scholarly journals In silicoepitope prediction and 3D model analysis of Peste des petits ruminants virus nucleoprotein (PPRV N)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bakang Baloi

AbstractPeste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) is an acute, highly contagious viral disease of small ruminants. It is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Arabian Peninsula. The disease is a major constraint to food security, causing significant economic losses to subsistence farmers in affected areas.The nucleoprotein of morbilliviruses is highly immunogenic and produced in large quantities in virus infected cells. This makes it a suitable target for the host’s immune response. In this study, B-cell and T-cell epitopes of PPRV Nig/75/1 nucleoprotein were predicted using a suite ofin silicotools. Forty-six T-cell epitopes were predicted, of which 38 were MHC-I binding while eight were MHC-II binding. Of the 19 B-cell epitopes predicted, 15 were linear epitopes while four were discontinuous epitopes. Homology modelling of PPRV-N was done to elucidate the 3D structure of the protein and conformational epitopes. Conservation analysis of the discontinuous epitopes gave an indication into the similarity of the selected epitopes with other isolates of PPRV.Predicted epitopes may form an important starting point for serological screening and diagnostic tools against PPRV. Experimental validation of the predicted epitopes will assist in selection of promising candidates for consideration as antigen-based diagnostic tools. Such diagnostic tools would play a role in the global fight and possible eradication of PPR.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumaia Awad Elkariem Ali ◽  
Eman Ali Awadelkareem

Abstract BackgroundInfectious bronchitis (IB) is a highly contagious respiratory disease in chickens and produces economic loss within the poultry industry. It is caused by a single stranded RNA virus belonging to Cronaviridae family.MethodsThe present study used various tools in Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) to predict conserved B and T cell epitopes against IBV spike (S) protein that may perform a significant role in provoking the resistance response to IBV infection. Structural analysis, homology modelling and molecular docking were also achieved.ResultsIn B cell prediction methods, three epitopes (1139KKSSYY1144, 1140KSSYYT1145, 1141SSYYT1145) were selected as surface, linear and antigenic epitopes based on the length and antigenicity score. Many MHCI and MHCII epitopes were predicted for IBV S protein. Among them 982YYITARDMY990 and 983YITARDMYM991 epitopes displayed high antigenicity, no allergenicity and no toxicity as well as great linkage with MHCI and MHCII alleles. Moreover, docking analysis of MHCI epitope produced strong binding affinity with BF2 alleles. Conclusion: Five conserved epitopes were expected from spike glycoprotein of IBV as the top B cell and T cell epitopes due to high antigenicity, no allergenicity and no toxicity. In addition, MHC epitopes showed great linkage with MHC alleles as well as strong interaction with BF2 alleles. These epitopes should be designed and incorporated and then tested as multi-epitope vaccine against IBV.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taruna Mohinani ◽  
Aditya Saxena ◽  
Shoor Vir Singh

Background: Mycobacterium avium sp. paratuberculosis (MAP) causes Paratuberculosis (pTB) in domestic livestock and has also been associated with auto-immune disorders in humans. Infection leads to huge economic losses to the farmers associated with livestock production system worldwide. Currently, search to find proteins with potential to develop as vaccine candidates against MAP are underway. Objective: In this study, we aimed to explore the immunogenicity of the proteins of mammalian cell entry (mce) operons of MAP using computational tools. Method: Genes of mce operons of MAP strain K10 were selected and their orthologs identification was done using VFanalyzer tool. Mce proteins encoded by these operons were analyzed for their antigenicity and sub-cellular localization. Three dimensional structures for Mce proteins were predicted using Phyre2. B cell and T cell epitope analysis was done using methods available at Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource. Selection analysis of mce genes was also done. Results: Eight Mce proteins were predicted with B cell and T cell epitopes. Some of them were reported with overlapping B cell and T cell epitopes. We found positively selected sites within some predicted epitopes that indicated some kind of selection pressure by immune system on these protein regions. Some predicted epitopes also had similarity with experimentally identified epitopes of Mce proteins of M. tuberculosis which further strengthened the immunogenic role of Mce proteins. Conclusion: Our findings may potentially assist in the development of effective vaccine against the incurable infection due to MAP bacilli in the domestic livestock species.


Author(s):  
Wahiba Ezzemani ◽  
Marc P. Windisch ◽  
Anass Kettani ◽  
Haya Altawalah ◽  
Jalal Nourlil ◽  
...  

