Computational approach for predicting the conserved B-cell epitopes of hemagglutinin H7 subtype influenza virus

Abstract

An avian-origin influenza H7N9 virus epidemic occurred in China in 2013–2014, in which >422 infected people suffered from pneumonia, respiratory distress syndrome and septic shock. H7N9 viruses belong to the H7 subtype of avian-origin influenza viruses (AIV-H7). Hemagglutinin (HA) is a vital membrane protein of AIV that has an important role in host recognition and infection. The epitopes of HA are significant determinants of the regularity of epidemic and viral mutation and recombination mechanisms. The present study aimed to predict the conserved B-cell epitopes of AIV-H7 HA using a bioinformatics approach, including the three most effective epitope prediction softwares available online: Artificial Neural Network based B-cell Epitope Prediction (ABCpred), B-cell Epitope Prediction (BepiPred) and Linear B-cell Epitope Prediction (LBtope). A total of 24 strains of Euro-Asiatic AIV-H7 that had been associated with a serious poultry pandemic or had infected humans in the past 30 years were selected to identify the conserved regions of HA. Sequences were obtained from the National Center for Biotechnology Information and Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data databases. Using a combination of software prediction and sequence comparisons, the conserved epitopes of AIV-H7 were predicted and clarified. A total of five conserved epitopes [amino acids (aa) 37–52, 131–142, 215–234, 465–484 and 487–505] with a suitable length, high antigenicity and minimal variation were predicted and confirmed. Each obtained a score of >0.80 in ABCpred, 60% in LBtope and a level of 0.35 in Bepipred. In addition, a representative amino acid change (glutamine235-to-leucine235) in the HA protein of the 2013 AIV-H7N9 was discovered. The strategy adopted in the present study may have profound implications on the rapid diagnosis and control of infectious disease caused by H7N9 viruses, as well as by other virulent viruses, such as the Ebola virus.

Positive selection pressure on E2 protein of classical swine fever virus drives variations in virulence, pathogenesis and antigenicity: Implication for epidemiological surveillance in endemic areas

“…The main objective of the immunoinformatics is to convert and organize large‐scale immunological data combining statistical and machine learning systems, to obtain immunologically meaningful interpretations (Soria‐Guerra, Nieto‐Gomez, Govea‐Alonso, & Rosales‐Mendoza, ). The proper use of immunoinformatics tools has shown a high degree of accuracy; therefore, this discipline has been employed to characterize molecular interactions between epitopes defining new hypotheses related to understand the immune system mechanisms (Wang et al, ), as well as to develop new multi‐epitope vaccine strategies against emergent viral diseases such as Zika virus (Dikhit et al, ; Pradhan et al, ), and Ebola virus (Dikhit et al, ), or re‐emerging viruses: Hepatitis C virus (Ashraf, Bilal, Mahmood, Hussain, & Mehboob, ) and Dengue virus (Ali et al, ). In this study, we used immunoinformatics approach to characterize both T‐cell and B‐cell epitopes for the main immunogenic protein of CSFV (E2 protein).…”

Host Immune Response to Influenza A Virus Infection

“…In addition, HA contains epitopes which are key to trigger the production of neutralizing antibodies by B cells. Thus, the epitopes of HA are the dominant determinants that affect viral mutation and recombination mechanisms ( 13 ). The high variability of HA allows IAVs to escape from host immune surveillance and results in influenza seasonal epidemics.…”

Complement-Independent Modulation of Influenza A Virus Infection by Factor H

“…HA is the most important viral glycoprotein that can bind to sialic acid on host cells, enabling cellular fusion and viral entry (3). HA epitopes are also known to trigger synthesis of neutralizing antibodies by B cells, allowing IAV to escape from immune surveillance, leading to seasonal epidemics (4). NA cleaves sialic acid moieties, which enables release of virions, and promotes IAV dispersion (5).…”