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Khan MT, Mahmud A, Islam MM, Sumaia MSN, Rahim Z, Islam K, Iqbal A. Multi-epitope vaccine against drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: a proteome-wide subtraction and immunoinformatics approach. Genomics Inform 2023; 21:e42. [PMID: 37813638 PMCID: PMC10584640 DOI: 10.5808/gi.23021] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the causative agent of tuberculosis, one of the most deadly infections in humans. The emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant Mtb strains presents a global challenge. Mtb has shown resistance to many frontline antibiotics, including rifampicin, kanamycin, isoniazid, and capreomycin. The only licensed vaccine, Bacille Calmette-Guerin, does not efficiently protect against adult pulmonary tuberculosis. Therefore, it is urgently necessary to develop new vaccines to prevent infections caused by these strains. We used a subtractive proteomics approach on 23 virulent Mtb strains and identified a conserved membrane protein (MmpL4, NP_214964.1) as both a potential drug target and vaccine candidate. MmpL4 is a non-homologous essential protein in the host and is involved in the pathogen-specific pathway. Furthermore, MmpL4 shows no homology with anti-targets and has limited homology to human gut microflora, potentially reducing the likelihood of adverse effects and cross-reactivity if therapeutics specific to this protein are developed. Subsequently, we constructed a highly soluble, safe, antigenic, and stable multi-subunit vaccine from the MmpL4 protein using immunoinformatics. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed the stability of the vaccine-bound Toll-like receptor-4 complex on a nanosecond scale, and immune simulations indicated strong primary and secondary immune responses in the host. Therefore, our study identifies a new target that could expedite the design of effective therapeutics, and the designed vaccine should be validated. Future directions include an extensive molecular interaction analysis, in silico cloning, wet-lab experiments, and evaluation and comparison of the designed candidate as both a DNA vaccine and protein vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Tahsin Khan
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh
| | - Araf Mahmud
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Muzahidul Islam
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh
| | - Mst. Sayedatun Nessa Sumaia
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh
| | - Zeaur Rahim
- Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Kamrul Islam
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh
| | - Asif Iqbal
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh
- Department of Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea
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Maharajh R, Pillay M, Senzani S. A computational method for the prediction and functional analysis of potential Mycobacterium tuberculosis adhesin-related proteins. Expert Rev Proteomics 2023; 20:483-493. [PMID: 37873953 DOI: 10.1080/14789450.2023.2275678] [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: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Mycobacterial adherence plays a major role in the establishment of infection within the host. Adhesin-related proteins attach to host receptors and cell-surface components. The current study aimed to utilize in-silico strategies to determine the adhesin potential of conserved hypothetical (CH) proteins. METHODS Computational analysis was performed on the whole Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv proteome using a software program for the prediction of adhesin and adhesin-like proteins using neural networks (SPAAN) to determine the adhesin potential of CH proteins. A robust pipeline of computational analysis tools: Phyre2 and pFam for homology prediction; Mycosub, PsortB, and Loctree3 for subcellular localization; SignalP-5.0 and SecretomeP-2.0 for secretory prediction, were utilized to identify adhesin candidates. RESULTS SPAAN revealed 776 potential adhesins within the whole MTB H37Rv proteome. Comprehensive analysis of the literature was cross-tabulated with SPAAN to verify the adhesin prediction potential of known adhesin (n = 34). However, approximately a third of known adhesins were below the probability of adhesin (Pad) threshold (Pad ≥0.51). Subsequently, 167 CH proteins of interest were categorized using essential in-silico tools. CONCLUSION The use of SPAAN with supporting in-silico tools should be fundamental when identifying novel adhesins. This study provides a pipeline to identify CH proteins as functional adhesin molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rivesh Maharajh
- Discipline of Medical Microbiology, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Manormoney Pillay
- Discipline of Medical Microbiology, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Sibusiso Senzani
- Discipline of Medical Microbiology, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
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Masnoddin M, Ling CMWV, Yusof NA. Functional Analysis of Conserved Hypothetical Proteins from the Antarctic Bacterium, Pedobacter cryoconitis Strain BG5 Reveals Protein Cold Adaptation and Thermal Tolerance Strategies. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10081654. [PMID: 36014072 PMCID: PMC9415557 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10081654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pedobacter cryoconitis BG5 is an obligate psychrophilic bacterium that was first isolated on King George Island, Antarctica. Over the last 50 years, the West Antarctic, including King George Island, has been one of the most rapidly warming places on Earth, hence making it an excellent area to measure the resilience of living species in warmed areas exposed to the constantly changing environment due to climate change. This bacterium encodes a genome of approximately 5694 protein-coding genes. However, 35% of the gene models for this species are found to be hypothetical proteins (HP). In this study, three conserved HP genes of P. cryoconitis, designated pcbg5hp1, pcbg5hp2 and pcbg5hp12, were cloned and the proteins were expressed, purified and their functions and structures were evaluated. