proteins (Glycoprotein, Accessory protein, and Tax protein) with no or minimal (<37%) similarity with human proteome were sorted out and potential B- and T-cell epitopes were forecasted from them. Highly antigenic, immunogenic, non-toxic, non-allergenic and overlapping epitopes were short-listed for vaccine development. The chosen T-cell epitopes displayed a strong binding affinity with their corresponding Human Leukocyte Antigen alleles and demonstrated 95.8% coverage of the world's population. Finally, nine Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes, six Helper T Lymphocytes and five Linear B Lymphocytes epitopes, joint through linkers and adjuvant, were exploited to design the final MEBV construct, comprising of 382 amino acids. The developed MEBV structure showed highly antigenic properties while being non-toxic, soluble, non-allergenic, and stable in nature. Moreover, disulphide engineering further enhanced the stability of the final vaccine protein. Additionally, Molecular docking analysis and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations confirmed the strong association between MEBV construct and human pathogenic immune receptor TLR-3. Repeated-exposure simulations and Immune simulations ensured the rapid antigen clearance and higher levels of cell-mediated immunity, respectively. Furthermore, MEBV codon optimization and in-silico cloning was carried out to confirm its augmented expression. Results of our experiments suggested that the proposed MEBV could be a potential immunogenic against HTLV-1; nevertheless, additional wet lab experiments are needed to elucidate our conclusion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Hamza Tariq
- Atta ur Rehman School of Applied Bioscience, National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Rashid Bhatti
- Center of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Nida Fatima Ali
- Atta ur Rehman School of Applied Bioscience, National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Usman Ali Ashfaq
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Farah Shahid
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Ahmad Almatroudi
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohsin Khurshid
- Department of Microbiology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Sufyan M, Shahid F, Irshad F, Javaid A, Qasim M, Ashfaq UA. Implementation of Vaccinomics and In-Silico Approaches to Construct Multimeric Based Vaccine Against Ovarian Cancer. Int J Pept Res Ther 2021; 27:2845-2859. [PMID: 34690620 PMCID: PMC8524215 DOI: 10.1007/s10989-021-10294-w] [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] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
One of the most common gynecologic cancers is ovarian cancer and ranked third after the other two most common cancers: cervical and uterine. The highest mortality rate has been observed in the case of ovarian cancer. To treat ovarian cancer, an immune-informatics approach was used to design a multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) structure. Epitopes prediction of the cancer testis antigens (NY-ESO-1), A-Kinase anchor protein (AKAP4), Acrosin binding protein (ACRBP), Piwi-like protein (PIWIL3), and cancer testis antigen 2 (LAGE-1) was done. Non-toxic, highly antigenic, non-allergenic, and overlapping epitopes were shortlisted for vaccine construction. Chosen T-cell epitopes displayed a robust binding attraction with their corresponding Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) alleles demonstrated 97.59% of population coverage. The vaccine peptide was established by uniting three key constituents, comprising the 14 epitopes of CD8 + cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), 5 helper epitopes, and the adjuvant. For the generation of the effective response of CD4 + cells towards the T-helper cells, granulocyte–macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was applied. With the addition of adjuvants and linkers, the construct size was 547 amino acids. The developed MEV structure was predicted to be antigenic, non-toxic, non-allergenic, and firm in nature. I-tasser anticipated the 3D construction of MEV. Moreover, disulfide engineering further enhanced the stability of the final vaccine protein. In-silico cloning and vaccine codon optimization were done to analyze the up-regulation of its expression. The outcomes established the vaccine’s immunogenicity and safety profile, besides its aptitude to encourage both humoral and cellular immune responses. The offered vaccine, grounded on our in-silico investigation, may be considered for ovarian cancer immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Sufyan
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Farah Shahid
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Faiza Irshad
- Environment Biotechnology Lab, Institute of Botany, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Anam Javaid
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Qasim
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Usman Ali Ashfaq
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Fadaka AO, Sibuyi NRS, Martin DR, Goboza M, Klein A, Madiehe AM, Meyer M. Immunoinformatics design of a novel epitope-based vaccine candidate against dengue virus. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19707. [PMID: 34611250 PMCID: PMC8492693 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99227-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Dengue poses a global health threat, which will persist without therapeutic intervention. Immunity induced by exposure to one serotype does not confer long-term protection against secondary infection with other serotypes and is potentially capable of enhancing this infection. Although vaccination is believed to induce durable and protective responses against all the dengue virus (DENV) serotypes in order to reduce the burden posed by this virus, the development of a safe and efficacious vaccine remains a challenge. Immunoinformatics and computational vaccinology have been utilized in studies of infectious diseases to provide insight into the host-pathogen interactions thus justifying their use in vaccine development. Since vaccination is the best bet to reduce the burden posed by DENV, this study is aimed at developing a multi-epitope based vaccines for dengue control. Combined approaches of reverse vaccinology and immunoinformatics were utilized to design multi-epitope based vaccine from the sequence of DENV. Specifically, BCPreds and IEDB servers were used to predict the B-cell and T-cell epitopes, respectively. Molecular docking was carried out using Schrödinger, PATCHDOCK and FIREDOCK. Codon optimization and in silico cloning were done using JCAT and SnapGene respectively. Finally, the efficiency and stability of the designed vaccines were assessed by an in silico immune simulation and molecular dynamic simulation, respectively. The predicted epitopes were prioritized using in-house criteria. Four candidate vaccines (DV-1-4) were designed using suitable adjuvant and linkers in addition to the shortlisted epitopes. The binding interactions of these vaccines against the receptors TLR-2, TLR-4, MHC-1 and MHC-2 show that these candidate vaccines perfectly fit into the binding domains of the receptors. In addition, DV-1 has a better binding energies of - 60.07, - 63.40, - 69.89 kcal/mol against MHC-1, TLR-2, and TLR-4, with respect to the other vaccines. All the designed vaccines were highly antigenic, soluble, non-allergenic, non-toxic, flexible, and topologically assessable. The immune simulation analysis showed that DV-1 may elicit specific immune response against dengue virus. Moreover, codon optimization and in silico cloning validated the expressions of all the designed vaccines in E. coli. Finally, the molecular dynamic study shows that DV-1 is stable with minimum RMSF against TLR4. Immunoinformatics tools are now applied to screen genomes of interest for possible vaccine target. The designed vaccine candidates may be further experimentally investigated as potential vaccines capable of providing definitive preventive measure against dengue virus infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adewale Oluwaseun Fadaka
- Department of Science and Innovation/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre, Biolabels Node, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.
| | - Nicole Remaliah Samantha Sibuyi
- Department of Science and Innovation/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre, Biolabels Node, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
| | - Darius Riziki Martin
- Department of Science and Innovation/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre, Biolabels Node, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
| | - Mediline Goboza
- Department of Science and Innovation/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre, Biolabels Node, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
| | - Ashwil Klein
- Plant Omics Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Abram Madimabe Madiehe
- Department of Science and Innovation/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre, Biolabels Node, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
- Nanobiotechnology Research Group, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
| | - Mervin Meyer
- Department of Science and Innovation/Mintek Nanotechnology Innovation Centre, Biolabels Node, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Allemailem KS. A Comprehensive Computer Aided Vaccine Design Approach to Propose a Multi-Epitopes Subunit Vaccine against Genus Klebsiella Using Pan-Genomics, Reverse Vaccinology, and Biophysical Techniques. