1
|
García-Machorro J, Gutiérrez-Sánchez M, Rojas-Ortega DA, Bello M, Andrade-Ochoa S, Díaz-Hernández S, Correa-Basurto J, Rojas-Hernández S. Identification of peptide epitopes of the gp120 protein of HIV-1 capable of inducing cellular and humoral immunity. RSC Adv 2023; 13:9078-9090. [PMID: 36950073 PMCID: PMC10025946 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra08160a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and a high percentage of deaths. Therefore, it is necessary to design vaccines against HIV-1 for the prevention of AIDS. Bioinformatic tools and theoretical algorisms allow us to understand the structural proteins of viruses to develop vaccines based on immunogenic peptides (epitopes). In this work, we identified the epitopes: P1, P2, P10, P27 and P30 from the gp120 protein of HIV-1. These peptides were administered intranasally alone or with cholera toxin (CT) to BALB/c mice. The population of CD4+, CD8+ T lymphocytes and B cells (CD19/CD138+, IgA+ and IgG+) from nasal-associated lymphoid tissue, nasal passages, cervical and inguinal nodes was determined by flow cytometry. In addition, anti-peptides IgG and IgA from serum, nasal and vaginal washings were measured by ELISA. The results show that peptides administered by i.n. can modulate the immune response of T and B lymphocyte populations, as well as IgA and IgG antibodies secretion in the different sites analyzed. In conclusion, bioinformatics tools help us to select peptides with physicochemical properties that allow the induction of the humoral and cellular responses that depend on the peptide sequence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jazmín García-Machorro
- Laboratorio de Medicina de Conservación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico. Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón s/n Col. Casco de Santo Tomas Delegación Miguel Hidalgo C.P. 11340 Ciudad de México Mexico
| | - Mara Gutiérrez-Sánchez
- Laboratorio de Inmunobiología Molecular y Celular, Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional México City Mexico
| | - Diego Alexander Rojas-Ortega
- Laboratorio de Inmunobiología Molecular y Celular, Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional México City Mexico
| | - Martiniano Bello
- Laboratorio de Diseño y Desarrollo de Nuevos Fármacos e Innovación Biotécnológica (Laboratory for the Design and Development of New Drugs and Biotechnological Innovation), Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón s/n Col. Casco de Santo Tomas Delegación Miguel Hidalgo C.P. 11340 Ciudad de México Mexico
| | - Sergio Andrade-Ochoa
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Circuito Universitario S/N 31125 Chihuahua México
- Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Prolongación de Carpio y Plan de Ayala S/N Colonia Santo Tomas 11340 Ciudad de México Mexico
| | - Sebastián Díaz-Hernández
- Laboratorio de Diseño y Desarrollo de Nuevos Fármacos e Innovación Biotécnológica (Laboratory for the Design and Development of New Drugs and Biotechnological Innovation), Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón s/n Col. Casco de Santo Tomas Delegación Miguel Hidalgo C.P. 11340 Ciudad de México Mexico
| | - José Correa-Basurto
- Laboratorio de Diseño y Desarrollo de Nuevos Fármacos e Innovación Biotécnológica (Laboratory for the Design and Development of New Drugs and Biotechnological Innovation), Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional. Plan de San Luis y Díaz Mirón s/n Col. Casco de Santo Tomas Delegación Miguel Hidalgo C.P. 11340 Ciudad de México Mexico
| | - Saúl Rojas-Hernández
- Laboratorio de Inmunobiología Molecular y Celular, Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional México City Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wang ZX, Chen X, Han L, Liu HD, Guo JH, Zhao Y, Sun XL. Generation and application of a monoclonal antibody against the 18-kDa oncosphere antigen of Taenia pisiformis. Exp Parasitol 2021; 224:108096. [PMID: 33741338 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2021.108096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Taenia pisiformis is a parasite that causes cysticercosis pisiformis, which has acquired economic relevance because of its effects on animal welfare and production. A useful assay for the detection of T. pisiformis is needed for the prevention of cysticercosis pisiformis and control of the parasite. The 18-kDa oncosphere antigen is expressed in the oncosphere of several cysticerci in species of the genus Taenia, including T. pisiformis. This protein plays an important role in tissue invasion and has extensive applications in diagnosis. In this study, the