Bioinformatic Analysis of Chlamydia trachomatis Polymorphic Membrane Proteins PmpE, PmpF, PmpG and PmpH as Potential Vaccine Antigens.

ABSTRACT: Chlamydia trachomatis is the most important infectious cause of infertility in women with important implications in public health and for which a vaccine is urgently needed. Recent immunoproteomic vaccine studies found that four polymorphic membrane proteins (PmpE, PmpF, PmpG and PmpH) are immunodominant, recognized by various MHC class II haplotypes and protective in mouse models. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate genetic and protein features of Pmps (focusing on the N-terminal 600 amino acids where MHC class II epitopes were mapped) in order to understand antigen variation that may emerge following vaccine induced immune selection. We used several bioinformatics platforms to study: i) Pmps' phylogeny and genetic polymorphism; ii) the location and distribution of protein features

SUBMITTER: Nunes A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4488443 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature