Abstract
It has been postulated that immunogenicity results from the overall dissimilarity of pathogenic proteins versus the host proteome. We have sought to use this concept to discriminate between antigens and non-antigens of bacterial origin. Sets of 100 known antigenic and nonantigenic peptide sequences from bacteria were compared to human and mouse proteomes. Both antigenic and non-antigenic sequences lacked human or mouse homologues. Observed distributions were compared using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test. The statistical null hypothesis was accepted, indicating that antigen and non-antigens did not differ significantly. Likewise, we were unable to determine a threshold able to separate meaningfully antigen from non-antigen. Thus, antigens cannot be predicted from pathogen genomes based solely on their dissimilarity to the human genome.
Highlights
It is a verity universally acknowledged that population-level vaccination is the most effective preventative measure discovered far for the control of infectious disease and for subsequently mitigating the effects of re-infection
Immunity is characteristic of proper immune system functioning and manifests itself in the ability of the host to tolerate endogenous, somatic substances and to eliminate exogenous, foreign material
This discrimination defends us against diverse infectious diseases, since microbial products are readily seen by the immune system as alien products
Summary
It is a verity universally acknowledged that population-level vaccination is the most effective preventative measure discovered far for the control of infectious disease and for subsequently mitigating the effects of re-infection. Some may be living but weakened - or attenuated - strains of micro-organisms that have been cultured under conditions which reduce their capacity to cause disease and give rise only to mild or undetectable infections; and include those acting against measles, rubella, yellow fever, mumps, and tuberculosis Such vaccines reduce the intrinsic virulence exhibited by a virulent microorganism, typically by altering their growth conditions, yet leave their immunogenic properties largely unaffected. Subunit vaccines, consisting of highly immunogenic carbohydrate, such as cell wall components; protein; or glyco-protein conjugates, stimulate measurable yet often quite weak immune responses, necessitating the use of adjuvants to raise initial levels of immunogenicity and complex vaccination regimes to sustain enduring protection. Subunit vaccines remain a popular objective and are a current focus for vaccine discovery
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