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:1087. [PMID: 34696195 PMCID: PMC8540426 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9101087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella is a genus of nosocomial bacterial pathogens and is placed in the most critical list of World Health Organization (WHO) for development of novel therapeutics. The pathogens of the genus are associated with high mortality and morbidity. Owing to their strong resistance profile against different classes of antibiotics and nonavailability of a licensed vaccine, urgent efforts are required to develop a novel vaccine candidate that can tackle all pathogenic species of the Klebsiella genus. The present study aims to design a broad-spectrum vaccine against all species of the Klebsiella genus with objectives to identify the core proteome of pathogen species, prioritize potential core vaccine proteins, analyze immunoinformatics of the vaccine proteins, construct a multi-epitopes vaccine, and provide its biophysical analysis. Herein, we investigated all reference species of the genus to reveal their core proteome. The core proteins were then subjected to multiple reverse vaccinology checks that are mandatory for the prioritization of potential vaccine candidates. Two proteins (TonB-dependent siderophore receptor and siderophore enterobactin receptor FepA) were found to fulfill all vaccine parameters. Both these proteins harbor several potent B-cell-derived T-cell epitopes that are antigenic, nonallergic, nontoxic, virulent, water soluble, IFN-γ producer, and efficient binder of DRB*0101 allele. The selected epitopes were modeled into a multi-epitope peptide comprising linkers and Cholera Toxin B adjuvant. For docking with innate immune and MHC receptors and afterward molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy analysis, the vaccine structure was modeled for tertiary structure and refined for structural errors. To assess the binding affinity and presentation of the designed vaccine construct, binding mode and interactions analysis were performed using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation techniques. These biophysical approaches illustrated the vaccine as a good binder to the immune receptors and revealed robust interactions energies. The vaccine sequence was further translated to nucleotide sequence and cloned into an appropriate vector for expressing it at high rate in Escherichia coli K12 strain. In addition, the vaccine was illustrated to generate a good level of primary, secondary, and tertiary immune responses, proving good immunogenicity of the vaccine. Based on the reported results, the vaccine can be a good candidate to be evaluated for effectiveness in wet laboratory validation studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Khaled S Allemailem
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Aldakheel FM, Abrar A, Munir S, Aslam S, Allemailem KS, Khurshid M, Ashfaq UA. Proteome-Wide Mapping and Reverse Vaccinology Approaches to Design a Multi-Epitope Vaccine against Clostridium perfringens. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:1079. [PMID: 34696187 PMCID: PMC8539331 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9101079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
C. perfringens is a highly versatile bacteria of livestock and humans, causing enteritis (a common food-borne illness in humans), enterotoxaemia (in which toxins are formed in the intestine which damage and destroy organs, i.e., the brain), and gangrene (wound infection). There is no particular cure for the toxins of C. perfringens. Supportive care (medical control of pain, intravenous fluids) is the standard treatment. Therefore, a multiple-epitope vaccine (MEV) should be designed to battle against C. perfringens infection. Furthermore, the main objective of this in silico investigation is to design an MEV that targets C. perfringens. For this purpose, we selected the top three proteins that were highly antigenic using immuno-informatics approaches, including molecular docking. B-cells, IFN-gamma, and T cells for target proteins were predicted and the most conserved epitopes were selected for further investigation. For the development of the final MEV, epitopes of LBL5, CTL17, and HTL13 were linked to GPGPG, AAY, and KK linkers. The vaccine N-end was joined to an adjuvant through an EAAK linker to improve immunogenicity. After the attachment of linkers and adjuvants, the final construct was 415 amino acids. B-cell and IFN-gamma epitopes demonstrate that the model structure is enhanced for humoral and cellular immune responses. To validate the immunogenicity and safety of the final construct, various physicochemical properties, and other properties such as antigenicity and non-allergens, were evaluated. Furthermore, molecular docking was carried out for verification of vaccine compatibility with the receptor, evaluated in silico. Also, in silico cloning was employed for the verification of the proper expression and credibility of the construct.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fahad M. Aldakheel
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11564, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Amna Abrar
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan; (A.A.); (S.M.); (S.A.)
| | - Samman Munir
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan; (A.A.); (S.M.); (S.A.)
| | - Sehar Aslam
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan; (A.A.); (S.M.); (S.A.)
| | - Khaled S. Allemailem
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Mohsin Khurshid
- Department of Microbiology, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan;
| | - Usman Ali Ashfaq
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan; (A.A.); (S.M.); (S.A.)
