A Bioinformatics Study of the Influenza H5N1 Virus that Infects Wild Fowl and Poultry and, Potentially, Humans

bioinformatics influenza H5N1 structural-proteomics computational-biology

Authors Carlos Polanco, Vladimir N. Uversky, Alberto Huberman, Enrique Hernández-Lemus, Mireya Martínez-Garcia, Claudia Pimentel Hernández, Martha Rios Castro, Thomas Buhse, Gilberto Vargas Alarcón, Jorge Alberto Castañón González, Juan Luciano Díaz González, Mauricio Missael Sanchez Díaz, Erika Jeannette López Oliva, Francisco J. Roldan Gomez, Brayans Becerra Luna

Venue Current Analytical Chemistry · 2023

DOI  10.2174/0115734110271243231123160146

Abstract

More than sixteen countries are infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza A-H5N1 virus. As the virus circles the world, it has led to the slaughter of millions of poultry birds as well as the infection of farmed mink in Europe and among seals and grizzly bears on the Northern coast of America. Some infected mammals exhibited neurological symptoms like disorientation and blindness, marking the first large H5N1 outbreak potentially driven by mammal-to-mammal transmission that could spill over into humans — its mortality rate in humans exceeds 50%.

Objective

To gain comprehension of the envelope glycoproteins that express H5N1 influenza (hemagglutinin and neuraminidase proteins), computational studies were carried out.

Methods

Calculating each sequence’s Protein Intrinsic Disorder Predisposition (PIDP) and Polarity Index Method Profile 2.0 v (PIM 2.0 v) required the employment of multiple computer algorithms.

Results

The analysis of the PIM 2.0 v and PIDP profiles revealed specific patterns within the envelope glycoproteins (neuraminidase and hemagglutinin) of diverse strains of the H5N1 influenza virus. These patterns made it possible to identify structural and morphological similarities.

Conclusion

Using the PIM 2.0 v profile, computational programs were able to identify the influenza H5N1 virus envelope glycoproteins (hemagglutinin and neuraminidase strains). This study contributes to a better comprehension of this emerging virus.

Publication Details

Citation

@article{polanco2023influenza,
  title={A Bioinformatics Study of the Influenza H5N1 Virus that Infects Wild Fowl and Poultry and, Potentially, Humans},
  author={Polanco, Carlos and Uversky, Vladimir N. and Huberman, Alberto and others},
  journal={Current Analytical Chemistry},
  volume={19},
  number={10},
  pages={743--764},
  year={2023},
  doi={10.2174/0115734110271243231123160146}
}

← Back to Blog