{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T09:56:55Z","timestamp":1788947815596,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,5]],"date-time":"2025-06-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1749081600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100004410","name":"T\u00fcrkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Ara\u015ft\u0131rma Kurumu","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["22AG081"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["22AG081"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100004410","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosntds.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Negl Trop Dis"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec021\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The surface of <jats:italic>Leishmania<\/jats:italic> spp. presents glycoprotein 63 (GP63), a metalloprotease that acts as one of the parasite\u2019s major antigens. A vaccine against leishmaniasis has not yet been developed and stationary phase promastigotes have utmost importance in transmitting <jats:italic>Leishmania<\/jats:italic> spp. from phlebotomine sand fly to humans or reservoirs. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze GP63 protein in three different <jats:italic>Leishmania<\/jats:italic> spp. to determine new vaccine candidate antigen against leishmaniasis using sequencing data of locally detected <jats:italic>Leishmania<\/jats:italic> strains and <jats:italic>in silico<\/jats:italic> approaches.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec022\">\n<jats:title>Methodology\/Principal findings<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The GP63 protein sequences of the stationary phase\/amastigote form of <jats:italic>L. infantum<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>L. major<\/jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>L. tropica<\/jats:italic> were identified and then the gene encoding GP63 protein in <jats:italic>Leishmania<\/jats:italic> positive samples (n:59) was amplified and sequenced for variation analysis. According to the results, 4, 6, 19 GP63 variants were found within <jats:italic>L. infantum<\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>L. major<\/jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>L. tropica<\/jats:italic> isolates, respectively. The most prevalent variants within each species were selected for further analysis using <jats:italic>in silico<\/jats:italic> approaches. Accordingly, all selected GP63 proteins were antigenic and the amount of B and T cell epitopes were 23 for <jats:italic>L. infantum<\/jats:italic>, 10 for <jats:italic>L. major<\/jats:italic>, and 9 for <jats:italic>L. tropica<\/jats:italic>. The analysis of each epitope showed that all of them were non-toxic, non-allergen, and soluble but had different antigenicity values. Among these epitopes, EMEDQGSAGSAGS associated with <jats:italic>L. major<\/jats:italic>, STHDSGSTTC and AEDILTDEKRDILRK epitopes associated with <jats:italic>L. infantum<\/jats:italic> had the highest antigenicity values for B cell, MHC-I, and MHC-II epitopes, respectively. Moreover, conserved epitopes were detected among two or three <jats:italic>Leishmania<\/jats:italic> species.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec023\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions\/Significance<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This study detected many epitopes that could be used in vaccine studies and the development of serological diagnostic assays.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0013137","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,5]],"date-time":"2025-06-05T17:30:36Z","timestamp":1749144636000},"page":"e0013137","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["In silico identification of Leishmania GP63 protein epitopes to generate a new vaccine antigen against 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