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Rostaminia S, Aghaei SS, Farahmand B, Nazari R, Ghaemi A. Computational Design and Analysis of a Multi-epitope Against Influenza A virus. Int J Pept Res Ther 2021; 27:2625-2638. [PMID: 34539293 PMCID: PMC8435298 DOI: 10.1007/s10989-021-10278-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Influenza A viruses are among the most studied viruses, however no effective prevention against influenza infection has been developed. So, designing an effective vaccine against Influenza A virus is a critical issue in the field of medical biotechnology. For this reason, to combat this disease, we have designed a novel multi-epitope vaccine candidate based on the several conserved and potential linear B-cell and T-cell binding epitopes by using the in silico approach. This vaccine consists of an ER signal conserved sequence, the PADRE conserved epitope and two conserved epitopes of Influenza matrix protein 2. T-cell binding epitopes from Matrix protein 2 were predicted by in silico tools of epitope prediction. The selected epitopes were joined by flexible linkers and physicochemical properties, toxicity, and allergenecity were investigated. The designed vaccine was antigenic, immunogenic, and non-allergenic with suitable physicochemical properties and has higher solubility. The final multi-epitope construct was modeled, confirmed by different programs and the molecular interactions with immune receptors were considered. The molecular docking assay indicated the interactions with immune-stimulatory toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) and major histocompatibility complex class I (MHCI). The HADDOCK and H DOCK servers were used to make docking analysis, respectively. The docking analysis indicated a strong and stable binding interaction between the vaccine construct with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and toll-like receptor 3. Overall, the findings suggest that the current vaccine may be a promising vaccine to prevent Influenza infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samaneh Rostaminia
- Department of Microbiology, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran
| | | | - Behrokh Farahmand
- Department of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, Pasteur Institute of Iran, 69, P.O.Box: 1316943551, Tehran, Iran
| | - Raziye Nazari
- Department of Microbiology, Qom Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran
| | - Amir Ghaemi
- Department of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, Pasteur Institute of Iran, 69, P.O.Box: 1316943551, Tehran, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Fatoba AJ, Adeleke VT, Maharaj L, Okpeku M, Adeniyi AA, Adeleke MA. Immunoinformatics Design of Multiepitope Vaccine Against Enterococcus faecium Infection. Int J Pept Res Ther 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-021-10245-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
|
40
|
Integrated Core Proteomics, Subtractive Proteomics, and Immunoinformatics Investigation to Unveil a Potential Multi-Epitope Vaccine against Schistosomiasis. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9060658. [PMID: 34208663 PMCID: PMC8235758 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9060658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection that causes considerable morbidity and mortality in the world. Infections of parasitic blood flukes, known as schistosomes, cause the disease. No vaccine is available yet and thus there is a need to design an effective vaccine against schistosomiasis. Schistosoma japonicum, Schistosoma mansoni, and Schistosoma haematobium are the main pathogenic species that infect humans. In this research, core proteomics was combined with a subtractive proteomics pipeline to identify suitable antigenic proteins for the construction of a multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) against human-infecting Schistosoma species. The pipeline revealed two antigenic proteins-calcium binding and mycosubtilin synthase subunit C-as promising vaccine targets. T and B cell epitopes from the targeted proteins were predicted using multiple bioinformatics and immunoinformatics databases. Seven cytotoxic T cell lymphocytes (CTL), three helper T cell lymphocytes (HTL), and four linear B cell lymphocytes (LBL) epitopes were fused with a suitable adjuvant and linkers to design a 217 amino-acid-long MEV. The vaccine was coupled with a TLR-4 agonist (RS-09; Sequence: APPHALS) adjuvant to enhance the immune responses. The designed MEV was stable, highly antigenic, and non-allergenic to human use. Molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and molecular mechanics/generalized Born surface area (MMGBSA) analysis were performed to study the binding affinity and molecular interactions of the MEV with human immune receptors (TLR2 and TLR4) and MHC molecules (MHC I and MHC II). The MEV expression capability was tested in an Escherichia coli (strain-K12) plasmid vector pET-28a(+). Findings of these computer assays proved the MEV as highly promising in establishing protective immunity against the pathogens; nevertheless, additional validation by in vivo and in vitro experiments is required to discuss its real immune-protective efficacy.
Collapse
|
41
|
Tahir Ul Qamar M, Ismail S, Ahmad S, Mirza MU, Abbasi SW, Ashfaq UA, Chen LL. Development of a Novel Multi-Epitope Vaccine Against Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus: An Integrated Reverse Vaccinology, Vaccine Informatics and Biophysics Approach. Front Immunol 2021; 12:669812. [PMID: 34220816 PMCID: PMC8242340 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.669812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a highly severe and virulent viral disease of zoonotic origin, caused by a tick-born CCHF virus (CCHFV). The virus is endemic in many countries and has a mortality rate between 10% and 40%. As there is no licensed vaccine or therapeutic options available to treat CCHF, the present study was designed to focus on application of modern computational approaches to propose a multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) expressing antigenic determinants prioritized from the CCHFV genome. Integrated computational analyses revealed the presence of 9 immunodominant epitopes from Nucleoprotein (N), RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), Glycoprotein N (Gn/G2), and Glycoprotein C (Gc/G1). Together these epitopes were observed to cover 99.74% of the world populations. The epitopes demonstrated excellent binding affinity for the B- and T-cell reference set of alleles, the high antigenic potential, non-allergenic nature, excellent solubility, zero percent toxicity and interferon-gamma induction potential. The epitopes were engineered into an MEV through suitable linkers and adjuvating with an appropriate adjuvant molecule. The recombinant vaccine sequence revealed all favorable physicochemical properties allowing the ease of experimental analysis in vivo and in vitro. The vaccine 3D structure was established ab initio. Furthermore, the vaccine displayed excellent binding affinity for critical innate immune receptors: TLR2 (-14.33 kcal/mol) and TLR3 (-6.95 kcal/mol). Vaccine binding with these receptors was dynamically analyzed in terms of complex stability and interaction energetics. Finally, we speculate the vaccine sequence reported here has excellent potential to evoke protective and specific immune responses subject to evaluation of downstream experimental analysis.