T. pisiformis 18-kDa oncosphere antigen (TPO18) was expressed in soluble form and successfully purified for use in the production of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against TPO18. Twenty hybridomas were obtained using ELISA, and the subcloning process identified three positive hybridoma cell lines, which were designated as 4E8, 5G5, and 7E8. MAb 7E8 exhibited the highest titer and had an IgG2b heavy chain and a kappa light chain. Western blot analysis demonstrated that MAb 7E8 reacted with GST-TPO18. Immunohistochemistry showed that TPO18 was widely distributed in the drape and wall of uteri in adults of T. pisiformis adults and in the fibrous layer of the sucker and cyst cavity of T. pisiformis cysticerci. This research will provide a foundation for the development of diagnostic tools and will contribute to a better understanding of the functions of TPO18.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ze-Xiang Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730070, People's Republic of China
| | - Xi Chen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730070, People's Republic of China
| | - Liang Han
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730070, People's Republic of China
| | - Huai-Dong Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730070, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun-Hui Guo
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730070, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730070, People's Republic of China; College of Life Science and Technology, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province 730070, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Lin Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, 730070, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Design and expression of polytopic construct of cathepsin-L1, SAP-2 and FhTP16.5 proteins of Fasciola hepatica. J Helminthol 2020; 94:e134. [PMID: 32127056 DOI: 10.1017/s0022149x20000140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique can play an important role in the early detection of fascioliasis. However, they have some diagnostic limitations, including cross-reaction with other helminths. It seems that the combination of recombinant parasite proteins as antigen can reduce these problems. Hence, the present study was aimed to design and confirm the antigenic recombinant multi-epitope (rMEP) construct of three protein epitopes (linear and conformational B-cell epitopes) of the parasite using immunoinformatic tools. For this purpose, the tertiary structures of Fasciola hepatica cathepsin-L1, saposin-like protein 2 and 16.5-kDa tegument-associated protein were predicted using the I-TASSER server. Validation of the modelled structures was performed by Ramachandran plots. The antigenic epitopes of the proteins were achieved by analysing the features of the IEDB server. The synthesized gene was cloned into the pET-22b (+) expression vector and transformed into the Escherichia coli BL21. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to verify and analyse the expression of the rMEP protein. Western blotting was utilized to confirm rMEP protein immunogenicity in two forms, one using an anti-His tag antibody and the other with human pooled sera samples (fascioliasis, non-fascioliasis and negative control sera). Our results demonstrated that the rMEP designed for the three proteins of F. hepatica was highly antigenic, and immune-detection techniques confirmed the antigen specificity. In conclusion, the presented antigenic multi-epitope may be very helpful to develop serodiagnostic kits such as indirect ELISA to evaluate the proper diagnosis of fascioliasis in humans and ruminants.
Collapse
|
4
|
Lopera-Madrid J, Osorio JE, He Y, Xiang Z, Adams LG, Laughlin RC, Mwangi W, Subramanya S, Neilan J, Brake D, Burrage TG, Brown WC, Clavijo A, Bounpheng MA. Safety and immunogenicity of mammalian cell derived and Modified Vaccinia Ankara vectored African swine fever subunit antigens in swine. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2017; 185:20-33. [PMID: 28241999 PMCID: PMC7112906 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2017.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Revised: 01/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Reverse vaccinology was applied to identify and rank ASFV immunogenic candidates . Selected ASFV immunogenic candidate proteins were expressed in HEK-293 mammalian cells and MVA constructs . Immunizations with antigens purified from HEK-293 cells and MVA constructs in swine were safe . Immunizations with selected antigens induced ASFV-specific antibodies and T-cell responses in swine.
