title: Cloning, molecular analysis and epitopics prediction of a new chaperone GroEL Brucella melitensis antigen.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Brucellosis is a well-known domestic animal infectious disease, which is caused by Brucella bacterium. GroEL antigen increases Brucella survival and is one of the major antigens that stimulates the immune system. Hence, the objective of the present study was cloning and bioinformatics analysis of GroEL gene.
  
  
  METHODS
  The full-length open reading frame of this gene was amplified by specific primers and cloned into pTZ57R/T vector. Also, the sequence of this gene in the Brucella melitensis strain Rev 1 was submitted to the NCBI gene bank for the first time. Several prediction software applications were also used to predict B and T-cell epitopes, secondary and tertiary structures, antigenicity ability and enzymatic degradation sites. The used software applications validated experimental results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of phylogenetic analysis showed that the GroEL sequence had near homology with other species instead of other Brucella spp. The bioinformatics tools used in the current study were validated by the results of four different experimental epitope predictions. Bioinformatics analysis identified eight B and seven T-cell epitopes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to the antigenic ability and proteasomal cleavage sites, four (150-160, 270-285,351-361 and 385-395) common epitopes were predicted for GroEL gene. Bioinformatics analysis showed that these regions had proper epitope characterization and so may be useful for stimulation of cell-mediated and humoral immunity system.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Hadi
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Sekhavati
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Reza Majidzadeh
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Heravi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mojtaba
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tahmoorespur
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Soheil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yousefi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Tooba
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abbassi-Daloii
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Rahebe
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Akbari
keywords: Bioinformatics analysis; Brucella melitensis; Heat shock protein 60 kDa; Subunit vaccine