Background: Globally, the recent outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Brazil, Asia Pacific, and other countries highlighted the unmet medical needs. Currently, there are neither effective vaccines nor therapeutics available to prevent or treat ZIKV infection. Objective: In this study, we aimed to design an epitope-based vaccine for ZIKV using an in silico approach to predict and analyze B- and T-cell epitopes. Methods: The prediction of the most antigenic epitopes has targeted the capsid and the envelope proteins as well as nonstructural proteins NS5 and NS3 using immune-informatics tools PROTPARAM, CFSSP, PSIPRED, and Vaxijen v2.0. B and T-cell epitopes were predicted using ABCpred, IEDB, TepiTool, and their toxicity were evaluated using ToxinPred. The 3-dimensional epitope structures were generated by PEP-FOLD. Energy minimization was performed using Swiss-Pdb Viewer, and molecular docking was conducted using PatchDock and FireDock server. Results: As a result, we predicted 307 epitopes of MHCI (major histocompatibility complex class I) and 102 epitopes of MHCII (major histocompatibility complex class II). Based on immunogenicity and antigenicity scores, we identified the four most antigenic MHC I epitopes: MVLAILAFLR (HLA-A*68 :01), ETLHGTVTV (HLA-A*68 :02), DENHPYRTW (HLA-B*44 :02),QEGVFHTMW (HLA-B*44 :03) and TASGRVIEEW (HLA-B*58:01), and MHC II epitopes: IIKKFKKDLAAMLRI (HLA-DRB3*02 :02), ENSKMMLELDPPFGD (HLA-DRB3*01:01), HAETWFFDENHPYRT (HLA-DRB3*01:01), TDGVYRVMTRRLLGS (HLA-DRB1*11 :01), and DGCWYGMEIRPRKEP (HLA-DRB5*01:01). Conclusion : This study provides novel potential B cell and T cell epitopes to fight Zika virus infections and may prompt further development of vaccines against ZIKV and other emerging infectious diseases. However, further investigations for protective immune response by in vitro and in vivo studies to ratify the immunogenicity, safety of the predicted structure, and ultimately the vaccine properties to prevent ZIKV infections are warranted.


Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1078 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Ros-Lucas ◽  
Florencia Correa-Fiz ◽  
Laia Bosch-Camós ◽  
Fernando Rodriguez ◽  
Julio Alonso-Padilla

African swine fever virus is the etiological agent of African swine fever, a transmissible severe hemorrhagic disease that affects pigs, causing massive economic losses. There is neither a treatment nor a vaccine available, and the only method to control its spread is by extensive culling of pigs. So far, classical vaccine development approaches have not yielded sufficiently good results in terms of concomitant safety and efficacy. Nowadays, thanks to advances in genomic and proteomic techniques, a reverse vaccinology strategy can be explored to design alternative vaccine formulations. In this study, ASFV protein sequences were analyzed using an in-house pipeline based on publicly available immunoinformatic tools to identify epitopes of interest for a prospective vaccine ensemble. These included experimentally validated sequences from the Immune Epitope Database, as well as de novo predicted sequences. Experimentally validated and predicted epitopes were prioritized following a series of criteria that included evolutionary conservation, presence in the virulent and currently circulating variant Georgia 2007/1, and lack of identity to either the pig proteome or putative proteins from pig gut microbiota. Following this strategy, 29 B-cell, 14 CD4+ T-cell and 6 CD8+ T-cell epitopes were selected, which represent a starting point to investigating the protective capacity of ASFV epitope-based vaccines.


2009 ◽  
Vol 90 (10) ◽  
pp. 2513-2518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine S. Siegismund ◽  
Oliver Hohn ◽  
Reinhard Kurth ◽  
Stephen Norley

As a prelude to primate studies, the immunogenicity of wild-type and codon-optimized versions of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)agm Gag DNA, with and without co-administered granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) DNA, was directly compared in two strains of mice. Gag-specific T cells in the splenocytes of BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice immunized by gene gun were quantified by ELISpot using panels of overlapping synthetic peptides (15mers) spanning the entire capsid proteins of SIVagm, SIVmac and human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Specific antibodies were measured by ELISA. Codon optimization was shown to significantly increase the immune response to the DNA immunogens, reducing the amount of DNA necessary to induce cellular and antibody responses by one and two orders of magnitude, respectively. Co-administration of murine GM-CSF DNA was necessary for the induction of high level T- and B-cell responses. Finally, it was possible to identify both known and novel T-cell epitopes in the Gag proteins of the three viruses.


