Pub Date : 2026-02-06DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2026.108928
Debaleena Samanta, Malavika Bhattacharya
Background: Gut ecosystem is maintained by immune regulation through intestinal microbiota that leads to inflammatory diseases such as Gastric Cancer. Hyaluronic acid is derived from gut microorganism Streptococcus pyogenes which directly controls the up and down regulation of potential gene sets that helps to promote or inhibit gastric cancer.
Methods: GEO database is used to observe potential hub genes related to hyaluronic acid mediated gastric cancer. Gene expression analysis and PPI network analysis are implicated through EMBL-EBI and STRING database under DAVID software respectively. Gene interactions are studied by Reactome data source and gene networking is identified through GeneMANIA online server. BIOVENN is used for producing Venn diagram and GSEA is followed for generation of Heat Map. Identification of Microbial Signal Transduction through MiST website, regulons and transcription factors analysis through RegPrecise and MetaCyc web source is incorporated for biosynthetic pathway analysis. TCGA is incorporated for studying cancer genomics and gene interaction pathways. KEGG Pathway enrichment is done through ShinyGO resource. KM-Survival Plots is depicted through CybersortX. Genome expressional analysis is done by GEPIA web portal. Resistomes and Variants isolation and bi-product of Streptococcus pyogenes MGAS are implicated through CARD and BV-BRC database. Ligand-Drug Analysis and TCGA Drug Response and Survival Analysis are incorporated through MCULE and GEPIA 3 web source.
Results: Differential Expression Analysis has identified up-regulated and down-regulated genes related to HMMR gene. Venn Analysis interpreted 3 co-expressed genes within HMMR, IL1B and HAS3 genes. Global Cancer Heat Map of HMMR gene has shown high expression level of intensity value 0.50204 to lowest value -0.58367. Cellular response related to HMMR gene is responsible for programmed cell death due to inactivation of Cyclin B (Cdk1) complex mediated by Chk1/Chk2 (Cds1). Streptococcus pyogenes mediated biological pathways, transcription factors, regulons and genomic analysis of HMMR protein are also identified. KEGG Enrichment Analysis shows NF-kB Signaling pathway with Hyaluronic Acid mediated network gene set. KM-Survival Analysis is depicted through Hazard Ratio (HR) and p-value identification. Drug-Target Docking Analysis of ligand molecule Hyaluronic Acid and drugs 5-Fluorouracil and Epirubicin and TCGA Drug Survival Analysis and Response are implicated for therapeutic interventions.
{"title":"Pivot gene enrichment analysis of Streptococcus pyogenes specific hyaluronic acid mediated disease prognosis on gastric cancer: Based on bioinformatics study.","authors":"Debaleena Samanta, Malavika Bhattacharya","doi":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2026.108928","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2026.108928","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Gut ecosystem is maintained by immune regulation through intestinal microbiota that leads to inflammatory diseases such as Gastric Cancer. Hyaluronic acid is derived from gut microorganism Streptococcus pyogenes which directly controls the up and down regulation of potential gene sets that helps to promote or inhibit gastric cancer.