| Using bioinformatics methods to predict the biological characteristics and epitopes of RpfB and RpfE protein, and to analyze their potential as candidate antigens for novel tuberculosis vaccines. Base sequences of Rv1009 and Rv2450c genes were obtained from the NCBI database and amino acid sequences of Rv1009 gene coding protein RpfB and Rv2450c gene coding protein RpfE were obtained from the Uniprot database. Bioinformatics analysis software, ORFfinder, ProtParam, ProtScale, TMPRED, TMHMM, SignalP 5.0, NetNGlyc 1.0 , YinOYang 1.2, NetPhos 3.1, STRING, SOPMA, SWISS-MODEL, DNAStar, SYFPEITHI, NetCTL 1.2 and Net MHCII pan 4.0, were used to analysis physio-chemical properties, hydrophilicity, structure, signal peptide, glycosylation and phosphorylation sites, transmembrane structure, epitopes and protein interaction of RpfB and RpfE protein. Gene Rv1009 at full length 1 089 bp with 5 open reading frames, encoded protein RpfB consisting of 362 amino acids. It was a hydrophobic transmembrane protein containing a signal peptide, and its secondary structure is mainly irregular curl. The protein contains 1 N-glycosylation site, 29 phosphorylation sites, 8 dominant CTL cell epitopes, 14 dominant Th cell epitopes as well as 10 dominant B cell epitopes. Gene Rv2450c at full length 519 bp with 1 open reading frames, encoded protein RpfE consisting of 172 amino acids. It was a hydrophilic protein containing a signal peptide, and its secondary structure is mainly irregular curl. The protein contains 2 N-glycosylation site, 9 phosphorylation sites, 4 dominant CTL cell epitopes, 6 dominant Th cell epitopes and 7 dominant B cell epitopes. RpfB and RpfE proteins have good immunogenicity and several dominant T and B cell epitopes, which can be used as candidate dominant proteins in the development of Mtb polypeptide vaccine. |
