[Bioinformatics analysis and prokaryotic expression of serine protease inhibitor 1].

Objective: To predict the structure and antigenic epitope of the serine protease inhibitor 1 (Ss-SRPN-1) protein using bioinformatics tools, and to construct prokaryotic expression plasmids for expression of recombinant Ss-SRPN-1 protein, so as to provide the basis for unraveling the function of the Ss-SRPN-1 protein.

Methods: The amino acid sequence of the Ss-SRPN-1 protein was downloaded from the NCBI database, and the physicochemical properties, structure and antigenic epitopes of the Ss-SRPN-1 protein were predicted using bioinformatics tools, including ExPASy, SWISS-MODEL and Protean. Primers were designed according to the nucleotide sequences of Ss-SRPN-1, and the gene was amplified, cloned and sequenced with genomic DNA extracted from the infective third-stage larvae of as a template. The Ss-SRPN-1 protein sequence was cloned into the pET28a (+) expression vector and transformed into BL21 (DE) cells for induction of the recombinant Ss-SRPN-1 protein expression. The recombinant Ss-SRPN-1 protein was then purified and identified using Western blotting and mass spectrometry.

Results: Bioinformatics analysis showed that the Ss-SRPN-1 protein, which was composed of 372 amino acids and had a molecular formula of CHNOS, was a stable hydrophilic protein, and the subcellular localization of the protein was predicted to be extracellular. The Ss-SRPN-1 protein was predicted to contain 11 dominant B-cell antigenic epitopes and 20 T-cell antigenic epitopes. The gene with a length of 1 119 bp was successfully amplified, and the recombinant plasmid pET28a (+)/Ss-SRPN-1 was constructed and transformed into BL21(DE) cells. The expressed recombinant Ss-SRPN-1 protein had a molecular weight of approximately 43 kDa, and was characterized as a Ss-SRPN-1 protein.

Conclusions: The recombinant Ss-SRPN-1 protein has been expressed successfully, and this recombinant protein may be a potential vaccine candidate against strongyloidiasis.