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>GEO database is used to observe potential hub genes related to hyaluronic acid mediated gastric cancer. Gene expression analysis and PPI network analysis are implicated through EMBL-EBI and STRING database under DAVID software respectively. Gene interactions are studied by Reactome data source and gene networking is identified through GeneMANIA online server. BIOVENN is used for producing Venn diagram and GSEA is followed for generation of Heat Map. Identification of Microbial Signal Transduction through MiST website, regulons and transcription factors analysis through RegPrecise and MetaCyc web source is incorporated for biosynthetic pathway analysis. TCGA is incorporated for studying cancer genomics and gene interaction pathways. KEGG Pathway enrichment is done through ShinyGO resource. KM-Survival Plots is depicted through CybersortX. Genome expressional analysis is done by GEPIA web portal. Resistomes and Variants isolation and bi-product of Streptococcus pyogenes MGAS are implicated through CARD and BV-BRC database. Ligand-Drug Analysis and TCGA Drug Response and Survival Analysis are incorporated through MCULE and GEPIA 3 web source.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Differential Expression Analysis has identified up-regulated and down-regulated genes related to HMMR gene. Venn Analysis interpreted 3 co-expressed genes within HMMR, IL1B and HAS3 genes. Global Cancer Heat Map of HMMR gene has shown high expression level of intensity value 0.50204 to lowest value -0.58367. Cellular response related to HMMR gene is responsible for programmed cell death due to inactivation of Cyclin B (Cdk1) complex mediated by Chk1/Chk2 (Cds1). Streptococcus pyogenes mediated biological pathways, transcription factors, regulons and genomic analysis of HMMR protein are also identified. KEGG Enrichment Analysis shows NF-kB Signaling pathway with Hyaluronic Acid mediated network gene set. KM-Survival Analysis is depicted through Hazard Ratio (HR) and p-value identification. Drug-Target Docking Analysis of ligand molecule Hyaluronic Acid and drugs 5-Fluorouracil and Epirubicin and TCGA Drug Survival Analysis and Response are implicated for therapeutic interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":93952,"journal":{"name":"Computational biology and chemistry","volume":"122 ","pages":"108928"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146159605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2026.108938
Ziyu Zhuang, Jiayi Hu, Hongbo Yu, Yu Xie
Background: Compared to non-triple-negative breast cancer (Non-TNBC), triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) exhibits significantly poorer prognosis. Previous research has confirmed that the PI3K/AKT pathway is closely associated with prognosis in breast cancer patients. Yet, it remains unclear whether this pathway is implicated in the prognostic differences observed between TNBC and Non-TNBC.
Methods: After downloading raw transcriptomic datasets from the GEO database and removing batch effects, we performed an integrated analysis to delineate how key genes drive the poor prognosis of TNBC. Functional enrichment, machine-learning-based feature selection, immune-cell infiltration profiling, drug-sensitivity screening, single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics were successively applied. Molecular-docking simulations were finally conducted to evaluate the binding affinity of MYB toward bioactive compounds derived from the Taohong Siwu Decoction.
Results: Across 113 algorithm combinations, MYB plays the most critical role in distinguishing TNBC from Non-TNBC. The constructed prognostic model confirms the significant association between MYB expression and patient outcomes. Immune cell infiltration, drug sensitivity, single-cell data analysis and spatial transcriptome revealed the specific mechanisms through which MYB influences patient prognosis. Molecular docking experiments demonstrate strong binding between key components in Taohong Siwu Decoction and MYB.
Conclusion: Based on multi-omics analysis, our findings indicate that the PI3K/AKT pathway is a key factor contributing to the significant prognostic disparity between TNBC and Non-TNBC. Within this pathway, the MYB gene emerges as a potential therapeutic target. This discovery provides a potential basis for future research exploring MYB as a therapeutic target for TNBC patients.
