NOVEL THERAPEUTIC PROTEIN TARGETS IDENTIFICATION IN ARCOBACTER CRYAEROPHILUS IN POST-GENOMIC ERA

Abstract

Arcobacter cryaerophilus, a gram-negative, curved or helical bacillus primarily known as a bovine and porcine pathogen. Arcobacter cryaerophilus is found in the gastrointestinal tract of healthy animals such as poultry, pigs, sheep and sheep, but is associated with enteritis in animals and may play a pathogenic role in reproductive disorders in cattle, pigs and sheep. Arcobacter transmission to humans is mediated by contaminated foods and water, and poultry products act as an important reservoir. Here, we applied a reverse vaccinology and subtractive genomic approach for in silico prediction of potential vaccines and drug targets for seven strains from the A. cryaerophilus species. Next, the core genome (942) was predicted, followed by non-host homology analysis, resulting in 662 target proteins. By screening for essential genes, 35 genes can be obtained. After screening for essential genes, we also checked their intracellular localization, functionality, structural modeling, and protein-protein interactions. 6 proteins (Tryptophan synthase alpha chain, Homoserine kinase, Anthranilate phosphoribosyl transferase, Tryptophan synthase beta chain, Imidazole glycerol phosphate synthase subunit HisF and Phenylalanine-tRNA ligase beta subunit beta chain) are considered highly conserved non-host essential homologues with 3D modeled structures and were further subjected to druggability analysis, followed by toxicity factors prediction. The proposed approach facilitates the study of putative targets for selected Arcobacter species for the development of a broad spectrum of new drugs and vaccines based on experimental validation.

Keywords: Arcobacter Cryaerophilus, Post-Genomic Era and Reverse Vaccinology