Biology subjects

Hassan, M. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Hassan, M. A..

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Fluorescence in situ hybridization reveals endophytic and epiphytic root colonization of the novel plant growth-promoting bacterium Citrobacter sedlakii CESi7

Plant growth-promoting bacteria are gaining significant attention as promising biofertilizers. However, the inconsistency between in vitro plant growth-promoting traits and actual field performance remains a challenge, driven partly by a limited understanding of in situ colonization. This study characterized the colonization patterns of Citrobacter sedlakii CESi7, a novel plant growth-promoting bacterium, isolated from oil palm waste compost, during Brassica rapa cultivation. The in situ behavior of CESi7 was observed in both sterilized medium and non-sterilized soil using fluorescence in situ hybridization with a strain-targeting probe. The results revealed that CESi7 can establish both epiphytic and endophytic populations that transiently colonize roots. In a sterilized medium, CESi7 was widely distributed throughout the root tissues. Conversely, in non-sterilized soil, the bacterium formed dense aggregates specifically at the root tips. This study provides direct microscopic evidence of the colonization strategy of CESi7, offering crucial insights for its development as an effective biofertilizer.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2026

Discovering genetic loci associated with rate of vegetative index gain using UAV-based phenomics in spring wheat

In wheat, the pre-heading stage determines spikelet formation, floret fertility, and canopy development, making it a critical window for early stress detection and yield potential. The genetic basis of pre-heading canopy development in wheat has remained constrained by the conventional phenotyping due to the low temporal resolution. Here, we quantified the rate of vegetation index gain (RVIs) during tillering to heading stages using UAV-mounted multispectral sensor in 196 spring wheat cultivars representing 112 years of breeding history. RVIs were calculated using six vegetation indices for consecutive two growing seasons, and genome wide association study (GWAS) was performed on RVIs, grain yield (GY) and thousand grain weight (TGW) using a wheat 37K SNP array. RVIs showed significant positive correlations with grain yield (r=0.28-0.43; p<0.001) and consistently increased in the modern cultivars compared to old cultivars. This indicated that resource remobilization during pre-heading canopy development significantly contributed to GY during modern wheat breeding. GWAS identified 67 loci, including 12 Group-I loci associated only with RVIs, and 18 Group-II loci associated with both RVIs and yield traits. Two stable loci on chr1B and chr5D consistently increased GY and RVIs across environments, and the tag SNPs were converted to selectable KASP markers. The allelic distribution on global wheat collection of [~]3000 accessions showcased that favorable alleles on both loci were dominant in cultivars compared to landraces. Similarly, favorable alleles showed more frequency in winter type than spring type. Across breeding eras both alleles showed increasing trend with chr5D reaching near fixation and chr1B remaining partially enriched in modern cultivars. Our work on capturing pre-heading canopy development, discovery of two stable loci underpinning yield and RVIs, and development of KASP markers provided a strong foundation to HTP assisted genetic dissection of GY and facilitated the understanding of canopy dynamics and yield formation.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Nanopore-Based Whole-Genome Sequencing Reveals a Bioluminescent and Non-Bioluminescent Bacterium Isolated from the Squid Loligo forbesi in the Red Sea.

Common in aquatic life, symbiotic interactions with luminescent bacteria to enable bioluminescence. Although interactions in cephalopods have been well investigated in species including Euprymna scolopes, little is known about other cephalopods, especially those found in the Red Sea. This work separated and identified bioluminescent and non-bioluminescent bacterial strains from the ink sacs and eyes of Loligo forbesii, a squid species taken from the Zaafarana area of the Suez Canal in Egypts Red Sea. Whole-genome sequencing based on Nanopores turned up two distinct bacterial strains: Shewanella baltica (non-bioluminescent) and Psychrobacter alimentarius (bioluminescent). Under Alkanal Monooxygenase (FMN-linked), genome annotations in the P. alimentarius genome expose Alkanal Monooxygenase Alpha Chain bacterial bioluminescence. High similarity between the isolated P. alimentarius strain and publicly archived reference genomes was confirmed by a comparative genomic study, including an ANI calculations tool and phylogenetic tree building. Moreover, a whole-genome alignment using the Mauve tool revealed a high level of sequence conservation between our P. alimentarius isolate and previously published strains in GenBank. The findings suggest that P. alimentarius may be involved in the bioluminescence of L. forbesii and support current understanding of cephalopod bacteria associated with L. forbesii. The present work provides more information on the whole genome sequence including genomes annotation of both bioluminescent and non bioluminescent strain and explores the bacterial symbiotic in cephalopod marine organisms inhabiting the Red Sea.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2024