{"title":"MYB: A potential therapeutic target in triple-negative breast cancer based on the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.","authors":"Ziyu Zhuang, Jiayi Hu, Hongbo Yu, Yu Xie","doi":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2026.108938","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2026.108938","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Compared to non-triple-negative breast cancer (Non-TNBC), triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) exhibits significantly poorer prognosis. Previous research has confirmed that the PI3K/AKT pathway is closely associated with prognosis in breast cancer patients. Yet, it remains unclear whether this pathway is implicated in the prognostic differences observed between TNBC and Non-TNBC.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>After downloading raw transcriptomic datasets from the GEO database and removing batch effects, we performed an integrated analysis to delineate how key genes drive the poor prognosis of TNBC. Functional enrichment, machine-learning-based feature selection, immune-cell infiltration profiling, drug-sensitivity screening, single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics were successively applied. Molecular-docking simulations were finally conducted to evaluate the binding affinity of MYB toward bioactive compounds derived from the Taohong Siwu Decoction.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Across 113 algorithm combinations, MYB plays the most critical role in distinguishing TNBC from Non-TNBC. The constructed prognostic model confirms the significant association between MYB expression and patient outcomes. Immune cell infiltration, drug sensitivity, single-cell data analysis and spatial transcriptome revealed the specific mechanisms through which MYB influences patient prognosis. Molecular docking experiments demonstrate strong binding between key components in Taohong Siwu Decoction and MYB.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Based on multi-omics analysis, our findings indicate that the PI3K/AKT pathway is a key factor contributing to the significant prognostic disparity between TNBC and Non-TNBC. Within this pathway, the MYB gene emerges as a potential therapeutic target. This discovery provides a potential basis for future research exploring MYB as a therapeutic target for TNBC patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":93952,"journal":{"name":"Computational biology and chemistry","volume":"122 ","pages":"108938"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146159607","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2026.108935
Ashwag Altayyar, Li Liao
Disease comorbidity-the co-occurrence of multiple diseases in the same individual-is increasingly prevalent and poses major clinical and biological challenges. Computational approaches for studying disease relationships and predicting comorbidity have evolved from overlap-based similarity measures to molecular network modeling and graph deep learning. However, existing methods often (i) learn global or subgraph-based disease embeddings without modeling the topology of fragmented disease subgraphs in a comorbidity-adaptive manner, or (ii) incorporate Gene Ontology (GO) information in ways that underutilize GO's hierarchical ancestry and deeper functional abstractions. In this work, we propose DisSubFormer, a subgraph Transformer model for disease subgraph representation learning and comorbidity prediction. We first learn unified protein representations by integrating structural patterns from a PPI network with GO-aware functional information, explicitly incorporating GO's hierarchical ancestry. We next sample biologically informed anchor patches in a property-aware manner to prioritize disease-relevant regions of the PPI network, replacing full-graph attention with subgraph-to-subgraph attention between disease subgraphs and these anchor patches to improve scalability and relevance. Specifically, DisSubFormer introduces a learnable multi-head attention mechanism where each head attends over a distinct anchor-patch type, with head-specific relational terms to capture complementary positional, neighborhood, and structural properties within fragmented disease subgraphs for comorbidity prediction. Experiments on a benchmark comorbidity dataset demonstrate that DisSubFormer consistently outperforms state-of-the-art methods, achieving an AUROC of 0.97.
{"title":"DisSubFormer: A subgraph transformer model for disease subgraph representation and comorbidity prediction.","authors":"Ashwag Altayyar, Li Liao","doi":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2026.108935","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2026.108935","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Disease comorbidity-the co-occurrence of multiple diseases in the same individual-is increasingly prevalent and poses major clinical and biological challenges. Computational approaches for studying disease relationships and predicting comorbidity have evolved from overlap-based similarity measures to molecular network modeling and graph deep learning. However, existing methods often (i) learn global or subgraph-based disease embeddings without modeling the topology of fragmented disease subgraphs in a comorbidity-adaptive manner, or (ii) incorporate Gene Ontology (GO) information in ways that underutilize GO's hierarchical ancestry and deeper functional abstractions. In this work, we propose DisSubFormer, a subgraph Transformer model for disease subgraph representation learning and comorbidity prediction. We first learn unified protein representations by integrating structural patterns from a PPI network with GO-aware functional information, explicitly incorporating GO's hierarchical ancestry. We next sample biologically informed anchor patches in a property-aware manner to prioritize disease-relevant regions of the PPI network, replacing full-graph attention with subgraph-to-subgraph attention between disease subgraphs and these anchor patches to improve scalability and relevance. Specifically, DisSubFormer introduces a learnable multi-head attention mechanism where each head attends over a distinct anchor-patch type, with head-specific relational terms to capture complementary positional, neighborhood, and structural properties within fragmented disease subgraphs for comorbidity prediction. Experiments on a benchmark comorbidity dataset demonstrate that DisSubFormer consistently outperforms state-of-the-art methods, achieving an AUROC of 0.97.</p>","PeriodicalId":93952,"journal":{"name":"Computational biology and chemistry","volume":"122 ","pages":"108935"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146144430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-07-30DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108606
