In silico identification and high throughput screening of antigenic proteins as candidates for a Mannheimia haemolytica vaccine

Abstract

This study examined the use of comparative genomic analysis for vaccine design against Mannheimia haemolytica, a respiratory pathogen of ruminants. A total of 2,341genes were identified in at least half of the 23 genomes. Of these, a total of 240 were identified to code for N-terminal signal peptides with diverse sub-cellular localizations (78 periplasmic, 52 outer membrane, 15 extracellular, 13 cytoplasmic membrane and 82 unknown) and were examined in an ELISA assay using a coupled-cell free transcription/translation system for protein expressionwith antisera from cattle challenged with serovars 1, 2 or 6 of M. haemolytica. In total, 186 proteins were immunoreactive to at least one sera type and of these, 105 were immunoreactive to all sera screened. The top ten antigens based on immunoreactivity were serine protease Ssa-1 (AC570_10970), an ABC dipeptid transporter substrate-binding protein (AC570_04010), a ribonucleotide reductase (AC570_10780), competence protein ComE (AC570_11510), a filamentous hemagglutinin (AC570_01600), a molybdenum ABC transporter solute-binding protein (AC570_10275), a conserved hypothetical protein (AC570_07570), a porin protein (AC569_05045), an outer membrane assembly protein YeaT (AC570_03060), and an ABC transporter maltose binding protein MalE (AC570_00140). The framework generated from this research can be further applied towards rapid vaccine design against other pathogens involved in complex respiratory infections in cattle.