In Silico–Based Investigation of the Immunogenicity and Biochemical Attributes of Toxoplasma gondii Apical Membrane Antigen 1 (TgAMA1)

Abstract

Background: Apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1) is a highly conserved microneme protein in apicomplexan parasites. In this study, immunoinformatics tools and in silico protein structure prediction were used to characterize the structure, physicochemical properties, posttranslational modification sites, immunogenic epitopes, allergenicity, and immune simulation of the Toxoplasma gondii AMA1 (TgAMA1) protein. Methods: A comprehensive analysis was performed using multiple bioinformatics web servers to analyze the antigenicity, physicochemical features, secondary and tertiary structures, B and T cell epitopes, and in silico immune simulation of TgAMA1. Results: The analysis revealed that the AMA1 protein consists of 569 amino acid residues and has a molecular weight of approximately 63 kDa. The grand average of hydropathicity (GRAVY) was -0.531 and the aliphatic index was calculated as 64.62. Based on the GOR IV server, TgAMA1 contained 20.21% alpha helices, 58.52% random coils, and 21.27% extended strands. The Ramachandran plot of the refined model revealed that over 97% of the residues were located in the favored region. The AMA1 protein was highly immunogenic and nonallergenic in nature. In silico immune simulation using the C-ImmSim server suggested that three doses of TgAMA1 would elicit potent humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. Conclusion: These findings provide valuable insights for further in vitro and in vivo investigations of TgAMA1’s potential as a vaccine candidate against toxoplasmosis.