In Silico Designed Multi-Epitope Immunogen “Tpme-VAC/LGCM-2022” May Induce Both Cellular and Humoral Immunity against <i>Treponema pallidum</i> Infection
Lucas Gabriel Rodrigues Gomes,
Thaís Cristina Vilela Rodrigues,
Arun Kumar Jaiswal,
Roselane Gonçalves Santos,
Rodrigo Bentes Kato,
Debmalya Barh,
Khalid J. Alzahrani,
Hamsa Jameel Banjer,
Siomar de Castro Soares,
Vasco Azevedo,
Sandeep Tiwari
Affiliations
Lucas Gabriel Rodrigues Gomes
Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Genetics (LGCM), PG Program in Bioinformatics, Department of Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
Thaís Cristina Vilela Rodrigues
Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Genetics (LGCM), PG Program in Bioinformatics, Department of Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
Arun Kumar Jaiswal
Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Genetics (LGCM), PG Program in Bioinformatics, Department of Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
Roselane Gonçalves Santos
Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Genetics (LGCM), PG Program in Bioinformatics, Department of Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
Rodrigo Bentes Kato
Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Genetics (LGCM), PG Program in Bioinformatics, Department of Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
Debmalya Barh
Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Genetics (LGCM), PG Program in Bioinformatics, Department of Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
Khalid J. Alzahrani
Department of Clinical Laboratories Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Hamsa Jameel Banjer
Department of Clinical Laboratories Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
Siomar de Castro Soares
Department of Immunology, Microbiology, and Parasitology, Institute of Biological and Natural Sciences, Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), Uberaba 38025-180, Brazil
Vasco Azevedo
Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Genetics (LGCM), PG Program in Bioinformatics, Department of Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
Sandeep Tiwari
Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Genetics (LGCM), PG Program in Bioinformatics, Department of Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
Syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum, has seen a resurgence over the past years. T. pallidum is capable of early dissemination and immune evasion, and the disease continues to be a global healthcare burden. The purpose of this study was to design a multi-epitope immunogen through an immunoinformatics-based approach. Multi-epitope immunogens constitute carefully selected epitopes belonging to conserved and essential bacterial proteins. Several physico-chemical characteristics, such as antigenicity, allergenicity, and stability, were determined. Further, molecular docking and dynamics simulations were performed, ensuring binding affinity and stability between the immunogen and TLR-2. An in silico cloning was performed using the pET-28a(+) vector and codon adaptation for E. coli. Finally, an in silico immune simulation was performed. The in silico predictions obtained in this work indicate that this construct would be capable of inducing the requisite immune response to elicit protection against T. pallidum. Through this methodology we have designed a promising potential vaccine candidate for syphilis, namely Tpme-VAC/LGCM-2022. However, it is necessary to validate these findings in in vitro and in vivo assays.