Collapse
MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antigens, Viral/genetics
- Antigens, Viral/immunology
- Antigens, Viral/metabolism
- Antigens, Viral/pharmacology
- Computational Biology
- Computer-Aided Design
- Drug Development
- Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo/genetics
- Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo/immunology
- Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean/immunology
- Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean/prevention & control
- Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean/virology
- Immunodominant Epitopes
- Immunogenicity, Vaccine
- Molecular Docking Simulation
- Molecular Dynamics Simulation
- Ticks/virology
- Toll-Like Receptor 2/metabolism
- Toll-Like Receptor 3/metabolism
- Vaccines, DNA/genetics
- Vaccines, DNA/immunology
- Vaccines, DNA/metabolism
- Vaccines, DNA/pharmacology
- Vaccinology
- Viral Vaccines/genetics
- Viral Vaccines/immunology
- Viral Vaccines/metabolism
- Viral Vaccines/pharmacology
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Saba Ismail
- NUMS Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Sajjad Ahmad
- Department of Microbiology and Pharmacy, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Usman Mirza
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada
| | - Sumra Wajid Abbasi
- NUMS Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Usman Ali Ashfaq
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Ling-Ling Chen
- College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Sanami S, Azadegan-Dehkordi F, Rafieian-Kopaei M, Salehi M, Ghasemi-Dehnoo M, Mahooti M, Alizadeh M, Bagheri N. Design of a multi-epitope vaccine against cervical cancer using immunoinformatics approaches. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12397. [PMID: 34117331 PMCID: PMC8196015 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91997-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cervical cancer, caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), is the fourth most common type of cancer among women worldwide. While HPV prophylactic vaccines are available, they have no therapeutic effects and do not clear up existing infections. This study aims to design a therapeutic vaccine against cervical cancer using reverse vaccinology. In this study, the E6 and E7 oncoproteins from HPV16 were chosen as the target antigens for epitope prediction. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and helper T lymphocytes (HTL) epitopes were predicted, and the best epitopes were selected based on antigenicity, allergenicity, and toxicity. The final vaccine construct was composed of the selected epitopes, along with the appropriate adjuvant and linkers. The multi-epitope vaccine was evaluated in terms of physicochemical properties, antigenicity, and allergenicity. The tertiary structure of the vaccine construct was predicted. Furthermore, several analyses were also carried out, including molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and in silico cloning of the vaccine construct. The results showed that the final proposed vaccine could be considered an effective therapeutic vaccine for HPV; however, in vitro and in vivo experiments are required to validate the efficacy of this vaccine candidate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samira Sanami
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Azadegan-Dehkordi
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Mahmoud Rafieian-Kopaei
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Majid Salehi
- Department of Tissue Engineering, School of Medicine, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran
| | - Maryam Ghasemi-Dehnoo
- Medical Plants Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Mehran Mahooti
- Department of Biotechnology, Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Morteza Alizadeh
- Department of Tissue Engineering, School of Medicine, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran.