The potential of regulatory variant prediction AI models to improve cattle traits

Considerable progress has been made in developing machine learning models for predicting human functional variants, but progress in livestock species has been more limited. This is despite the disproportionate potential benefits such models could have to livestock research, from improving breeding values to prioritising functional variants at trait-associated loci. A key open question is what datasets and modelling approaches are most important to close this performance gap between species. In this work we have developed a new framework for predicting regulatory variants, that includes deriving key conservation metrics in cattle for the first time, variant annotation and model training. When trained on expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) and massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA) data for human and cattle we show that this framework has a high performance at predicting regulatory variants, with a maximum area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) score of 0.86 in human and 0.81 in cattle. We explore various approaches to further close this performance gap, including integrating advanced DNA sequence models and generating extra chromatin data, but illustrate that the best approach would be generating improved gold-standard sets of known cattle regulatory variants. Importantly we demonstrate both the human and cattle models substantially enrich for variants linked to important traits, with up to 18-fold enrichments for functional variants observed. Consequently, with our framework developed to be applicable across species these results not only demonstrate its potential utility for fine-mapping functional variants and improving breeding values in cattle, but also its potential for wider use across animal species.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2023

Six novel nsSNPs affect RUNX1 gene may leading to Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) using Bioinformatics approach

BackgroundRUNX1 is one of the most frequently mutated genes in human AMLs, most of RUNX1 mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are missense or deletion-truncation and behave as loss-of-function mutations. The molecular consequences of cancer associated mutations in Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) linked factors are not very well understood. Here, we recognize possible pathogenic SNPs in the RUNX1 gene as Functional differences caused by SNPs might have harmful effects on protein structure and function using various computational tools. MethodologyData gained from NCBI database and various tools used to study nsSNPs which they are: SIFT, Polyphen-2, Provean, SNAP2, I-Mutant, Project Hope, Raptor X, PolymiRTS and Gene MANIA. ResultOur study reveals six novel SNPs observed to be the most damaging SNPs that affect structure and function of RUNX1 gene using various bioinformatics tools. ConclusionThis study revealed 7 damaging SNPs, 6 novel nsSNP out of them in the RUNX1 gene that leads to AML, by using different bioinformatics tools. Also, 23 functional classes were predicted in 8 SNPs in the 3UTR, among them, 6 alleles disrupted a conserved miRNA site and 16 derived alleles created a new site of miRNA. This might result in the de regulation of the gene function. Hopefully, these results will help in genetic studying and diagnosis of AML improvement.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2022

Epitopes- Based Vaccine Design Against Foot and Mouth Disease SAT2 Serotype from Sudanese Isolate by Using Immunoinformatic Approaches

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) has been endemic in Sudan for decades and causes continuous outbreaks that have a direct negative impact on the animal population and prevent the exportation of animals from the country. The high diversity of FMD serotypes, especially SAT2 and A serotypes, hinders the development of effective vaccines since the most important component of vaccination is the degree of cross-protection provided by the vaccine against currently circulating field viruses. An immunoinformatic approach was utilized to predict a multi-epitope peptide vaccine design against the SAT2 serotype from a Sudanese isolate targeting virus capsid region P1. The virus capsid region P1 comprises the major immunogenic epitopes that confer protection against the FMD virus. Two predicted T-cell epitopes were identified that showed high binding affinity with MHC1 alleles (VQRSRQSTL and YHAEWDTGL) and high conservation with SAT2 African serotypes and were located within the VP1 and VP3 proteins, respectively. Only one epitope was predicted for B cells (LPATPEDAAH), which scored above the threshold in Bepipred linear epitope, Emini surface accessibility, and Kolaskar and Tongaonkar antigenicity and is located in VP3 protein. Molecular docking of the peptides (VQRSRQSTL and YHAEWDTGL) with the MHC1 allele showed satisfactory interaction with the binding sites of BoLA-HD6 using UCSF chimera 1.13.1 software. The peptide VQRSRQSTL showed remarkable hydrophobic interaction with the BoLA-HD6 allele, which was superior to the other peptides. This study is the first to propose a peptide vaccine against FMD SAT2 serotypes from a Sudanese isolate.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2022

