title: In silico analysis and modeling of ACP-MIP-PilQ chimeric antigen from Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neisseria meningitidis, a life-threatening human pathogen with the potential to cause large epidemics, can be isolated from the nasopharynx of 5-15% of adults. The aim of the current study was to evaluate biophysical and biochemical properties and immunological aspects of chimeric acyl-carrier protein-macrophage infectivity potentiator protein-type IV pilus biogenesis protein antigen (ACP-MIP-PilQ) from N. meningitidis serogroup B strain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Biochemical properties and multiple alignments were predicted by appropriate web servers. Secondary molecular structures were predicted based on Chou and Fasman, Garnier-Osguthorpe-Robson, and Neural Network methods. Tertiary modeling elucidated conformational properties of the chimeric protein. Proteasome cleavage and transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) binding sites, and T- and B-cell antigenic epitopes, were predicted using bioinformatic web servers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on our in silico and immunoinformatics analyses, the ACP-MIP-PilQ protein (AMP) can induce high-level cross-strain bactericidal activity. In addition, several immune proteasomal cleavage sites were detected. The 22 epitopes associated with MHC class I and class II (DR) alleles were confirmed in the AMP. Thirty linear B-cell epitopes as antigenic regions were predicted from the full-length protein.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All predicted properties of the AMP indicate it could be a good candidate for further immunological in vitro and in vivo studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gholami
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salimi Chirani
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Division of Microbiology, Faculty of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moshiri
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mansour
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sedighi
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Abazar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pournajaf
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tohidfar
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Gholamreza
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Irajian
keywords: Chimeric protein; In silico; Neisseria meningitides; Vaccine; serogroup B