| | - Nader Bagheri
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Alamri MA, Tahir Ul Qamar M, Afzal O, Alabbas AB, Riadi Y, Alqahtani SM. Discovery of anti-MERS-CoV small covalent inhibitors through pharmacophore modeling, covalent docking and molecular dynamics simulation. J Mol Liq 2021; 330:115699. [PMID: 33867606 PMCID: PMC8040153 DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2021.115699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a fatal pathogen that poses a serious health risk worldwide and especially in the middle east countries. Targeting the MERS-CoV 3-chymotrypsin-like cysteine protease (3CLpro) with small covalent inhibitors is a significant approach to inhibit replication of the virus. The present work includes generating a pharmacophore model based on the X-ray crystal structures of MERS-CoV 3CLpro in complex with two covalently bound inhibitors. In silico screening of covalent chemical database having 31,642 compounds led to the identification of 378 compounds that fulfils the pharmacophore queries. Lipinski rules of five were then applied to select only compounds with the best physiochemical properties for orally bioavailable drugs. 260 compounds were obtained and subjected to covalent docking-based virtual screening to determine their binding energy scores. The top three candidate compounds, which were shown to adapt similar binding modes as the reported covalent ligands were selected. The mechanism and stability of binding of these compounds were confirmed by 100 ns molecular dynamic simulation followed by MM/PBSA binding free energy calculation. The identified compounds can facilitate the rational design of novel covalent inhibitors of MERS-CoV 3CLpro enzyme as anti-MERS CoV drugs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mubarak A Alamri
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Obaid Afzal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alhumaidi B Alabbas
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yassine Riadi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | - Safar M Alqahtani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Tahir Ul Qamar M, Ahmad S, Fatima I, Ahmad F, Shahid F, Naz A, Abbasi SW, Khan A, Mirza MU, Ashfaq UA, Chen LL. Designing multi-epitope vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus by employing subtractive proteomics, reverse vaccinology and immuno-informatics approaches. Comput Biol Med 2021; 132:104389. [PMID: 33866250 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2021.104389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a deadly human bacterial pathogen that causes a wide variety of clinical manifestations. Invasive S. aureus infections in hospitals and the community are one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity, as virulent and multi-drug-resistant strains have evolved. There is an unmet and urgent clinical need for immune-based non-antibiotic approaches to treat these infections as the growing antibiotic resistance poses a significant public health danger. Subtractive proteomics assisted reverse vaccinology-based immunoinformatics pipeline was used in this study to target the suitable antigenic proteins for the development of multi-epitope vaccine (MEV). Three essential virulent and antigenic proteins were identified including Glycosyltransferase, Elastin Binding Protein, and Staphylococcal secretory antigen. A variety of immunoinformatics tools have been used to forecast T-cell and B-cell epitopes from target proteins. Seven CTL, five HTL, and eight LBL epitopes, connected through suitable linkers and adjuvant, were employed to design 444 amino acids long MEV construct. The vaccine was paired with the TLR4 agonist 50S ribosomal protein L7/L12 adjuvant to enhance the immune response towards the vaccine. The predicted MEV structure was assessed to be highly antigenic, non-toxic, non-allergenic, flexible, stable, and soluble. Molecular docking simulation of the MEV with the human TLR4 (toll-like receptor 4) and major histocompatibility complex molecules (MHCI and MHCII) was performed to validate the interactions with the receptors. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and MMGBSA binding free energy analyses were carried out for the stability evaluation and binding of the MEV docked complexes with TLR4, MHCI and MHCII. To achieve maximal vaccine protein expression with optimal post-translational modifications, MEV was reverse translated, its mRNA structure was analyzed, and finally in silico cloning was performed into E. coli expression host. These rigorous computational analyses supported the effectivity of proposed MEV in protection against infections associated with S. aureus. However, further experimental validations are required to fully evaluate the potential of proposed vaccine candidate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sajjad Ahmad
- Department of Health and Biological Sciences, Abasyn University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Israr Fatima
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Faisal Ahmad
- National Center for Bioinformatics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Farah Shahid
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Anam Naz
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Sumra Wajid Abbasi
- NUMS Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Abbas Khan
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biological Statistics, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, PR China
| | - Muhammad Usman Mirza
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor, Canada
| | - Usman Ali Ashfaq
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Ling-Ling Chen
- College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Immuno-Informatics Analysis of Pakistan-Based HCV Subtype-3a for Chimeric Polypeptide Vaccine Design. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9030293. [PMID: 33801143 PMCID: PMC8004085 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9030293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes chronic and acute hepatitis infections. As there is extreme variability in the HCV genome, no approved HCV vaccine has been available so far. An effective polypeptide vaccine based on the functionally conserved epitopes will be greatly helpful in curing disease. For this purpose, an immuno-informatics study is performed based on the published HCV subtype-3a from Pakistan. First, the virus genome was translated to a polyprotein followed by a subsequent prediction of T-cell epitopes. Non-allergenic, IFN-γ producer, and antigenic epitopes were shortlisted, including 5 HTL epitopes and 4 CTL, which were linked to the final vaccine by GPGPG and AAY linkers, respectively. Beta defensin was included as an adjuvant through the EAAAK linker to improve the immunogenicity of the polypeptide. To ensure its safety and immunogenicity profile, antigenicity, allergenicity, and various physiochemical attributes of the polypeptide were evaluated. Molecular docking was conducted between TLR4 and vaccine to evaluate the binding affinity and molecular interactions. For stability assessment and binding of the vaccine-TLR4 docked complex, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and MMGBSA binding free-energy analyses were conducted. Finally, the candidate vaccine was cloned in silico to ensure its effectiveness. The current vaccine requires future experimental confirmation to validate its effectiveness. The vaccine construct produced might be useful in providing immune protection against HCV-related infections.