The conservation of human functional variants and their effects across mammals

Despite the clear potential of livestock models of human functional variants to provide important insights into the biological mechanisms driving human diseases and traits, their use to date has been limited. Generating such models via genome editing is costly and time consuming, and it is unclear which variants will have conserved effects across species. In this study we address these issues by studying naturally occurring livestock models of human functional variants. We show that orthologues of over 1.6 million human variants are already segregating in domesticated mammalian species, including several hundred previously directly linked to human traits and diseases. Models of variants linked to particular phenotypes, including metabolomic disorders and height, have been preferentially maintained across species, meaning studying the genetic basis of these phenotypes is particularly tractable in livestock. Using machine learning we demonstrate it is possible to identify human variants that are more likely to have an existing livestock orthologue, and, importantly, we show that the effects of functional variants are often conserved in livestock, acting on orthologous genes with the same direction of effect. Consequently, this work demonstrates the substantial potential of naturally occurring livestock carriers of orthologues of human functional variants to disentangle their functional impacts.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2022

Whole-genome sequencing of Bacillus thuringiensis strain SY49.1 reveals the detection of novel candidate pesticidal and bioactive compounds isolated from Turkey

BackgroundBacillus thuringiensis SY49.1 (Bt SY49.1) strain is a new strain isolated from a soil sample in Adana city which is nestled in the most fertile agricultural area in Turkey. This strain has insecticidal activity against insect pests from different orders. Also, it is characterized by its significant activity against plant fungal infections and as plant growth promotion. AimsTo report the whole genome sequencing (WGS) and annotation of the Bt SY49.1 strain. Materials and MethodsThe Bt SY49.1 strain was isolated from the soil sample in Adana city by using a sodium acetate enriched medium. Bacterial DNA was extracted then sequenced using Illumina HiSeq technology. After data filtering and quality control, de novo assembly and genomic annotation were applied. Evolutionary and comparative genomic analysis and variant calling were performed using various in silico tools. ResultsThe WGS of strain Bt SY49.1 is 6. 32 Mbp long with a GC content of 34.68%. It reveals large numbers of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and InDels. The assembled genome contains 6,562 protein-encoding genes. In addition, it encodes various gene inventories for the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds such as insecticidal delta endotoxins, growth stimulatory deaminase and phosphatases, fungicidal thuricin, bacillibactin, petrobactin, fengycin / plipastin, and zwittermycin A. ConclusionThe strain Bt SY49.1 could have several potential utilities as a source of antibiotics compounds, plant growth promoting metabolites, and biocontrol agents for fungal phytopathogens, and insects. We expect that the draft genome of the Bt SY49.1 strain may provide a model for proper understanding and studying of antimicrobial compound mining, genetic diversity among the B. cereus group, and pathogenicity against insect pests and plant diseases, and growth-promoting activity.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2022

Understanding host response to infectious salmon anaemia virus in an Atlantic salmon cell line using single-cell RNA sequencing

BackgroundInfectious Salmon Anaemia Virus (ISAV) is an Orthomixovirus that currently represents a large problem for salmonid aquaculture worldwide. Prevention and treatment methods are only partially effective. Genetic selection and genome engineering strategies have potential to develop ISAV resistant salmon stocks. However, this requires a detailed understanding of the genomic regulation of ISAV pathogenesis. Here, we used single cell RNA sequencing on a salmonid cell line to provide a high dimensional insight into the transcriptional landscape that underpin host-virus interactions during ISAV infection at the single cell level. ResultsSalmon head kidney 1 (SHK-1) cells were single-cell RNA sequenced before challenge, and at 24h, 48h, and 96h post-ISAV challenge. The results revealed marked changes in the host transcriptome at 48h and 96h post-infection, even in uninfected cells, potentially suggesting paracrine signalling. This paracrine activation of uninfected cells seemed to be unspecific, involving pathways such as mRNA sensing, ubiquitination or proteasome, and also the up-regulation of the mitochondrial ribosome genes. At 24h post infection, cells showed expression signatures consistent with viral entry, with up-regulation of genes such as PI3K, FAK or JNK. At 48h and 96h, infected cells showed a clear anti-viral response, characterised by the expression of IFNA2 or IRF2. ConclusionsThis study has increased our understanding of the cellular response of Atlantic salmon during ISAV infection, and revealed potential host-virus interactions at the cellular level. The results highlight the value of single-cell sequencing to characterise cell culture models of viral infection, and the results can be exploited in future functional studies to increase the resistance of Atlantic salmon to ISAV.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2022

