Journal Article

Molecular Prediction and Correlation of the Structure and Function of Universal Stress Protein A (UspA) from Salmonella Typhimurium

Ahlawat, Neeraj, Mir, Manzoor Ahmad, Ahlawat, Sushma, Nabi, Bilkees, Kumar, Vivek, Yadav, Pramod Kumar, Kumawat, Manoj, Kumar, Manoj

2025

Overview

Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) is a zoonotic pathogen that can cause gastroenteritis in humans when they consume contaminated food or water. When exposed to various stressors, both from living organisms (biotic) and the environment (abiotic), Salmonella Typhimurium produces Universal Stress Proteins (USPs). These proteins are gaining recognition for their crucial role in bacterial stress resistance and the ability to enter a prolonged state of growth arrest. Additionally, USPs exhibit diverse structures due to the fusion of the USP domain with different catalytic motifs, enabling them to participate in various reactions and cellular activities during stressful conditions. In this particular study, researchers cloned and analyzed the uspA gene obtained from poultry-derived strains of Salmonella Typhimurium. The gene comprises 435 base pairs, encoding a USP family protein consisting of 144 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated a close relationship between the uspA genes of Salmonella Typhimurium and those found in other bacterial species. We used molecular dynamics simulations and 3D structure prediction to ensure that the USPA protein was stable. Furthermore, we also carried out motif search and network analysis of protein–protein interactions. The findings from this study offer valuable insights for the development of inhibitors targeted against Salmonella Typhimurium.

• Publisher: Springer US,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Amino Acid Sequence / Amino acids / Animals / Bacterial Proteins - chemistry / Bacterial Proteins - genetics / Bacterial Proteins - metabolism / Biochemistry / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Biomedicine / Cellular structure / domain / family / Food contamination / Foodborne pathogens / Gastroenteritis / genes / Heat shock proteins / Human Genetics / Medical Microbiology / Molecular dynamics / Molecular Dynamics Simulation / Network analysis / Original Article / pathogens / Phylogeny / prediction / Protein A / Protein interaction / Protein structure / Proteins / Salmonella / Salmonella Typhimurium / Salmonella typhimurium - genetics / Salmonella typhimurium - metabolism / species / Stress proteins / stress tolerance / Structure-function relationships / Universal stress protein / UspA gene / Zoology