Modeling Novel Putative Drugs and Vaccine Candidates against Tick-Borne Pathogens: A Subtractive Proteomics Approach

Abstract

Ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) continuously causing substantial losses to the public and veterinary health sectors. The identification of putative drug targets and vaccine candidates is crucial to control TBPs. No information has been recorded on designing novel drug targets and vaccine candidates based on proteins. Subtractive proteomics is an in silico approach that utilizes extensive screening for the identification of novel drug targets or vaccine candidates based on the determination of potential target proteins available in a pathogen proteome that may be used effectively to control diseases caused by these infectious agents. The present study aimed to investigate novel drug targets and vaccine candidates by utilizing subtractive proteomics to scan the available proteomes of TBPs and predict essential and non-host homologous proteins required for the survival of these diseases causing agents. Subtractive proteome analysis revealed a list of fifteen essential, non-host homologous, and unique metabolic proteins in the complete proteome of selected pathogens. Among these therapeutic target proteins, three were excluded due to the presence in host gut metagenome, eleven were found to be highly potential drug targets, while only one was found as a potential vaccine candidate against TBPs. The present study may provide a foundation to design potential drug targets and vaccine candidates for the effective control of infections caused by TBPs.

Prediction of Novel Drug Targets and Vaccine Candidates against Human Lice (Insecta), Acari (Arachnida), and Their Associated Pathogens

“…The vector-host-pathogen proteome has been mined using subtractive proteomics to suggest possible new therapeutic targets and vaccination candidates. The subtractive proteomics approach has been shown as a potential method for the identification of unique potential drug targets against numerous pathogens [28][29][30]. In this study, we aimed to predict the vital novel drug targets and vaccine candidates as alternate potential therapeutics against lice, acari, and their APs.…”

“…Boryong, respectively. The non-redundant dataset was submitted to BLASTp against the host to filter the proteins that did not have any resemblance to the host proteins (H. sapiens) [30,49]. Out of 14,618 I. scapularis proteins, 5619 proteins were found to be non-homologous to H. sapiens while 2210, 1872, 1780, 704, 696, 677, 492, and 473 proteins of P. humanus var.…”

“…To pinpoint the paralogs within the proteome of lice, acari, and their APs, CD-HIT Suite was used at 60% to cleansed proteomes [30,32]. These proteins were eliminated, and the non-paralogous proteins were chosen for additional analysis.…”

“…The available proteomic and genomic sequences of pathogens have been assistive in the discovery and categorization of novel therapeutic targets and vaccine candidates. The subtractive proteomics analysis is an in silico approach for the prediction of genes that are extremely conserved, essential for the reproduction and existence of microbial pathogens [28][29][30]. These conserved genes are the major part of metabolic pathways for the survival of infectious agents having no resemblance to the genes of the host.…”

“…Our previous report revealed the relevance of the prediction of drug and vaccines candidates using the subtractive proteomics approach against ticks and tick-borne pathogens [30]. However, the data on drug targets and vaccine candidates were limited to ticks and tick-borne pathogens.…”