In silico identification of candidate drug and vaccine targets from various pathways in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Abstract

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is responsible for causing gonorrhea, one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases prevailing globally. Although extensive researches are in progress in order to control the transmission of the disease and to develop drug(s) against the pathogen, till date no effective vaccine or specific drug could be developed and only antibiotic treatment is in use. Perhaps, due to excess use of antibiotics, several resistant strains have been found. In the present study, metabolic pathways-related candidate drug and vaccine targets have been identified in N. gonorrhoeae virulent strain FA 1090 using an in silico subtractive genomics approach. 106 putative drug targets out of 537 essential genes have been predicted. 67 cytoplasmic and 9 membrane enzymes, along with 10 membrane transporters are found to be the potential drug targets from the host-pathogen common metabolic pathways. Among these targets, competence lipoproteins (NGO0277) and cysW have been identified as candidate vaccine targets. 20 drug targets have been identified from pathogen specific unique metabolic pathways. Out of these, 6 enzymes are involved in dual metabolic pathways and 2 are expressed in cell wall and fimbrium. These gonococci-specific proteins are expected to be better possible drug targets. Screening of the functional inhibitors against these novel targets may result in discovery of novel therapeutic compounds that can be effective against antibiotic resistant strains.