Functional Annotation and Identification of Putative Drug Target in VV

Abstract

Recent progress in computational biology has led to the identification of new genes in the genome of different organisms. In silico approaches enable characterization of structure and function of hypothetical proteins. Vaccinia virus has been used broadly for human immunization. Analysis of Vaccinia virus data determined that 45% of proteins are conserved hypothetical proteins whose function has not been determined. This analysis provides a platform to establish sequence-function relationships and to better understand the molecular machinery of organisms. In this study, we predicted the probable functions of Hypothetical proteins (HPs) and classified all HPs on the basis of sequence similarity, protein family, and domain assignment. The outcome of this work will be helpful for understanding mechanisms of pathogenesis, finding new therapeutic targets, and understanding adaptability to host.