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis revealed that these genes were expressed constitutively, suggesting a potentially important role where the expression of these genes under an almost constant demand might have some regulatory functions in thermal stress tolerance. Functional analysis showed that these proteins maintained their activities at low and moderate temperatures. Meanwhile, a low citrate synthase aggregation at 43 °C in the presence of PCBG5HP1 suggested the characteristics of chaperone activity. Furthermore, our comparative structural analysis demonstrated that the HPs exhibited cold-adapted traits, most notably increased flexibility in their 3D structures compared to their counterparts. Concurrently, the presence of a disulphide bridge and aromatic clusters was attributed to PCBG5HP1’s unusual protein stability and chaperone activity. Thus, this suggested that the HPs examined in this study acquired strategies to maintain a balance between molecular stability and structural flexibility. Conclusively, this study has established the structure–function relationships of the HPs produced by P. cryoconitis and provided crucial experimental evidence indicating their importance in thermal stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Makdi Masnoddin
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia
- Preparatory Centre for Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia
| | | | - Nur Athirah Yusof
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia
- Correspondence:
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Zadeh Hosseingholi E, Zarrini G, Pashazadeh M, Gheibi Hayat SM, Molavi G. In Silico Identification of Probable Drug and Vaccine Candidates Against Antibiotic-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Microb Drug Resist 2019; 26:456-467. [PMID: 31742478 DOI: 10.1089/mdr.2019.0236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii is known as a Gram-negative bacterium that has become one of the most important health problems due to antibiotic resistance. Today, numerous efforts are being made to find new antibiotics against this nosocomial pathogen. As an alternative solution, finding bacterial target(s), necessary for survival and spread of most resistant strains, can be a benefit exploited in drug and vaccine design. In this study, a list of extensive drug-resistant and carbapenem-resistant (multidrug resistant) A. bumannii strains with complete sequencing of genome were prepared and common hypothetical proteins (HPs) composed of more than 200 amino acids were selected. Then, a number of bioinformatics tools were combined for functional assignments of HPs using their sequence. Overall, among 18 in silico investigated proteins, the results showed that 7 proteins implicated in transcriptional regulation, pilus assembly, protein catabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, adhesion, urea catalysis, and hydrolysis of phosphate monoesters have theoretical potential of involvement in successful survival and pathogenesis of A. baumannii. In addition, immunological analyses with prediction softwares indicated 4 HPs to be probable vaccine candidates. The outcome of this work will be helpful to find novel vaccine design candidates and therapeutic targets for A. baumannii through experimental investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gholamreza Zarrini
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Marayam Pashazadeh
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Seyed Mohammad Gheibi Hayat
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Science, Yazd, Iran
| | - Ghader Molavi
- Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.,Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
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Ashrafi H, Siraji MI, Showva NN, Hossain MM, Hossan T, Hasan MA, Shohael AM, Shawan MMAK. Structure to function analysis with antigenic characterization of a hypothetical protein,HPAG1_0576 from Helicobacter pylori HPAG1. Bioinformation 2019; 15:456-466. [PMID: 31485131 PMCID: PMC6704333 DOI: 10.6026/97320630015456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Helicobacter pylori, a unique gastric pathogen causing chronic inflammation in the gastric mucosa with a possibility to develop gastric cancer has one-third of its proteins still uncharacterized. In this study, a hypothetical protein (HP) namely HPAG1_0576 from H. pylori HPAG1 was chosen for detailed computational analysis of its structural, functional and epitopic properties. The primary, secondary and 3D structure/model of the selected HP was constructed. Then refinement and structure validation were done, which indicated a good quality of the newly constructed model. ProFunc and STRING suggested that HPAG1_0576 shares 98% identity with a carcinogenic factor, TNF-α inducing protein (Tip-α ) of H. pylori. IEDB immunoinformatics tool predicted VLMLQACTCPNTSQRNS from position 19-35 as most potential B-cell linear epitope and SFLKSKQL from position 5-12 as most potent conformational epitope. Alternatively, FALVRARGF and FLCGLGVLM were predicted as most immunogenic CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell epitopes respectively. At the same time findings of IFN epitope tool suggests that, HPAG1_0576 had a great potential to evoke interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) mediated immune response. However, this experiment is a primary approach for in silico vaccine designing from a HP, findings of this study will provide significant insights in further investigations and will assist in identifying new drug targets/vaccine candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanan Ashrafi
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka-1342, Bangladesh
- Department of Biomedicine,University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Muntequa Ishtiaq Siraji
- Department of Biomedicine,University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka,Bangladesh
| | - Nazmir Nur Showva
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka-1342, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Mozamme Hossain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka-1342, Bangladesh
| | - Tareq Hossan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka-1342, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Ashraful Hasan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka-1342, Bangladesh
| | - Abdullah Mohammad Shohael
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka-1342, Bangladesh
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