Cell-based screen identifies human type I interferon-stimulated regulators of Toxoplasma gondii Infection

Macrophages activated with interferons (IFNs) respond with transcriptional changes that enhance clearance of intracellular pathogens such as Toxoplasma, a ubiquitous apicomplexan parasite that infects more than a billion people worldwide. Although IFNs generally inhibit Toxoplasma, the parasite can also induce components of the host IFN signalling pathway to enhance survival in host cells. Compared to the type II IFN gamma (IFN{gamma}), the role of type I IFNs in macrophage response to Toxoplasma is relatively not well characterized. Here, using fluorescent Toxoplasma and a CRISPR/Cas9 knockout library that only targets interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), we adapted a loss-of-function flow cytometry-based approach to systematically identify type I ISGs that control Toxoplasma growth in THP-1 cells, a human macrophage cell line. The system enabled the rapid screening of more than 1900 ISGs for type I (IFN)-induced inhibitors and enhancers of Toxoplasma growth in THP-1 cells. We identified 26 genes that are associated with Toxoplasma growth arrest out of which we confirmed MAX, SNX5, F2RL2, and SSB, as potent IFN-induced inhibitors of Toxoplasma in THP1 cells. These findings provide a genetic and experimental roadmap to elucidate type I IFN-induced cell-autonomous responses to Toxoplasma.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2021

Design of Epitope Based Peptide Vaccine against Brucella Abortus OmpW Family Protein using Immunoinformatics

Brucella abortus is a small aerobic, non-spore-forming, non-motile intracellular coccobacilli localized in the reproductive organs of host animals and causes acute or chronic disorders. It infects approximately 200 cases per 100,000 of the population and has become endemic in many countries. OmpW family protein is an outer membrane protein involved in the initial interaction between the pathogen and its host. This study predicts an effective epitope-based vaccine against OmpW family protein of Brucella abortus using immunoinformatics tools. Sequences were obtained from NCBI and prediction tests were accomplished to analyze possible epitopes for B and T cells. Seven B cell epitopes passed the antigenicity, accessibility and hydrophilicity tests. Forty-three MHC I epitopes were the most promising, while 438 from MHC II. For the population coverage, the epitopes covered 99.97% of the alleles worldwide excluding certain MHC II alleles. We recommend invivo and invitro studies to prove its effectiveness.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2021

New Insights into Molecular Basis Identification of Three Novel Strains of the Bacillus Subtilis Group Produce Cry Proteins Isolated from Soil Samples in Adana, Turkey

AimsThis study aimed to analyze the evolutionary relationship between Bacillus species isolated from agricultural soil using in-silico tools. Methods and ResultsAcross-sectional study was conducted in Adana province, in Turkey. A total of 120 Bacillus species were isolated from 80 soil samples. However, the phylogenetic tree diverged into two lineages; one belongs to B. subtilis group while the other belongs to B. cereus group. Interestingly, three native strains (SY27.1A, SY35.3A, and SY58.5A), which produce Cry proteins, shared high similarity with B. subtilis group (over 99%) and less than 95% similarity with known B. thuringiensis and other species of B. cereus group. Furthermore, 11 canonical SNPs (canSNPs) were identified in strains that belong to B. pumilus group when compared with B. subtilis reference sequences. ConclusionsPhylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA sequences was found valuable for differentiation between Bacillus species isolated from soil samples. In addition, SNPs analysis provided more intra-specific information in the cases of B. subtilis group. Significance and Impact of StudyA detailed analysis was provided for the SNPs present in a conserved region of 16S rRNA gene of Bacillus species. Also, we proposed three novel Bacillus strains that produce Cry proteins and belong to B. subtilis group.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2021

Stem cell-derived macrophages as a new platform for studying host-pathogen interactions in livestock