Collapse
|
46
|
Mahmood M, Javaid A, Shahid F, Ashfaq UA. Rational design of multimeric based subunit vaccine against Mycoplasma pneumonia: Subtractive proteomics with immunoinformatics framework. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2021; 91:104795. [PMID: 33667723 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2021.104795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is the prevalent cause of acquired respiratory infections around the globe. A multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) must be developed to combat infections of M. pneumoniae because there is no specific disease-modifying treatment or vaccination is present. The objective of this research is to design a vaccine that targets M. pneumoniae top five highly antigenic proteins using a combination of immunological techniques and molecular docking. T-cell (HTL & CTL), B-cell, and IFN-γ of target proteins were forecasted and highly conservative epitopes were chosen for further study. For designing of final vaccine, 4LBL, 7CTL, and 5HTL epitopes were joined by linkers of KK, AAY, and GPGPG. The N-end of the vaccine was linked to an adjuvant (Cholera enterotoxin subunit B) with a linker named EAAAK to enhance immunogenicity. After the addition of adjuvants and linkers, the size of the construct was 395 amino acids. The epitopes of IFN-γ and B-cells illustrate that the model construct is optimized for cell-mediated immune or humoral responses. To ensure that the final design is safer and immunogenic, properties like non-allergens, antigenicity, and various physicochemical properties were evaluated. Molecular docking of the vaccine with the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was conducted to check the compatibility of the vaccine with the receptor. Besides, in-silico cloning was utilized for validation of the credibility and proper expression of the vaccine. Furthermore, to confirm that the multi-epitope vaccine created is protective and immunogenic, this research requires experimental validation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marvah Mahmood
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Anam Javaid
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Farah Shahid
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Usman Ali Ashfaq
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Ahmad S, Waheed Y, Ismail S, Abbasi SW, Najmi MH. A computational study to disclose potential drugs and vaccine ensemble for COVID-19 conundrum. J Mol Liq 2021; 324:114734. [PMID: 33199930 PMCID: PMC7654302 DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2020.114734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The nucleocapsid (N) protein of SARS-COV-2, a virus responsible for the current COVID-19 pandemic, is considered a potential candidate for the design of new drugs and vaccines. The protein is central to several critical events in virus production, with its highly druggable nature and rich antigenic determinants making it an excellent anti-viral biomolecule. Docking-based virtual screening using the Asinex anti-viral library identified binding of drug molecules at three specific positions: loop 1 region, loop 2 region and β-sheet core pockets, the loop 2 region being the most common binding and stable site for the bulk of the molecules. In parallel, the protein was characterized by vaccine design perspective and harboured three potential B cell-derived T cell epitopes: PINTNSSPD, GVPINTNSS, and DHIGTRNPA. The epitopes are highly antigenic, virulent, non-allergic, non-toxic, bind with good affinity to the highly prevalent DRB*0101 allele and show an average population coverage of 95.04%. A multi-epitope vaccine ensemble which was 83 amino acids long was created. This was highly immunogenic, robust in generating both humoral and cellular immune responses, thermally stable, and had good physicochemical properties that could be easily analyzed in in vivo and in vitro studies. Conformational dynamics of both drug and vaccine ensemble with respect to the receptors are energetically stable, shedding light on favourable conformation and chemical interactions. These facts were validated by subjecting the complexes to relative and absolute binding free energy methods of MMGB/PBSA and WaterSwap. A strong agreement on the system stability was disclosed that supported ligand high affinity potential for the receptors. Collectively, this work sought to provide preliminary experimental data of existing anti-viral drugs as a possible therapy for COVID-19 infections and a new peptide-based vaccine for protection against this pandemic virus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sajjad Ahmad
- Foundation University Medical College, Foundation University Islamabad, DHA-I, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Yasir Waheed
- Foundation University Medical College, Foundation University Islamabad, DHA-I, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Saba Ismail
- Foundation University Medical College, Foundation University Islamabad, DHA-I, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Sumra Wajid Abbasi
- NUMS Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Abid Majeed Rd, The Mall, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Muzammil Hasan Najmi
- Foundation University Medical College, Foundation University Islamabad, DHA-I, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Cianci R, Franza L. Genomic Medicine and Advances in Vaccine Technology and Development in the Developing and Developed World. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 9:vaccines9010009. [PMID: 33374343 PMCID: PMC7823288 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9010009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Cianci
