Computational approaches for molecular characterization and structure-based functional elucidation of a hypothetical protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Genomics Inform. 2023 Jun;21(2):e25. doi: 10.5808/gi.23001. Epub 2023 Jun 30.

Abstract

Adaptation of infections and hosts has resulted in several metabolic mechanisms adopted by intracellular pathogens to combat the defense responses and the lack of fuel during infection. Human tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is the world's first cause of mortality tied to a single disease. This study aims to characterize and anticipate potential antigen characteristics for promising vaccine candidates for the hypothetical protein of MTB through computational strategies. The protein is associated with the catalyzation of dithiol oxidation and/or disulfide reduction because of the protein's anticipated disulfide oxidoreductase properties. This investigation analyzed the protein's physicochemical characteristics, protein-protein interactions, subcellular locations, anticipated active sites, secondary and tertiary structures, allergenicity, antigenicity, and toxicity properties. The protein has significant active amino acid residues with no allergenicity, elevated antigenicity, and no toxicity.

Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Ramachandran plot; protein function prediction; protein structure prediction; protein-protein interactions.