Asra Khan, Nouman Ali, Beenish Asrar, Saara Ahmad
Dementia represents a rapidly rising global health challenge as a progressive neurodegenerative disease with few options for disease-modifyingtreatments. The present studyaimed to explore the leading phytochemicals from Crocus sativus (saffron) and Matricaria chamomilla (chamomile) and apply AI fragmentation on lead phytochemicals to target the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), an expertized target for dementia therapy. Bioactive compounds were screened from ISO 3632-2-2010 (E) specified for saffron and GC-MS specified for chamomile. Protein Network mapping, Density Functional Theory, Molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations were performed to determine thebinding affinity and interactions stability of key phytochemicals with AHR, such as safranal and bisabolone oxide A. In-silico ADMET predictions of pharmacokinetics and toxicity showed good properties for these molecules. In addition, their structuraland pharmacological properties were optimized to enhance drug-like features by using artificial intelligence (AI) generative model. Collectively, our findings highlight these AI-enhanced phytochemicals as promising AHR modulators with potentially therapeutic activities in pathological pathways that lead toneuroinflammation and oxidative stress involved in the pathogenesis of dementia. They offer an avenue for additional experimental validation and encourage further investigation of these leads as sources of new therapeutic modalities to treat neurodegenerativediseases.
{"title":"AI fragment based optimization of saffron and chamomile phytochemicals as aryl hydrocarbon receptor inhibitors for dementia therapy an integrated computational approach.","authors":"Asra Khan, Nouman Ali, Beenish Asrar, Saara Ahmad","doi":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108606","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108606","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dementia represents a rapidly rising global health challenge as a progressive neurodegenerative disease with few options for disease-modifyingtreatments. The present studyaimed to explore the leading phytochemicals from Crocus sativus (saffron) and Matricaria chamomilla (chamomile) and apply AI fragmentation on lead phytochemicals to target the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), an expertized target for dementia therapy. Bioactive compounds were screened from ISO 3632-2-2010 (E) specified for saffron and GC-MS specified for chamomile. Protein Network mapping, Density Functional Theory, Molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations were performed to determine thebinding affinity and interactions stability of key phytochemicals with AHR, such as safranal and bisabolone oxide A. In-silico ADMET predictions of pharmacokinetics and toxicity showed good properties for these molecules. In addition, their structuraland pharmacological properties were optimized to enhance drug-like features by using artificial intelligence (AI) generative model. Collectively, our findings highlight these AI-enhanced phytochemicals as promising AHR modulators with potentially therapeutic activities in pathological pathways that lead toneuroinflammation and oxidative stress involved in the pathogenesis of dementia. They offer an avenue for additional experimental validation and encourage further investigation of these leads as sources of new therapeutic modalities to treat neurodegenerativediseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":93952,"journal":{"name":"Computational biology and chemistry","volume":"120 Pt 1","pages":"108606"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144818600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-07-29DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108611
Md Asraful Haque, Hifzur R Siddique
With climate change, habitat destruction, and increased population ages, the incidence of both communicable and non-communicable diseases is rising, and managing these has become a growing concern. In recent years, generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) have ushered in a transformative era for smart healthcare applications. These models, built on advanced ML architectures like Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT) and Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), have demonstrated significant capabilities in various medical tasks. This review aims to provide an overview of the potential benefits of generative AI and LLMs in smart healthcare applications, as well as challenges and ethical considerations. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify relevant research papers published in peer-reviewed journals. Databases such as PubMed, PMC, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and Web of Science were searched using keywords related to generative AI, LLMs, and healthcare applications. The relevant papers were analyzed to extract key findings and contributions. Generative AI and LLMs are powerful tools that can process and analyze massive amounts of data. Researchers are actively exploring their potential to transform healthcare-powering intelligent virtual health assistants, crafting personalized patient care plans, and facilitating early detection and intervention for medical conditions. With ongoing research and development, the future of generative AI and LLMs in healthcare is promising; however, issues such as bias in AI models, lack of explainability, ethical concerns, and integration difficulties must be addressed.