- Internal Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Roma, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-06-3015-7597; Fax: +39-06-3550-2775
| | - Laura Franza
- Emergency Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Roma, Italy;
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Tahir ul Qamar M, Rehman A, Tusleem K, Ashfaq UA, Qasim M, Zhu X, Fatima I, Shahid F, Chen LL. Designing of a next generation multiepitope based vaccine (MEV) against SARS-COV-2: Immunoinformatics and in silico approaches. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0244176. [PMID: 33351863 PMCID: PMC7755200 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) is a significant threat to global health security. Till date, no completely effective drug or vaccine is available to cure COVID-19. Therefore, an effective vaccine against SARS-COV-2 is crucially needed. This study was conducted to design an effective multiepitope based vaccine (MEV) against SARS-COV-2. Seven highly antigenic proteins of SARS-COV-2 were selected as targets and different epitopes (B-cell and T-cell) were predicted. Highly antigenic and overlapping epitopes were shortlisted. Selected epitopes indicated significant interactions with the HLA-binding alleles and 99.93% coverage of the world's population. Hence, 505 amino acids long MEV was designed by connecting 16 MHC class I and eleven MHC class II epitopes with suitable linkers and adjuvant. MEV construct was non-allergenic, antigenic, stable and flexible. Furthermore, molecular docking followed by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation analyses, demonstrated a stable and strong binding affinity of MEV with human pathogenic toll-like receptors (TLR), TLR3 and TLR8. Finally, MEV codons were optimized for its in silico cloning into Escherichia coli K-12 system, to ensure its increased expression. Designed MEV in present study could be a potential candidate for further vaccine production process against COVID-19. However, to ensure its safety and immunogenic profile, the proposed MEV needs to be experimentally validated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Abdur Rehman
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | | | - Usman Ali Ashfaq
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Qasim
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Xitong Zhu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, P. R. China
| | - Israr Fatima
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Farah Shahid
- Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Ling-Ling Chen
- College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, P. R. China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Alamri MA, Tahir ul Qamar M, Mirza MU, Alqahtani SM, Froeyen M, Chen LL. Discovery of human coronaviruses pan-papain-like protease inhibitors using computational approaches. J Pharm Anal 2020; 10:546-559. [PMID: 32874702 PMCID: PMC7453225 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpha.2020.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Revised: 08/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The papain-like protease (PLpro) is vital for the replication of coronaviruses (CoVs), as well as for escaping innate-immune responses of the host. Hence, it has emerged as an attractive antiviral drug-target. In this study, computational approaches were employed, mainly the structure-based virtual screening coupled with all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to computationally identify specific inhibitors of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) PLpro, which can be further developed as potential pan-PLpro based broad-spectrum antiviral drugs. The sequence, structure, and functional conserveness of most deadly human CoVs PLpro were explored, and it was revealed that functionally important catalytic triad residues are well conserved among SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The subsequent screening of a focused protease inhibitors database composed of ∼7,000 compounds resulted in the identification of three candidate compounds, ADM_13083841, LMG_15521745, and SYN_15517940. These three compounds established conserved interactions which were further explored through MD simulations, free energy calculations, and residual energy contribution estimated by MM-PB(GB)SA method. All these compounds showed stable conformation and interacted well with the active residues of SARS-CoV-2 PLpro, and showed consistent interaction profile with SARS-CoV PLpro and MERS-CoV PLpro as well. Conclusively, the reported SARS-CoV-2 PLpro specific compounds could serve as seeds for developing potent pan-PLpro based broad-spectrum antiviral drugs against deadly human coronaviruses. Moreover, the presented information related to binding site residual energy contribution could lead to further optimization of these compounds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mubarak A. Alamri
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Alkarj, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Muhammad Usman Mirza
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Medicinal Chemistry, University of Leuven, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Safar M. Alqahtani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Alkarj, Saudi Arabia
| | - Matheus Froeyen
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Medicinal Chemistry, University of Leuven, B-3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ling-Ling Chen
- College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| |
Collapse
|