Immunoinformatics Evaluation of a Fusion Protein Composed of Leishmania infantum LiHyV and Phlebotomus kandelakii  Apyrase as a Vaccine Candidate against Visceral Leishmaniasis

Shima  Fayaz; Fariborz  Bahrami; Pezhman  Fard-Esfahani; Parviz  Parvizi; Golnaz Bahramali; Soheila  Ajdary

doi:10.18502/ijpa.v17i2.9530

Shima Fayaz Department of Biochemistry, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
Fariborz Bahrami Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
Pezhman Fard-Esfahani Department of Biochemistry, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
Parviz Parvizi Department of Parasitology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
Golnaz Bahramali Department of AIDS and Bloodborne Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
Soheila Ajdary Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijpa.v17i2.9530

Keywords: Immunoinformatics; Leishmania infantum; Phlebotomus kandelakii; Apyrase; Vaccine

Abstract

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a lethal parasitic disease, transmitted by sand fly vectors. Immunomodulatory properties of sand fly saliva proteins and their protective effects against Leishmania infection in pre-exposed animals suggest that a combination of an antigenic salivary protein along with a Leishmania antigen can be considered for designing a vaccine against leishmaniasis

Methods: Three different fusion forms of L. infantum hypothetical protein (LiHyV) in combination with Phlebotomus kandelakii salivary apyrase (PkanAp) were subjected to in-silico analyses. Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I and II epitopes in both humans and BALB/c mice were predicted. Antigenicity, immunogenicity, epitope conservancy, toxicity, and population coverage were also evaluated.

Results: Highly antigenic promiscuous epitopes consisting of truncated LiHyV (10-285) and full-length PkanAp (21-329) were identified in human and was named Model 1. This model contained 25 MHC-I and 141 MHC-II antigenic peptides which among them, MPANSDIRI and AQSLFDFSGLALDSN were fully conserved. LALDSNATV, RCSSALVSI, ALVSINVPL, SAVESGALF of MHC-I epitopes, and 28 MHC-II binding epitopes showed 60% conservancy among various clades. A population coverage with a rate of >75% in the Iranian population and >70% in the whole world was also identified.

Conclusion: Based on this in-silico approach, the predicted Model 1 could potentially be used as a vaccine candidate against VL.