2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (12) ◽  
pp. 7360-7366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey R. Abbott ◽  
Guy H. Palmer ◽  
Chris J. Howard ◽  
Jayne C. Hope ◽  
Wendy C. Brown

ABSTRACT Organisms in the genus Anaplasma express an immunodominant major surface protein 2 (MSP2), composed of a central hypervariable region (HVR) flanked by highly conserved regions. Throughout Anaplasma marginale infection, recombination results in the sequential appearance of novel MSP2 variants and subsequent control of rickettsemia by the immune response, leading to persistent infection. To determine whether immune evasion and selection for variant organisms is associated with a predominant response against HVR epitopes, T-cell and linear B-cell epitopes were localized by measuring peripheral blood gamma interferon-secreting cells, proliferation, and antibody binding to 27 overlapping peptides spanning MSP2 in 16 cattle. Similar numbers of MSP2-specific CD4+ T-cell epitopes eliciting responses of similar magnitude were found in conserved and hypervariable regions. T-cell epitope clusters recognized by the majority of animals were identified in the HVR (amino acids [aa] 171 to 229) and conserved regions (aa 101 to 170 and 272 to 361). In contrast, linear B-cell epitopes were concentrated in the HVR, residing within hydrophilic sequences. The pattern of recognition of epitope clusters by T cells and of HVR epitopes by B cells is consistent with the influence of protein structure on epitope recognition.


Gene ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Martineau ◽  
J.-G. Guillet ◽  
C. Leclerc ◽  
M. Hofnung
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
B Cell ◽  

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Grandi ◽  
Laura Fantappiè ◽  
Carmela Irene ◽  
Silvia Valensin ◽  
Michele Tomasi ◽  
...  

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica M. van Loben Sels ◽  
Kim Y. Green

Human norovirus (HuNoV) is the leading cause of acute nonbacterial gastroenteritis. Vaccine design has been confounded by the antigenic diversity of these viruses and a limited understanding of protective immunity. We reviewed 77 articles published since 1988 describing the isolation, function, and mapping of 307 unique monoclonal antibodies directed against B cell epitopes of human and murine noroviruses representing diverse Genogroups (G). Of these antibodies, 91, 153, 21, and 42 were reported as GI-specific, GII-specific, MNV GV-specific, and G cross-reactive, respectively. Our goal was to reconstruct the antigenic topology of noroviruses in relationship to mapped epitopes with potential for therapeutic use or inclusion in universal vaccines. Furthermore, we reviewed seven published studies of norovirus T cell epitopes that identified 18 unique peptide sequences with CD4- or CD8-stimulating activity. Both the protruding (P) and shell (S) domains of the major capsid protein VP1 contained B and T cell epitopes, with the majority of neutralizing and HBGA-blocking B cell epitopes mapping in or proximal to the surface-exposed P2 region of the P domain. The majority of broadly reactive B and T cell epitopes mapped to the S and P1 arm of the P domain. Taken together, this atlas of mapped B and T cell epitopes offers insight into the promises and challenges of designing universal vaccines and immunotherapy for the noroviruses.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio Alonso-Padilla ◽  
Esther M. Lafuente ◽  
Pedro A. Reche

Epstein-Barr virus is a very common human virus that infects 90% of human adults. EBV replicates in epithelial and B cells and causes infectious mononucleosis. EBV infection is also linked to various cancers, including Burkitt’s lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinomas, and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Currently, there are no effective drugs or vaccines to treat or prevent EBV infection. Herein, we applied a computer-aided strategy to design a prophylactic epitope vaccine ensemble from experimentally defined T and B cell epitopes. Such strategy relies on identifying conserved epitopes in conjunction with predictions of HLA presentation for T cell epitope selection and calculations of accessibility and flexibility for B cell epitope selection. The T cell component includes 14 CD8 T cell epitopes from early antigens and 4 CD4 T cell epitopes, targeted during the course of a natural infection and providing a population protection coverage of over 95% and 81.8%, respectively. The B cell component consists of 3 experimentally defined B cell epitopes from gp350 plus 4 predicted B cell epitopes from other EBV envelope glycoproteins, all mapping in flexible and solvent accessible regions. We discuss the rationale for the formulation and possible deployment of this epitope vaccine ensemble.


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