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- Title
Analysis of Structures and Epitopes of Surface Antigen Glycoproteins Expressed in Bradyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii.
- Authors
Hua Cong; Min Zhang; Qingli Zhang; Jing Gong; Haizi Cong; Qing Xin; Shenyi He
- Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite capable of infecting humans and animals. Surface antigen glycoproteins, SAG2C, -2D, -2X, and -2Y, are expressed on the surface of bradyzoites. These antigens have been shown to protect bradyzoites against immune responses during chronic infections. We studied structures of SAG2C, -2D, -2X, and -2Y proteins using bioinformatics methods. The protein sequence alignment was performed by T-Coffee method. Secondary structural and functional domains were predicted using software PSIPRED v3.0 and SMART software, and 3D models of proteins were constructed and compared using the ITASSER server, VMD, and SWISS-spdbv. Our results showed that SAG2C, -2D, -2X, and -2Y are highly homologous proteins. They share the same conserved peptides and HLA-I restricted epitopes. The similarity in structure and domains indicated putative common functions that might stimulate similar immune response in hosts. The conserved peptides and HLA-restricted epitopes could provide important insights on vaccine study and the diagnosis of this disease.
- Publication
BioMed Research International, 2013, Vol 2013, p1
- ISSN
2314-6133
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1155/2013/165342