Infectious diseases of farmed and wild animals pose a recurrent threat to food security and human health. The macrophage, a key component of the innate immune system, is the first line of defence against many infectious agents and plays a major role in shaping the adaptive immune response. However, this phagocyte is a target and host for many pathogens. Understanding the molecular basis of interactions between macrophages and pathogens is therefore crucial for the development of effective strategies to combat important infectious diseases. We explored how pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can provide a limitless in vitro supply of genetically and experimentally tractable macrophages from livestock. Porcine and bovine PSC-derived macrophages (PSCdMs) exhibited molecular and functional characteristics of ex vivo primary macrophages. Pig PSCdMs were productively infected by Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) and African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV), two of the most economically important and devastating viruses in pig farming. Moreover, Pig PSCdMs were readily amenable to genetic modification by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing applied in parental stem cells, or directly by lentiviral vector transduction. PSCs and differentiated derivatives therefore provide a useful and ethical experimental platform to investigate the genetic and molecular basis of host-pathogen interactions in livestock.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2021

A locus conferring tolerance to Theileria infection in African cattle

East Coast fever, a tick-borne cattle disease caused by the Theileria parva parasite, is among the biggest natural killers of cattle in East Africa, leading to over 1 million deaths annually. Here we report on the genetic analysis of a cohort of Boran cattle demonstrating heritable tolerance to infection by T. parva (h2 = 0.65, s.e. 0.57). Through a linkage analysis we identify a 6 Mb genomic region on Bos taurus chromosome 15 that is significantly associated with survival outcome following T. parva exposure. Testing this locus in an independent cohort of animals replicates this association with survival following T. parva infection. A stop gained polymorphism in this region was found to be highly associated with survival across both related and unrelated animals, with only one of the 20 homozygote carriers (T/T) of this change succumbing to the disease in contrast to 44 out of 97 animals homozygote for the reference allele (C/C). Consequently, we present a genetic locus linked to tolerance of one of Africas most important cattle diseases, raising the promise of marker-assisted selection for cattle that are less susceptible to infection by T. parva. Author SummaryMore than a million cattle die of East Coast fever in Africa each year, the impact of which disproportionately falls onto low-income, smallholder farmers. The lack of a widely accessible vaccine, heavy reliance on chemicals to control the tick vector and inadequate drug treatments means that new approaches for controlling the disease are urgently required. Through a genetic study of an extended pedigree of Boran cattle that are more than three times less likely to succumb to the disease than matched controls, we identify a region on chromosome 15 of the cattle genome associated with a high level of tolerance to the disease. We show that a variant in this region is also associated with survival in an independent cohort, and is linked to rates of cell expansion during infection. This genetic variant can therefore support marker-assisted selection, allowing farmers to breed tolerant cattle and offers a route to introduce this beneficial DNA to non-native breeds, enabling reduced disease incidence and increased productivity, which would be of benefit to millions of rural smallholder farmers across Africa.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2021

Profiling of open chromatin in developing pig (Sus scrofa) muscle to identify regulatory regions

There is very little information about how the genome is regulated in domestic pigs (Sus scrofa). This lack of knowledge hinders efforts to define and predict the effects of genetic variants in pig breeding programmes. In order to address this knowledge gap, we need to identify regulatory sequences in the pig genome starting with regions of open chromatin. We have optimised the Improved Protocol for the Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin (Omni-ATAC-Seq) to profile regions of open chromatin in flash frozen pig muscle tissue samples. This protocol has allowed us to identify putative regulatory regions in semitendinosus muscle from 24 male piglets. We collected samples from the smallest, average, and largest sized male piglets from each litter through five developmental time points. The ATAC-Seq data were mapped to Sscrofa11.1 using Bowtie2 and Genrich was used for post-alignment peak-calling. Of the 4,661 ATAC-Seq peaks identified that represent regions of open chromatin, >50% were within 1 kb of known transcription start sites. Differential read count analysis revealed 377 ATAC-Seq defined genomic regions where chromatin accessibility differed significantly across developmental time points. We found regions of open chromatin associated with down regulation of genes involved in muscle development that were present in small sized foetal piglets but absent in large foetal piglets at day 90 of gestation. The dataset that we have generated provides: i) a resource for studies of genome regulation in pigs, and ii) contributes valuable functional annotation information to filter genetic variants for use in genomic selection in pig breeding programmes.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2020

Epitope - based peptide vaccine against glycoprotein GPC precursor of Lujo virus using immunoinformatics approaches