A reverse vaccinology system, Vaxign, was used to identify and select a subset of five African Swine Fever (ASF) antigens that were successfully purified from human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK) cells and produced in Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) viral vectors. Three HEK-purified antigens [B646L (p72), E183L (p54), and O61R (p12)], and three MVA-vectored antigens [B646L, EP153R, and EP402R (CD2v)] were evaluated using a prime-boost immunization regimen swine safety and immunogenicity study. Antibody responses were detected in pigs following prime-boost immunization four weeks apart with the HEK-293-purified p72, p54, and p12 antigens. Notably, sera from the vaccinees were positive by immunofluorescence on ASFV (Georgia 2007/1)-infected primary macrophages. Although MVA-vectored p72, CD2v, and EP153R failed to induce antibody responses, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ+) spot forming cell responses against all three antigens were detected one week post-boost. The highest IFN-γ+ spot forming cell responses were detected against p72 in pigs primed with MVA-p72 and boosted with the recombinant p72. Antigen-specific (p12, p72, CD2v, and EP153R) T-cell proliferative responses were also detected post-boost. Collectively, these results are the first demonstration that ASFV subunit antigens purified from mammalian cells or expressed in MVA vectors are safe and can induce ASFV-specific antibody and T-cell responses following a prime-boost immunization regimen in swine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Lopera-Madrid
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, United States.
| | - Jorge E Osorio
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, United States.
| | - Yongqun He
- Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, and Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, United States.
| | - Zuoshuang Xiang
- Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, and Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, United States.
| | - L Garry Adams
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-4467, United States.
| | - Richard C Laughlin
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-4467, United States.
| | - Waithaka Mwangi
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-4467, United States.
| | - Sandesh Subramanya
- Bioo Scientific Corporation, 7050 Burleson Rd., Austin, TX, 78744, United States.
| | - John Neilan
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, U. S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology, Greenport, New York, United States.
| | - David Brake
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, U. S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology, Greenport, New York, United States.
| | - Thomas G Burrage
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, U. S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology, Greenport, New York, United States.
| | - William Clay Brown
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, United States.
| | - Alfonso Clavijo
- Institute for Infectious Animal Disease, 2501 Earl Rudder Hwy, Suite 701, College Station, TX, 77845, United States.
| | - Mangkey A Bounpheng
- Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory,1 Sippel Rd., College Station, TX, 77843, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wu HW, Ito A, Ai L, Zhou XN, Acosta LP, Lee Willingham A. Cysticercosis/taeniasis endemicity in Southeast Asia: Current status and control measures. Acta Trop 2017; 165:121-132. [PMID: 26802488 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2016.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2015] [Revised: 11/02/2015] [Accepted: 01/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The parasitic zoonoses cysticercosis/taeniasis is among the 17 major Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) identified by the WHO as a focus for research and control. It is caused by a larval stage (cysticercus) infection of Taenia solium tapeworm in both humans and pigs. Cysticercosis occurs in many resource-poor countries, especially those with warm and mild climates in the regions of Latin America (LA), Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The prevalence of human cysticercosis is marked in those areas where individuals are traditionally keen to consume raw or insufficiently cooked pork and/or where the husbandry of pigs is improper. The worldwide burden of cysticercosis is unclear and notably, large-scale control initiatives are lacking in all regions. This review focuses on the current endemic status of cysticercosis caused by T. solium infection in both humans and pigs living in 13 Southeast Asian countries. We will also emphasize epidemiological data as well as prevention and control of human neurocysticercosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Wei Wu
- Center for International Health Research, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University Medical School, Providence, RI, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University Medical School, Providence, RI, USA.