随着气候变化、栖息地破坏和人口老龄化加剧,传染性和非传染性疾病的发病率正在上升,管理这些疾病已成为一个日益令人关注的问题。近年来,生成式人工智能(AI)和大型语言模型(llm)迎来了智能医疗应用的变革时代。这些模型建立在先进的机器学习架构上,如生成预训练变形金刚(GPT)和变形金刚的双向编码器表示(BERT),已经在各种医疗任务中展示了重要的能力。本综述旨在概述生成式人工智能和法学硕士在智能医疗应用中的潜在好处,以及挑战和伦理考虑。我们进行了系统的文献综述,以确定发表在同行评议期刊上的相关研究论文。使用与生成式人工智能、法学硕士和医疗保健应用相关的关键字搜索PubMed、PMC、Cochrane Library、b谷歌Scholar和Web of Science等数据库。对相关论文进行分析,以提取主要发现和贡献。生成式人工智能和法学硕士是可以处理和分析大量数据的强大工具。研究人员正在积极探索他们的潜力,以改变医疗保健的智能虚拟健康助手,制定个性化的患者护理计划,促进医疗状况的早期发现和干预。随着不断的研究和发展,生成式人工智能和法学硕士在医疗保健领域的未来是有希望的;然而,人工智能模型中的偏见、缺乏可解释性、伦理问题和集成困难等问题必须得到解决。
{"title":"Generative artificial intelligence and large language models in smart healthcare applications: Current status and future perspectives.","authors":"Md Asraful Haque, Hifzur R Siddique","doi":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108611","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108611","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With climate change, habitat destruction, and increased population ages, the incidence of both communicable and non-communicable diseases is rising, and managing these has become a growing concern. In recent years, generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) have ushered in a transformative era for smart healthcare applications. These models, built on advanced ML architectures like Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT) and Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), have demonstrated significant capabilities in various medical tasks. This review aims to provide an overview of the potential benefits of generative AI and LLMs in smart healthcare applications, as well as challenges and ethical considerations. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify relevant research papers published in peer-reviewed journals. Databases such as PubMed, PMC, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and Web of Science were searched using keywords related to generative AI, LLMs, and healthcare applications. The relevant papers were analyzed to extract key findings and contributions. Generative AI and LLMs are powerful tools that can process and analyze massive amounts of data. Researchers are actively exploring their potential to transform healthcare-powering intelligent virtual health assistants, crafting personalized patient care plans, and facilitating early detection and intervention for medical conditions. With ongoing research and development, the future of generative AI and LLMs in healthcare is promising; however, issues such as bias in AI models, lack of explainability, ethical concerns, and integration difficulties must be addressed.</p>","PeriodicalId":93952,"journal":{"name":"Computational biology and chemistry","volume":"120 Pt 1","pages":"108611"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144812800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-08-05DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108615
Ashwini S, Minu R I, Jeevan Kumar M
Antigenic peptide (AP) prediction is one of the most important roles in improve vaccine design and interpreting immune responses. This paper develops a Multi-Level Pooling-based Transformer (MLPT) model, which improves the accuracy and efficiency of predicting T-cell epitopes (TCEs). The model has utilized peptide sequences from the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) and utilized a refined Kolaskar & Tongaonkar algorithm for feature extraction as well as a Self-Improved Black-winged Kite optimization algorithm to optimize the scoring matrix. The MLPT architecture takes the input features from the Adaptive Depthwise Multi-Kernel Atrous Module (ADMAM) as inputs to the Swin Transformer, and the output of Swin block 1 is concatenated with the features extracted from the Kolaskar-Tongaonkar algorithm with the SA-BWK model. This hierarchical integration enhances feature representation and predictive capability. Advanced feature extraction, coupled with optimized feature selection for the MLPT model improves its performance over the conventional approach in the identification of reduced-complexity antigenic determinants.