BackgroundLujo virus (LUJV) is a highly fatal human pathogen belonging to the Arenaviridae family. Lujo virus causes viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF). An In silico molecular docking was performed on the GPC domain of Lujo virus in complex with the first CUB domain of neuropilin-2. The aim of this study is to predict effective epitope-based vaccine against glycoprotein GPC precursor of Lujo virus using immunoinformatics approaches. Methods and Materialsglycoprotein GPC precursor of Lujo virus Sequence was retrieved from NCBI. Different prediction tools were used to analyze the nominees epitopes in BepiPred-2.0: Sequential B-Cell Epitope Predictor for B-cell, T-cell MHC class II & I. Then the proposed peptides were docked using Autodock 4.0 software program. Results and ConclusionsThe proposed and promising peptides FWYLNHTKL and YMFSVTLCI shows a very strong binding affinity to MHC class I & II alleles with high population coverage for the world, South Africa and Sudan. This indicates a strong potential to formulate a new vaccine, especially with the peptide YMFSVTLCI which is likely to be the first proposed epitope-based vaccine against glycoprotein GPC of Lujo virus. This study recommends an in-vivo assessment for the most promising peptides especially FWYLNHTKL, YMFSVTLCI and LPCPKPHRLR.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2020

Epitope-Based Peptide Vaccine Design Against Fructose Bisphosphate Aldolase of Candida Glabrata: An Immunomics Approach

Background Candida glabrata is a human opportunistic pathogen that can cause life-threatening systemic infections. Although, there are multiple effective vaccines against fungal infections, and some of these vaccines were engaged in different stages of clinical trials, none of them yet approved by (FDA).Aim To predict the most conserved and immunogenic B- and T-cell epitopes from the Fructose Bisphosphate aldolase (Fba1) protein of C. glabrata.Materials and Methods 13 C. glabrata Fructose bisphosphate aldolase protein sequences (361amino acid) were retrieved from NCBI and several in silico tools presented in the IEDB server for predicting peptides were used and homology modeling and molecular docking were performed.Result The promising B-cell Epitopes were AYFKPH, VDKESLYTK, and HVDKESLYTK. While, promising peptides which have the high affinity to MHC I binding were: AVHEALAPI, KYFKRMAAM, QTSNGGAAY, RMAAMNQWL and YFKEHGEPL. Two peptides (LFSSHMLDL and YIRSIAPAY) were noted to have the highest affinity to MHC class II that interact with 9 MHC class II alleles. The molecular Docking revealed the epitopes QTSNGGAAY and LFSSHMLDL have the high binding energy to MHC moleculesConclusion The epitope-based vaccines predicted by using immunoinformatics tools have remarkable advantages over the conventional vaccines that they are more specific, less time consuming, safe, less allergic and more antigenic. Further in vivo and in vitro experiments are needed to prove the effectiveness of the best candidates epitopes (QTSNGGAAY and LFSSHMLDL). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that has predicted B- and T-cells epitopes from Fba1 protein by using in silico tools in order to design an effective epitope-based vaccine against C. galabrata.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.View Full Text

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2020

A Multiple Peptides Vaccine against nCOVID-19 Designed from the Nucleocapsid phosphoprotein (N) and Spike Glycoprotein (S) via the Immunoinformatics Approach

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid discovery of a safe and effective vaccine is an essential issue, consequently, this study aims to predict potential COVID-19 peptide-based vaccine utilizing the Nucleocapsid phosphoprotein (N) and Spike Glycoprotein (S) via the Immunoinformatics approach. To achieve this goal, several Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) tools, molecular docking, and safety prediction servers were used. According to the results, The Spike peptide peptides SQCVNLTTRTQLPPAYTNSFTRGVY is predicted to have the highest binding affinity to the B-Cells. The Spike peptide FTISVTTEI has the highest binding affinity to the MHC I HLA-B1503 allele. The Nucleocapsid peptides KTFPPTEPK and RWYFYYLGTGPEAGL have the highest binding affinity to the MHC I HLA-A0202 allele and the three MHC II alleles HLA-DPA1*01:03/DPB1*02:01, HLA-DQA1*01:02/DQB1- *06:02, HLA-DRB1, respectively. Furthermore, those peptides were predicted as non-toxic and non-allergen. Therefore, the combination of those peptides is predicted to stimulate better immunological responses with respectable safety.

bioinformatics↗