Apicoplast Import Protein Tic20 A Promising Therapeutic Molecular Target for Plasmodium falciparum: An In Silico Approach for Therapeutic Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Malaria is a lethal disease causing mortality to over millions each year. Drug resistance in the malarial parasite spurred effects to discover effective antimalarial drug targets and drugs. An objective of this current study is to identify drug targets for malarial parasite. Genes unique, non-homologous to humans and essential for parasite are identified using BLASTn by comparing genomes between parasite and host. OBJECTIVE: Further open BLASTp was used to filter the targets specific to Plasmodium species and later were subjected to gene property analysis to identify 65 potential targets. Screening of potential drug targets for the drug target properties like virulence and enzyme identified three drug targets with virulence property and eleven with enzymatic nature. METHOD: Thirteen knockouts related to potential drug targets were already tested in Plasmodium species, non-Plasmodium species and rodent malaria, lending credence to our approach. 3-D structures of 27 drug targets were predicted using I-tasser server and apicoplast import protein Tic20 is the best modeled protein. Gene ontology studies and analysis for motifs on nuclear localization signal (NLS) established apicoplast import protein Tic20 as an import protein. In silico docking studies were used to establish the druggability of apicoplast import protein Tic20. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: In silico docking studies on 3-D structure generated using I-tasser with quinine, chloroquine, artesunate into the active site of apicoplast import protein Tic20 established apicoplast import protein Tic20 as a promising therapeutic molecular target.

Identification of potential drug targets in Helicobacter pylori strain HPAG1 by in silico genome analysis.

Helicobacter pylori colonizes the stomach, causing gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastric carcinoma. Drugs for treatment of H. pylori relieve from gastritis or pain but are not specific to H. pylori. Therefore, there is an immediate requirement for new therapeutic molecules to treat H. pylori. Current study investigates identification of drug targets in the strain HPAG1 of H. pylori by in silico genome analysis. Genome of HPAG1 was reconstructed for metabolic pathways and compared with Homosapien sapiens to identify genes which are unique to H. pylori. These unique genes were subjected to gene property analysis to identify the potentiality of the drug targets. Among the total number of genes analysed in H. pylori strain HPAG1, nearly 542 genes qualified as unique molecules and among them 29 were identified to be potential drug targets. Co/Zn/Cd efflux system membrane fusion protein, Ferric sidephore transport system and biopolymer transport protein EXbB were found to be critical drug targets to H. pylori HPAG1. Five genes (superoxide dismutase, HtrA protease/chaperone protein, Heatinducible transcription repressor HrcA, HspR, transcriptional repressor of DnaK operon, Cobalt-zinccadmium resistance protein CzcA) of the 29 predicted drug targets are already experimentally validated either genetically or biochemically lending credence to our unique approach.

New strategies and paradigm for drug target discovery: a special focus on infectious diseases tuberculosis, malaria, leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis and gastritis.

The discovery and exploitation of new drug targets is a key focus for both the pharmaceutical industry and academic research. To provide an insight into trends in the exploitation of new drug targets, we have analysed different methods during the past six decades and advances made in drug target discovery. A special focus remains on different methods used for drug target discovery on infectious diseases such as Tuberculosis, Gastritis, Malaria, Trypanosomiasis and Leishmaniasis. We herewith provide a paradigm that is can be used for drug target discovery in the near future.