Immunological assessment of NSFu1: A novel fusion molecule constructed from structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 for improving COVID-19 antibody detection

IF 2.3 3区 生物学 Q3 MICROBIOLOGY
Shaista Arif, Mohsina Akhter, Aqsa Anwar, Sania Javaid, Zara Ashi, Mohsin Shad, Asad Rahman, Huda Abbas, Fouzia Ashraf, M. Waheed Akhtar, Muhammad Sajjad
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak has claimed millions of lives and caused significant clinical challenges. The availability of a rapid, cost-effective, and sensitive test to detect antibodies at different stages of COVID-19 is crucial for effective clinical management, epidemiological studies, and public health surveillance. Four novel peptides (SF1, SF2, SF4, SF6) and two multi-epitope fusion proteins (SFu1 and NSFu1) from less variable regions of the spike and nucleocapsid proteins were developed. After detailed in silico structural validation, all the proteins were expressed in E. coli (BL21), purified by Ni2+ affinity chromatography, and CD spectroscopy was also executed for secondary structural analysis. The serological potential was assessed by screening 462 plasma samples from symptomatic, asymptomatic, recovered, follow-up COVID-19 cases, and 212 healthy controls. The recombinant antigens SF1, SF2, SF4, SF6, NC, SFu1, and NSFu1 showed ELISA sensitivities of 32.9%, 41.5%, 37.3%, 28.8%, 30.7%, 65.8%, and 82.0%, respectively with specificities ranging from 97 to 99% for symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 cases. The sensitivities for the fusion proteins were nearly equivalent to the combined sensitivities of their constituent antigens. In conclusion, the NSFu1 fusion protein showing 82% sensitivity and 99% specificity could be a potential antigen for developing new molecules to achieve higher sensitivity for COVID-19 antibody detection.

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来源期刊
Archives of Microbiology
Archives of Microbiology 生物-微生物学
CiteScore
4.90
自引率
3.60%
发文量
601
审稿时长
3 months
期刊介绍: Research papers must make a significant and original contribution to microbiology and be of interest to a broad readership. The results of any experimental approach that meets these objectives are welcome, particularly biochemical, molecular genetic, physiological, and/or physical investigations into microbial cells and their interactions with their environments, including their eukaryotic hosts. Mini-reviews in areas of special topical interest and papers on medical microbiology, ecology and systematics, including description of novel taxa, are also published. Theoretical papers and those that report on the analysis or ''mining'' of data are acceptable in principle if new information, interpretations, or hypotheses emerge.
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