| | - Akira Ito
- Department of Parasitology and Neglected Tropical Diseases Research Laboratory, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Lin Ai
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Nong Zhou
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Luz P Acosta
- Department of Immunology, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Alabang, Muntinlupa, Philippines
| | - Arve Lee Willingham
- One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, St. Kitts, West Indies
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Guimarães-Peixoto RPM, Pinto PSA, Santos MR, Polêto MD, Silva LF, Silva-Júnior A. Evaluation of a synthetic peptide from the Taenia saginata 18kDa surface/secreted oncospheral adhesion protein for serological diagnosis of bovine cysticercosis. Acta Trop 2016; 164:463-468. [PMID: 27760308 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2016.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Revised: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 10/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Bovine cysticercosis is a zoonotic infection widely spread throughout Brazil, creating a burden on hygiene maintenance and the economy. Diagnosis of cysticercosis usually relies on post mortem inspection of carcasses in slaughterhouses. This detection method provides only low sensitivity. Recent advancements have improved the performance of serologic tests, such as ELISA, providing greater sensitivity and specificity. The objective of the current study was to identify and evaluate a synthetic peptide derived from the Taenia saginata 18kDa oncospheric surface protein for the diagnosis of bovine cysticercosis in ELISA. Test performance of the identified peptide was compared to an ELISA based on a heterologous crude Taenia crassiceps antigen (Tcra), widely used for the sero-diagnosis of bovine cysticercosis. Based on the primary sequence of an in silico structural model of the 18kDa protein, an epitope region designated EP1 was selected (46-WDTKDMAGYGVKKIEV-61). The peptide derived from this region yielded 91.6% (CI=80-96%) sensitivity and 90% (CI=82-95%) specificity when used in an ELISA, whereas the crude antigen yielded 70% (CI=56-8%) sensitivity and 82% (CI=73-89%) specificity. Thus, we conclude that EP1 has higher diagnostic potential for detecting bovine cysticercosis than the crude antigen Tcra.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Paulo Sérgio Arruda Pinto
- Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Departamento de Veterinária, Laboratório de Inspeção de Produtos de Origem Animal, Campus Universitário, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Marcus Rebouças Santos
- Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Departamento de Veterinária, Laboratório de Virologia Animal, Campus Universitário, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Depólo Polêto
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Centro de Biotecnologia, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Letícia Ferreira Silva
- Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Departamento de Veterinária, Laboratório de Inspeção de Produtos de Origem Animal, Campus Universitário, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Abelardo Silva-Júnior
- Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Departamento de Veterinária, Laboratório de Virologia Animal, Campus Universitário, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Gutiérrez AH, Martin WD, Bailey-Kellogg C, Terry F, Moise L, De Groot AS. Development and validation of an epitope prediction tool for swine (PigMatrix) based on the pocket profile method. BMC Bioinformatics 2015; 16:290. [PMID: 26370412 PMCID: PMC4570239 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-015-0724-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background T cell epitope prediction tools and associated vaccine design algorithms have accelerated the development of vaccines for humans. Predictive tools for swine and other food animals are not as well developed, primarily because the data required to develop the tools are lacking. Here, we overcome a lack of T cell epitope data to construct swine epitope predictors by systematically leveraging available human information. Applying the “pocket profile method”, we use sequence and structural similarities in the binding pockets of human and swine major histocompatibility complex proteins to infer Swine Leukocyte Antigen (SLA) peptide binding preferences. We developed epitope-prediction matrices (PigMatrices), for three SLA class I alleles (SLA-1*0401, 2*0401 and 3*0401) and one class II allele (SLA-DRB1*0201), based on the binding preferences of the best-matched Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) pocket for each SLA pocket. The contact residues involved in the binding pockets were defined for class I based on crystal structures of either SLA (SLA-specific contacts, Ssc) or HLA supertype alleles (HLA contacts, Hc); for class II, only Hc was possible. Different substitution matrices were evaluated (PAM and BLOSUM) for scoring pocket similarity and identifying the best human match. The accuracy of the PigMatrices was compared to available online swine epitope prediction tools such as PickPocket and NetMHCpan. Results PigMatrices that used Ssc to define the pocket sequences and PAM30 to score pocket similarity demonstrated the best predictive performance and were able to accurately separate binders from random peptides. For SLA-1*0401 and 2*0401, PigMatrix achieved area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) of 0.78 and 0.73, respectively, which were equivalent or better than PickPocket (0.76 and 0.54) and NetMHCpan version 2.4 (0.41 and 0.51) and version 2.8 (0.72 and 0.71). In addition, we developed the first predictive SLA class II matrix, obtaining an AUC of 0.73 for existing SLA-DRB1*0201 epitopes. Notably, PigMatrix achieved this level of predictive power without training on SLA binding data. Conclusion Overall, the pocket profile method combined with binding preferences from HLA binding data shows significant promise for developing T cell epitope prediction tools for pigs. When combined with existing vaccine design algorithms, PigMatrix will be useful for developing genome-derived vaccines for a range of pig pathogens for which no effective vaccines currently exist (e.g. porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, influenza and porcine epidemic diarrhea). Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12859-015-0724-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andres H Gutiérrez
- Institute for Immunology and Informatics, CMB/CELS, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, 02903, USA.
| | | | | | | | - Leonard Moise
- Institute for Immunology and Informatics, CMB/CELS, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, 02903, USA. .,EpiVax, Inc., Providence, RI, 02860, USA.
