Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology最新文献

{"title":"Immunoinformatics-driven design of a multi-epitope vaccine against nipah virus: A promising approach for global health protection","authors":"Muhammad Aqib Shabbir ,&nbsp;Ammara Amin ,&nbsp;Ammarah Hasnain ,&nbsp;Ayesha Shakeel ,&nbsp;Ambreen Gul","doi":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100482","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100482","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study focuses on developing a multi-epitope vaccine against the highly pathogenic Nipah virus using immunoinformatics. It aims to design a vaccine targeting the viral nucleoprotein to elicit robust immune responses. The approach integrates epitope prediction, vaccine construction, and validation through computational tools to address the lack of effective vaccines and mitigate global health threats posed by Nipah virus outbreaks. Immunoinformatics approaches have been utilized for epitope prediction, focusing on B-cell and T-cell epitopes of the Nipah virus nucleoprotein. The multi-epitope vaccine was constructed using linkers and adjuvants to enhance immunogenicity. Structural refinement, molecular docking with human ephrin B2 receptor, and immune simulations were performed to validate the vaccine’s stability, binding efficiency, and immune response potential. The designed multi-epitope vaccine exhibited high antigenicity (0.56), non-allergenicity, and non-toxicity. Docking analysis showed a strong binding affinity with the ephrin B2 receptor (binding energy: −920 kcal/mol). Immune simulations indicated significant immune responses with high IgG and IgM levels and memory B-cell activation. Population coverage analysis revealed a global coverage of 88.3 %, supporting its potential for broad immunization. The designed vaccine against the Nipah virus demonstrates promising antigenicity, stability, and strong binding with the ephrin B2 receptor. With global population coverage and a robust immune response, it holds potential for clinical development. Further experimental validation and in vitro studies are recommended to confirm its efficacy as a viable vaccine candidate for the Nipah virus.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53463,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology","volume":"23 2","pages":"Article 100482"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143705868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What’s in (y)our food? − Occurrence of GM-containing foods on the Nigerian market and compliance with national regulations","authors":"Josephine Amedu ,&nbsp;Adedapo Adediji ,&nbsp;Ngozi Miracle ,&nbsp;Albert Anthony ,&nbsp;Precious Adeyemi ,&nbsp;Rabi Ahmed ,&nbsp;Stephen Atsumbe ,&nbsp;Mike Costly ,&nbsp;Ayodele Majekodunmi ,&nbsp;Odunayo Balogun ,&nbsp;Oyewumi Akinpelu ,&nbsp;Kilsi Borgbara ,&nbsp;Olanrewaju Olufowobi ,&nbsp;Hauwa Jibo Tahir ,&nbsp;Lukman Aroworamimo ,&nbsp;Agnes Asagbra","doi":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100481","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100481","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The regulation of genetically modified (GM) food products in several jurisdictions considers appropriate labelling to be a key requirement for food safety and to ensure the protection of consumer choices. In Nigeria, such regulations are enforced by relevant government agencies. There is, however, little information on compliance levels with appropriate labeling regimes of GM products in Nigeria. This study was conducted to ascertain compliance with existing labeling guidelines and regulations for GM food products sampled from Abuja, Nigeria. DNA-based real-time polymerase chain reaction detection procedures were used to evaluate 15 processed and semi-processed pre-packaged food products obtained from retail stores in Abuja for the presence of specific regulatory sequences specific to GM products. Three regions present in GM food products were targeted, namely, the 35S promoter gene from cauliflower mosaic virus and figwort mosaic virus, with the nopaline synthase terminator from <em>Agrobacterium tumefaciens</em>. Eleven out of the 15 samples showed positive amplification for at least one regulatory sequence signature unique to GMOs, out of which only two were appropriately labeled as required by regulation. While the safety of GM products is a prerequisite for commercialization, labelling is required to protect consumer preference. The roles of relevant government agencies in developing appropriate labeling guidelines and enforcing the same to protect consumers’ choices are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53463,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology","volume":"23 2","pages":"Article 100481"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143697508","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In silico exploration of biosynthetic gene clusters in marine Streptomyces sp. and Nocardiopsis sp. from the western coast of India: Genome-based profiling using whole genome sequencing","authors":"Hithesh Kumar ,&nbsp;Santhiya Vijayakumar ,&nbsp;Neha Shintre ,&nbsp;Vaijayanti Tamhane ,&nbsp;Neelima Deshpande ,&nbsp;Tushar Joshi ,&nbsp;Shalini Mathpal ,&nbsp;Anand