Epitope mapping of recombinant Salmonella enterica serotype Heidelberg flagellar hook-associated protein by in silico and in vivo approaches

Authors: Yeh, Hung Yueh

Submitted to: BMC Veterinary Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/6/2025
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Salmonella is the leading bacterial pathogen linked to human acute gastroenteritis worldwide. Outbreaks of human salmonellosis have often been associated with consumption of contaminated poultry products. Various strategies have been explored to control this microorganism during poultry production and processing. Vaccination is regarded as one of the effectives means to control this microorganism in poultry production. The aim of the present study was to compare the epitope identification in the Salmonella enterica serotype Heidelberg flagellar protein by in silico prediction and in vivo experiment with mass spectrometry in association with immunoprecipitation proteomics. This protein contains 553 amino acids with a molecular mass of 61 kDa and is conservative among Salmonella serotype Heidelberg isolates. The results show that both approaches identified three common shared consensus peptide epitope sequences in this protein. These findings provide a rational for further evaluation of these shared linear epitopes in vaccine development to cover the chicken population.

Technical Abstract: Background: Salmonella is the leading bacterial pathogen linked to human acute gastroenteritis worldwide. Outbreaks of human salmonellosis have often been associated with consumption of contaminated poultry products. Various strategies have been explored to control this microorganism during poultry production and processing. Vaccination of broiler chickens is regarded as one of the effectives means to control this microorganism. The aim of the present study was to compare the epitope identification in the Salmonella enterica serotype Heidelberg FlgK protein by in silico prediction and in vivo experiment with mass spectrometry in association with immunoprecipitation proteomics. Results: The Salmonella serotype Heidelberg FlgK protein contains 553 amino acids with a molecular mass of 61 kDa. This protein is conservative among Salmonella serotype Heidelberg isolates. The results show that both approaches identified three common shared consensus peptide epitope sequences in the Salmonella serotype Heidelberg FlgK protein. Conclusions: These findings provide a rational for further evaluation of these shared linear epitopes in vaccine development to cover the chicken population.