Journal of Infection and Molecular Biology

Research Article
J. Inf. Mol. Biol. 3 (1): 1 - 12
http://dx.doi.org/10.14737/journal.jimb/2015/3.1.1.12
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Kumar Ragavendhar, Palanisamy Prabhakar, Ardhanary Thangavelu, John John Kirubaharan, Navamani Daniel Joy Chandran
Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Madras Veterinary College, Chennai – 600 007, India.

*Correspondence | Ardhanary Thangavelu, Madras Veterinary College, Chennai, India; Email: thangavelu_a@hotmail.com

Abstract
Pasteurellosis, caused by Pasteurella multocida, is an acute septicaemic disease characterized by high morbidity and mortality. Apart from cattle and buffaloes, it also results in severe economic losses in sheep and goat. Frequent reports of sheep pasteurellosis in India raised the need for specific and effective vaccination against sheep pasteurellosis. To identify antigenic determinants suitable for epitope based subunit vaccine, we have reported genome and protein sequence based characterization of outer membrane antigen 87 (Oma87) of P. multocida of sheep origin. Oma87 gene was amplified by PCR, purified and sequenced. Sequence analysis showed 99% homology with Pm70 and other P. multocida Oma87 genes available in the GenBank. Later, the 3-dimensional structure, T cell and B cell binding epitopes of the Oma87 protein were predicted using the Oma87 protein sequence. Our studies suggest that predicted T cell binding epitope (FYQYYSAGGIGSLRG) could be used either alone or together with predicted B cell epitope as a suitable epitope based subunit vaccine against P. multocida infection.

Keywords | P. multocida Oma87 gene, Nucleotide sequence, Sequence analysis, Protein modelling, T cell epitope.