Statistical screening of the B-cell epitopes for the nucleoprotein of human H5N1 virus predicted by computerization / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To predict and screen the B-cell epitopes on nucleoprotein(NP)of human avian H5N1 virus strain.Methods As NP nucleotide sequences of strain A/GD/01/06(H5N1)were sequenced,B-cell epitopes were predicted by the analysis of the flexible regions of secondary structure for NPprotein and by screening on B-cell epitopes for NP protein with methods of Hydrophilicity Plot by KyteDoolittle,Surface Probability Plot by Emini,and Antigenic Index by Jameson-Wolf.Then a screening method was established by Hierarchical cluster,Bivariate correlate and Quartiles in SPSS13.0.and the variation of amino acids in NP protein was appraised in epitope prediction.Resuits The computer-predicted most possible epitopes for NP protein were located within or nearby its N-terminal 317-326,452-457,467-473,367-370,491-498,375-378,171-177,48-53,245-250.76-104 and so on.NP protein in A/GD/01/06(H5N1)increased a glycoprotein domain(NES368-370)by the substitution of N370S and changed the bio-features.Conclusion Stepwise prediction of the B-cell epitopes for the NP protein based on multiple parameters is helpful for the molecular-immunology and drug-screening,and the substitution of N370 S in NP of A/GD/01/06(H5N1)varied its antigenicity but didn't change the epitope size(SNEN367-370).