Identification of a Novel Therapeutic Target Against XDR Typhi H58 Using Genomics Driven Approach Followed Up by Natural Products Virtual Screening

Typhoid fever is caused by a pathogenic, rod-shaped, flagellated, and Gram-negative bacterium known as Typhi. It features a polysaccharide capsule that acts as a virulence factor and deceives the host immune system by protecting phagocytosis. Typhoid fever remains a major health concern in low and middle-income countries, with an estimated death rate of ~200,000 per annum. However, the situation is exacerbated by the emergence of the extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strain designated as H58 of Typhi. The emergence of the XDR strain is alarming, and it poses serious threats to public health due to the failure of the current therapeutic regimen. A relatively newer computational method called subtractive genomics analyses has been widely applied to discover novel and new drug targets against pathogens, particularly drug-resistant ones. The method involves the gradual reduction of the complete proteome of the pathogen, leading to few potential and novel drug targets. Thus, in the current study, a subtractive genomics approach was applied against the XDR strain to identify potential drug targets. The current study predicted four prioritized proteins (i.e., Colanic acid biosynthesis acetyltransferase wcaB, Shikimate dehydrogenase aroE, multidrug efflux RND transporter permease subunit MdtC, and pantothenate synthetase panC) as potential drug targets. Though few of the prioritized proteins are treated in the literature as the established drug targets against other pathogenic bacteria, these drug targets are identified here for the first time against Typhi (i.e., Typhi XDR). The current study aimed at drawing attention to new drug targets against Typhi that remain largely unexplored. One of the prioritized drug targets, i.e., Colanic acid biosynthesis acetyltransferase, was predicted as a unique, new drug target against Typhi XDR. Therefore, the Colanic acid was further explored using structure-based techniques. Additionally, ~1000 natural compounds were docked with Colanic acid biosynthesis acetyltransferase, resulting in the prediction of seven compounds as potential lead candidates against the Typhi XDR strain. The ADMET properties and binding energies via the docking program of these seven compounds characterized them as novel drug candidates. They may potentially be used for the development of future drugs in the treatment of Typhoid fever.