Anbarasu ,&nbsp;Sudha Ramaiah","doi":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100483","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100483","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Actinomycetes</em> are known for their ability to produce bioactive compounds with significant potency of antibiotics and natural product synthesis. With the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, effective treatment for many infections has become increasingly challenging. Our study aims to explore the secondary metabolites produced by <em>Actinomycetes</em> isolated from marine sponge samples collected from the west coast of India using <em>in silico</em> approaches. The pre-processed high-throughput Illumina sequencing reads from six <em>Actinomycete</em> genomes showed high quality. Initial BLAST analysis followed by phylogenetic analysis revealed that isolates A01 and A96 closely matched <em>Nocardiopsis</em> sp., while isolates A03, A45, A57, and A90 were closely related to <em>Streptomyces</em> sp. <em>In silico</em> biosynthetic gene clusters (BGC) prediction indicated that <em>Streptomyces</em> sp. A57 had the highest number of BGCs, with 28 clusters identified. All <em>Streptomyces</em> sp. (A03, A45, A57, and A90) were predicted to contain a high number of terpene gene clusters. Ectoine was commonly found in all genomes of <em>Streptomyces</em> sp. and <em>Nocardiopsis</em> sp. Most of the BGCs identified in <em>Actinomycete</em> genomes revealed less similarity to the known BGCs, indicating their potential for producing novel secondary metabolites. The study reveals the genomic potential of the <em>Actinomycetes</em> by providing new insights into the ecological roles and potential applications of marine <em>Actinomycetes</em>, highlighting their promise as candidates for the discovery of new pharmaceuticals. Future investigations could benefit from integrating functional genomics and metabolomics to gain deeper insights into the metabolic pathways governing the biosynthesis of these secondary metabolites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53463,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology","volume":"23 2","pages":"Article 100483"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143684833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antiproliferative effect of ketogenic diet on hormone independent mammary gland carcinoma via harnessing glucose metabolism: In-vitro and In-vivo investigations","authors":"Sneha Yadav ,&nbsp;Neha ,&nbsp;Mohammad Arman ,&nbsp;Anurag Kumar ,&nbsp;Archana Bharti Sonkar ,&nbsp;Neeraj Kumar Shrivastava ,&nbsp;Jyoti Singh ,&nbsp;Mohd Nazam Ansari ,&nbsp;Sara A. Aldossary ,&nbsp;Abdulaziz S Saeedan ,&nbsp;Gaurav Kaithwas","doi":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100480","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100480","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The ketogenic diet (KD) has been emphasized as a complementary strategy for management of several clinical conditions including cancer. Therefore, in this study we explored the effect of KD in mammary gland carcinoma through <em>in-vitro</em> and <em>in-vivo</em> studies. <em>In-vitro</em> studies were performed on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells with different experimental conditions such as high glucose (HG), low glucose (LG) and no glucose(NG) in conjugation with β-hydroxy butyrate(BHB) treatment. The MTT assay revealed that glucose deprivation alongwith BHB(10 mM) treatment significantly reduces the viability of MDA-MB-231 cells as compared to MCF-7 cells. Moreover, apoptotic and antiproliferative potential (via AO/EtBr, JC-1, cell migration assay) were analyzed on MDA-MB-231 cells which indicate that NG with BHB treatment induce cell death.Furthermore, we investigated the <em>in-vivo</em> anticancer efficacy against DMBA-induced mammary gland carcinoma in female Wistar rats. KD treatment effectively restored autonomic dysfunction, altered mammary gland morphology and histology; as evident through decrease in lobules, alveolar bud, restoration of the surface architecture and loss of tumor micro-vessels. The altered levels of antioxidants such as TBARs(0.85 ± 0.19 nM of MDA/µg of protein), SOD(2.26 ± 0.05 U/µg of protein), PC(41.36 ± 2.94 µM/µg of protein), GSH(10.58 ± 3.08 µM/µg of protein) were also restored after KD treatment. Overall findings suggested, that deprived glucose concentration alongwith BHB can impart antiproliferative and apoptotic effect as observed through MDA-MB-231cells. Moreover, KD also diminished the carcinogenic effects of DMBA in albino wistar rats. In view of above, the KD was utilised as adjuvant therapy in the management of mammary gland carcinoma,possibly by providing unfavourable microenvironment for highly proliferating tumour cells due deficiency of quickly available glucose.