Biology subjects

Meshkat, Z.

Publications and source records attributed to Meshkat, Z..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Investigating the mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 proteins among European countries

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a new member of the Coronaviridae family, triggering more than 190 million cases and more than two million deaths in European societies. Emerging the new variants due to mutations in genomic regions is foremost responsible for influencing the infectivity and mortality potential of such a virus. In the current study, we considered mutations among spike (S), envelope (E), membrane (M), and nucleocapsid (N) proteins of SARS-CoV-2 in the Europe continent by exploring the frequencies of mutations and the timeline of emerging them. For this purpose, Amino-acid sequences (AASs) were gathered from the GISAID database, and Mutation tracking was performed by detecting any difference between samples and a reference sequence; Wuhan-2019. In the next step, we compared the achieved results with worldwide sequences. 8.6%, 63.6%, 24.7%, and 1.7% of S, E, M, and N samples did not demonstrate any mutation among European countries. Also, the regions of 508 to 635 AA, 7 to 14 AA, 66 to 88 AA, and 164 to 205 AA in S, E, M, and N samples contained the most mutations relative to the total AASs in both Europe AASs and worldwide samples. D614G, A222V, S477N, and L18F were the first to fifth frequent mutations in S AASs among European samples, and T9I, I82T, and R203M were the first frequent mutations among E, M, and S AASs of the Europe continent. Investigating the mutations among structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 can improve the strength of therapeutic and diagnostic strategies to efficient combat the virus and even maybe efficient in predicting new emerging variants of concern.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2022

Mutational insights among the structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2: frequencies and evolutionary trends in American countries

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has a role in the mortality of more than 6 million people worldwide. This virus owns the genome, which contains four structural proteins, including spike (S), envelope (E), membrane (M), and nucleocapsid (N). The occurrence of structural mutations can induce the emergence of new variants. Depending on the mutations, the variants may display different patterns of infectivity, mortality, and sensitivity toward drugs and vaccines. In this study, we analyzed samples of amino-acid sequences (AASs) for structural proteins from the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) declaration as a pandemic to April 2022 among American countries. The analysis process included considering mutations frequencies, locations, and evolutionary trends utilizing sequence alignment to the reference sequence. In the following, the results were compared with the same analyses among the samples of the entire world. Results displayed that despite samples of North America and international countries that own the region of 508 to 635 with the highest mutation frequency among S AASs, the region with the same characteristic was concluded as 1 to 127 in South America. Besides, the most frequent mutations in S, E, M, and N proteins from North America and worldwide samples were concluded as D614G, T9I, I82T, and R203M. In comparison, R203K was the first frequent mutation in N samples in South America. Widely comparing mutations between North America and South America and between the Americas and the world can help scientists introduce better drug and vaccine development strategies.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2021

Enhancement of the immunogenicity of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion protein using ISCOMATRIX and PLUSCOM nano-adjuvants after nasal administration in mice

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB), a contagious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), remains a health problem worldwide and this infection has the highest mortality rate among bacterial infections. Current studies suggest that intranasal administration of new tuberculosis vaccines could enhance the immunogenicity of M. tuberculosis antigens. Hence, we aim to evaluate the protective efficacy and immunogenicity of HspX/EsxS fusion protein of M. tuberculosis along with ISCOMATRIX and PLUSCOM nano-adjuvants and MPLA through the intranasal administration in mice model. MethodsIn present study, the recombinant fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified and used to prepare different nanoparticle formulations in combination with ISCOMATRIX and PLUSCOM nano-adjuvants and MPLA. Mice were intranasally vaccinated with each formulation three times at an interval of 2 weeks. Finally, IFN-{gamma}, IL-4. IL-17 and TGF-{beta} concentration in supernatant of cultured splenocytes of vaccinated mice as well as serum titers of IgG1 and IgG2a and sIgA titers in nasal lavage were determined. ResultsAccording to obtained results, intranasally vaccinated mice with formulations containing ISCOMATRIX and PLUSCOM nano-adjuvants and MPLA could effectively induced IFN-{gamma} and sIgA responses. Moreover, both HspX/EsxS/ISCOMATRIX/MPLA and HspX/EsxS/PLUSCOM/MPLA and their BCG booster formulation could strongly stimulate the immune system and enhance the immunogenicity of M. tuberculosis antigens. ConclusionThe results demonstrate the potential of HspX/EsxS-fused protein in combination with ISCOMATRIX, PLUSCOM and MPLA after nasal administration in enhancing immune response against of M. tuberculosis antigens. So, nasal immunization with these formulations, could induce immune responses and considered as new TB vaccine or as BCG booster.

microbiology↗