| | - Anne S De Groot
- Institute for Immunology and Informatics, CMB/CELS, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI, 02903, USA. .,EpiVax, Inc., Providence, RI, 02860, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Ranjbar MM, Gupta SK, Ghorban K, Nabian S, Sazmand A, Taheri M, Esfandyari S, Taheri M. Designing and Modeling of Complex DNA Vaccine Based on Tropomyosin Protein of Boophilus Genus Tick. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2014; 175:323-39. [DOI: 10.1007/s12010-014-1245-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2014] [Accepted: 09/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
|
9
|
Santos AR, Pereira VB, Barbosa E, Baumbach J, Pauling J, Röttger R, Turk MZ, Silva A, Miyoshi A, Azevedo V. Mature Epitope Density--a strategy for target selection based on immunoinformatics and exported prokaryotic proteins. BMC Genomics 2013; 14 Suppl 6:S4. [PMID: 24564223 PMCID: PMC3908659 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-s6-s4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Current immunological bioinformatic approaches focus on the prediction of allele-specific epitopes capable of triggering immunogenic activity. The prediction of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I epitopes is well studied, and various software solutions exist for this purpose. However, currently available tools do not account for the concentration of epitope products in the mature protein product and its relation to the reliability of target selection. Results We developed a computational strategy based on measuring the epitope's concentration in the mature protein, called Mature Epitope Density (MED). Our method, though simple, is capable of identifying promising vaccine targets. Our online software implementation provides a computationally light and reliable analysis of bacterial exoproteins and their potential for vaccines or diagnosis projects against pathogenic organisms. We evaluated our computational approach by using the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) H37Rv exoproteome as a gold standard model. A literature search was carried out on 60 out of 553 Mtb's predicted exoproteins, looking for previous experimental evidence concerning their possible antigenicity. Half of the 60 proteins were classified as highest scored by the MED statistic, while the other half were classified as lowest scored. Among the lowest scored proteins, ~13% were confirmed as not related to antigenicity or not contributing to the bacterial pathogenicity, and 70% of the highest scored proteins were confirmed as related. There was no experimental evidence of antigenic or pathogenic contributions for three of the highest MED-scored Mtb proteins. Hence, these three proteins could represent novel putative vaccine and drug targets for Mtb. A web version of MED is publicly available online at http://med.mmci.uni-saarland.de/. Conclusions The software presented here offers a practical and accurate method to identify potential vaccine and diagnosis candidates against pathogenic bacteria by "reading" results from well-established reverse vaccinology software in a novel way, considering the epitope's concentration in the mature portion of the protein.
Collapse
|
10
|
Theoretical analysis of the neuraminidase epitope of the Mexican A H1N1 influenza strain, and experimental studies on its interaction with rabbit and human hosts. Immunol Res 2013; 56:44-60. [DOI: 10.1007/s12026-013-8385-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
|
11
|
Gauci CG, Jayashi CM, Gonzalez AE, Lackenby J, Lightowlers MW. Protection of pigs against Taenia solium cysticercosis by immunization with novel recombinant antigens. Vaccine 2012; 30:3824-8. [PMID: 22521850 PMCID: PMC3383989 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2012.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2012] [Revised: 03/23/2012] [Accepted: 04/04/2012] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Recombinant antigens from the oncosphere stage of the parasite Taenia solium were expressed in Escherichia coli. The TSOL16, TSOL45-1A and TSOL45-1B recombinant antigens, each consisting of fibronectin type III (FnIII) domain S, were produced as fusion proteins with glutathione S-transferase (GST) and maltose binding protein (MBP). Groups of pigs were immunized twice with the GST fusions of the antigens and boosted a third time with the MBP fusions prior to receiving a challenge infection with T. solium eggs. The TSOL16 antigen was found to be capable of inducing high levels of immunity in pigs against a challenge infection with T. solium. Immunological investigations identified differences in immune responses in the pigs vaccinated with the various antigens. The results demonstrate that the TSOL16 antigen could be a valuable adjunct to current porcine vaccination approaches and may allow the further development of new vaccination strategies against T. solium cysticercosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charles G Gauci
- University of Melbourne, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|