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53463,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology","volume":"23 2","pages":"Article 100480"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143684832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Uracil walking primer PCR: An accurate and efficient genome-walking tool","authors":"Hong Chen ,&nbsp;Bingkun Tian ,&nbsp;Rongrong Wang ,&nbsp;Zhenkang Pan ,&nbsp;Dandan Gao ,&nbsp;Haixing Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100478","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100478","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Genome walking PCR has been extensively used to acquire unknown genomic regions bordering known DNAs. However, non-target amplification challenges the efficacy of existing genome-walking PCRs. Herein, we conceived a new genome-walking method termed Uracil walking Primer PCR (UP-PCR). The UP-PCR features introducing an uracil base at the penultimate position of arbitrary walking primer (AWP) 3′ end. A UP-PCR set comprises three nested amplification steps, which are performed by an AWP sequentially coupling a set of three nested site-specific primers, respectively. Prior to secondary UP-PCR, primary UP-PCR product is processed with uracil DNA glycosylase to destroy the carried AWP. As a result, only target primary product is exponentially amplified in the next UP-PCR(s), as it is the only product with binding sites for the both primers. The performance of UP-PCR has been validated by walking three selected genes. The walking experiments showed that each secondary or tertiary UP-PCR generated one to two amplicon ranging in size from 0.2 to 5.0 kb, while with a negligible non-target background; and the amplicons of the secondary UP-PCRs were all correct, indicating that tertiary UP-PCR is generally unnecessary. These findings suggested that UP-PCR has a satisfactory walking ability, specificity, and speed. Collectively, the proposed UP-PCR is a potential candidate method for genome walking.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53463,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology","volume":"23 2","pages":"Article 100478"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143619474","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Computational and molecular insights on non-synonymous SNPs associated with human RAAS genes: Consequences for Hypertension vulnerability","authors":"Jeyanthi Sankar ,&nbsp;Beena Briget Kuriakose ,&nbsp;Amani Hamad Alhazmi ,&nbsp;Ling Shing Wong ,&nbsp;Karthikeyan Muthusamy","doi":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100476","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100476","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hypertension is the foremost modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular and renal diseases, and overall mortality on a global scale. Genetic variants have the potential to alter an individual’s drug responses. In the present study, we employed a comprehensive computational analysis to evaluate the structural and functional implications of deleterious missense variants to examine the influence of RAAS genes such as AT1R, AT2R, and MasR on susceptibility to hypertension. The objective of this research was to identify potentially deleterious missense variants within these target genes. A total of 13 <em>in silico</em> tools were used to identify deleterious missense SNPs. Protein stability, evolutionary conservation, and 3D structural modeling were assessed using tools like I-Mutant 3.0, MUpro, DynaMut2, ConSurf, and Project HOPE, while protein–protein interactions were analyzed via STRING. Our findings revealed three deleterious missense variants (rs397514687, rs886058071, rs368951368) in AT1R; two deleterious missense variants (rs3729979 and rs372930194) in AT2R; and three deleterious missense variants (rs768037685, rs149100513, and rs377679974) in MasR, all of which exhibited significant damaging effects as determined by the 13 Computational tools employed. All these deleterious missense variants adversely affected protein stability and were found to be highly conserved. Notably, these variants altered the charge, size, and hydrophobicity of the amino acids, with a predominant occurrence in alpha helix regions, with the exception of rs377679974 in MasR. The computational analysis and structural comparisons conducted in this study indicate that these deleterious missense variants have a discernible impact on the structure and function of the target proteins. However, it is essential to conduct experimental validation to verify the detrimental effects of the missense variants identified through this computational analysis. Therefore, we may conduct future experimental analyses to validate these findings. This research will aid in the identification of candidate deleterious markers that may serve as potential targets for therapeutic strategies and disease diagnosis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53463,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology","volume":"23 1","pages":"Article 100476"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143548446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"NanoFlora: Unveiling the therapeutic potential of Ipomoea aquatica nanoparticles","authors":"Manickavasagam Sasikala ,&nbsp;Sellappan Mohan ,&nbsp;Arjunan Karuppaiah ,&nbsp;Vedi Karthick ,&nbsp;Palanigoundar Atheyannan Ragul ,&nbsp;Arumugam Nagarajan","doi":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100470","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100470","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Improving the pharmacokinetics of drugs is achieved through nano formulations and the role of natural product in the synthesis of nanomaterials is gaining prominence due to its eco-friendly nature, cost-effectiveness, and demonstrated efficacy. Metal nanoparticles (NPs) derived from <em>Ipomoea aquatica</em> Forsskal have been synthesized and evaluated for their antioxidant and antidiabetic properties towards enhancing the anticancer activity of the plant extracts.</div></div><div><h3>Methodology</h3><div>Hydroalcoholic extract was obtained from the entire Ipomoea aquatica plant and utilized as a key ingredient in the green synthesis of metal NPs. The characterization of the synthesized NPs involved UV/visible and FT-IR spectroscopic analyses, along with particle size determination using Zetasizer technology. Antioxidant activity was assessed through DPPH radical scavenging assays, while antidiabetic potential was evaluated via alpha-amylase inhibitory activity using HPTLC bioautography.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The formation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was confirmed by a color change from light brown to dark brown. UV–VIS spectrum analysis showed strong absorbance between 380 and 400 nm, with a peak at 428 nm, indicating successful synthesis via bioreduction by <em>Ipomoea aquatica</em> extract. FT-IR spectra revealed phytochemicals like flavonoids and proteins, with shifts in peak positions confirming AgNP formation. DLS showed an average particle size of 36.27 nm, and TEM images confirmed spherical morphology. The AgNPs exhibited significant antioxidant and antidiabetic activities, outperforming standards such as ascorbic acid and Glibenclamide. Toxicity prediction identified the extract as slightly toxic, guiding safe dose administration.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The study underscores the potential of plant-based nanoparticles in scavenging free radicals and supporting cytotoxicity, thus hinting at their potential role in cancer therapy. Moreover, the nanoparticles derived from Ipomoea aquatica exhibit promising antioxidant and antidiabetic activities compared to the crude plant extract. This research paves the way for further exploration of <em>Ipomoea aquatica</em> nanoparticles as a novel therapeutic intervention for various diseases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53463,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology","volume":"23 1","pages":"Article 100470"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143519319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"MEFV gene variations in COVID-19 pneumonia patients (Pilot study)","authors":"Noha A. Radwan ,&nbsp;Heba El Gohary ,&nbsp;Dalia Hamed ,&nbsp;Noha M. Khalil ,&nbsp;Dalia Abdelfatah ,&nbsp;Amal Abdel Wahab ,&nbsp;Marwa Mahmoud Elsharkawy","doi":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100473","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100473","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The emergence of worldwide pandemic caused by coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a radical change in everyday life. Patients diseased with FMF show manifestations and labs highly similar to COVID infected patients. In the current study, we evaluate the presence of variants in exon 10 of <em>MEFV</em> gene and the relation with severity of symptoms in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>Thirty-nine COVID-19 infected patients admitted to Kasr Alainy medical school were divided into two groups moderate and severe. Sanger sequencing of exon 10 in <em>MEVF</em> gene was scanned in the 39 subjects.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>We identified variants in 10 out of 39 patients (26 %) with heterozygous variants in 9 patients (23 %) and homozygous in one patient (2.5 %). The most frequent variant found was the silent variant p.(P706 = ) (12.9 %) followed by missense variants p.(A744S) (7.7 %) and p.(V726A) (5.1 %). Striking result was that 90 % of patients with <em>MEFV</em> variants had moderate symptoms and without progression into the severe form of COVID-19 pneumonia.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Our results indicated that the presence of variants in <em>MEFV</em> gene (either benign or of uncertain significance) could have a role in determination of COVID-19 severity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53463,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology","volume":"23 1","pages":"Article 100473"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143534474","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identifying promising peptide targets for leprosy serological tests: From prediction to ELISA","authors":"Augusto César Parreiras de Jesus ,&nbsp;Vanêssa Gomes Fraga ,&nbsp;Samuel Alexandre Pimenta-Carvalho ,&nbsp;Tania Mara Pinto Dabés Guimarães ,&nbsp;Marcio Sobreira Silva Araújo ,&nbsp;Jairo Campos de Carvalho ,&nbsp;Marcio Bezerra Santos ,&nbsp;Marcelo Grossi Araújo ,&nbsp;Marcelo Antonio Pascoal-Xavier ,&nbsp;Sandra Lyon ,&nbsp;Sebastião Rodrigo Ferreira ,&nbsp;Rocio Arreguin-Campos ,&nbsp;Kasper Eersels ,&nbsp;Bart van Grinsven ,&nbsp;Thomas Cleij ,&nbsp;Lilian Lacerda Bueno ,&nbsp;Daniella Castanheira Bartholomeu ,&nbsp;Cristiane Alves da Silva Menezes ,&nbsp;Ana Laura Grossi de Oliveira ,&nbsp;Ricardo Toshio Fujiwara","doi":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100475","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100475","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Leprosy remains a significant health concern, particularly in India, Brazil, and Indonesia. Early diagnosis is essential to prevent complications, highlighting the need for improved diagnostic tools. This study aimed to identify novel <em>Mycobacterium leprae</em> antigens and assess their effectiveness against human sera through immunotools for antibody response evaluation. Using bioinformatics, we predicted B-cell epitopes in <em>M. leprae</em>, which were chemically synthesized and tested via dot blotting with sera from leprosy patients, tuberculosis patients, and healthy controls. Promising peptides underwent further analysis through ELISA using 465 serum samples from leprosy patients, household contacts, and healthy controls across Brazil. The samples were also tested against known antigens HSA-NDO, LID-1, and NDO-LID. A total of 102 epitope sequences were generated, of which eight (PEP1 to PEP8) demonstrated the ability to differentiate between individuals with and without exposure to <em>M. leprae</em>. The results of the ELISA test exhibited statistically significant differences in absorbance responses between the experimental groups for the novel synthetic peptides (p &lt; 0.05). PEP3, PEP4, and PEP5 demonstrated the most favorable outcomes, with values of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.9759, 0.9796 and 0.9551 respectively in the comparison of healthy controls with household contacts, and 0.8257, 0.7945, and 0.7961 comparing the same controls with patients. Furthermore, the synthetic peptides demonstrated superior sensitivity, specificity, and AUC compared to HSA-NDO, LID-1, and NDO-LID. The identified peptides showed significant responses in samples from patients and household contacts (HHC), indicating their potential for tracing exposure to <em>M. leprae</em> bacilli. These novel synthetic peptides could enhance the sensitivity of rapid diagnostic tests for leprosy, facilitating early detection of the infection. This could help prevent disease progression and interrupt transmission.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53463,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology","volume":"23 1","pages":"Article 100475"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143548445","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Designing of multi-valent epitope vaccine displaying interactions with diverse HLA alleles against Candida auris using immuno-informatics","authors":"Vaishali Ahlawat,&nbsp;Kiran Sura,&nbsp;Mehak Dangi,&nbsp;Anil Kumar Chhillar","doi":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100474","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jgeb.2025.100474","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The emergence of multidrug resistance<!--> <!-->against several antifungal drugs and the absence of alternate therapy limits the treatment choices leading to the spread of Candida auris infections, especially in<!--> <!-->immunocompromised patients. This work aims to construct the multi-epitope vaccine using an immuno-informatics approach<!--> <!-->due to the lack of efficient treatments for <em>C. auris</em>. Very few <em>in-silico</em> studies have been conducted to design a vaccine against <em>C. auris</em> majorly targeting the specific proteins regardless of the importance of non-structural proteins. The whole proteome was targeted to identify the antigenic proteins because components other than non-structural proteins can also potentially act as immunogens. The antigenic determinants were mapped in the target proteins and screened via IEDB analysis and prediction tools. Distinctive HLA types manifested at varied genotypic frequencies in diverse ethnicities. Therefore, to design an effectual vaccine construct, the candidate T-cell antigenic determinants were employed for population coverage. Various bioinformatics tools and servers were used for the 3D analysis of vaccine structure, including prediction, refinement, and validation. The computational validation of the molecular interaction of the proposed vaccine with TLR4, TLR5, HLA-A*11:01, and HLA-A*02:01 was done using docking studies. The docked complexes were subjected to molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to confirm their stability, compactness, and flexibility. Simulation studies demonstrated that the vaccine complexed with immune and MHC receptors was stable during the simulation time. The outcome of the current study suggests the designed vaccine can be a potential vaccine candidate and elicit the immune response against <em>C. auris</em>. However, experimental verification (<em>in-vitro/in-vivo</em>) is required to confirm the effectiveness and safety of the designed vaccine construct.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":53463,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology","volume":"23 1","pages":"Article 100474"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143548447","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}