{"title":"Predicting antigenic peptides using a multi-level pooling-based transformer model with enhanced Kolaskar & Tongaonkar's algorithm for feature selection.","authors":"Ashwini S, Minu R I, Jeevan Kumar M","doi":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108615","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108615","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antigenic peptide (AP) prediction is one of the most important roles in improve vaccine design and interpreting immune responses. This paper develops a Multi-Level Pooling-based Transformer (MLPT) model, which improves the accuracy and efficiency of predicting T-cell epitopes (TCEs). The model has utilized peptide sequences from the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) and utilized a refined Kolaskar & Tongaonkar algorithm for feature extraction as well as a Self-Improved Black-winged Kite optimization algorithm to optimize the scoring matrix. The MLPT architecture takes the input features from the Adaptive Depthwise Multi-Kernel Atrous Module (ADMAM) as inputs to the Swin Transformer, and the output of Swin block 1 is concatenated with the features extracted from the Kolaskar-Tongaonkar algorithm with the SA-BWK model. This hierarchical integration enhances feature representation and predictive capability. Advanced feature extraction, coupled with optimized feature selection for the MLPT model improves its performance over the conventional approach in the identification of reduced-complexity antigenic determinants.</p>","PeriodicalId":93952,"journal":{"name":"Computational biology and chemistry","volume":"120 Pt 1","pages":"108615"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144805434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cytological examination of serous effusion is critical for diagnosing malignancies, yet it heavily relies on subjective interpretation by pathologists, leading to inconsistent accuracy and misdiagnosis, especially in regions with limited medical resources. To address this challenge, we propose a two-step deep learning framework to standardize and enhance the diagnostic process. First, we improved the YOLOv8 model by integrating the Online Convolutional Reparameterization (OREPA) module, achieving a 93.09 % sensitivity for detecting abnormal cells. Second, we employed the Dual Attention Vision Transformer (DaViT) to classify normal cells (lymphocytes, mesothelial cells, histiocytes, neutrophils) with 98.74 % accuracy. By jointly deploying these models, our approach reduces missed diagnoses and provides granular insights into cell composition, offering a robust tool for rapid and objective cytopathological diagnosis. This work bridges the gap between AI-driven automation and clinical needs, particularly in resource-constrained settings.
{"title":"A two-step joint model based on deep learning realizes intelligent recognition of exfoliated cells in serous effusion.","authors":"Yige Yin, Xiaotao Li, Dongsheng Li, Yue Hu, Qiang Wu, Jiarong Zhao, Qiuyan Sun, Hong-Qiang Wang, Wulin Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108616","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108616","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cytological examination of serous effusion is critical for diagnosing malignancies, yet it heavily relies on subjective interpretation by pathologists, leading to inconsistent accuracy and misdiagnosis, especially in regions with limited medical resources. To address this challenge, we propose a two-step deep learning framework to standardize and enhance the diagnostic process. First, we improved the YOLOv8 model by integrating the Online Convolutional Reparameterization (OREPA) module, achieving a 93.09 % sensitivity for detecting abnormal cells. Second, we employed the Dual Attention Vision Transformer (DaViT) to classify normal cells (lymphocytes, mesothelial cells, histiocytes, neutrophils) with 98.74 % accuracy. By jointly deploying these models, our approach reduces missed diagnoses and provides granular insights into cell composition, offering a robust tool for rapid and objective cytopathological diagnosis. This work bridges the gap between AI-driven automation and clinical needs, particularly in resource-constrained settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":93952,"journal":{"name":"Computational biology and chemistry","volume":"120 Pt 1","pages":"108616"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144818599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a growing global threat, with antibiotic-resistant infections becoming a leading cause of death worldwide. The present study explores natural cyanobacterial compounds as possible inhibitors of Escherichia coli DNA gyrase B (GyrB) which is a verified antibacterial target that is not present in higher eukaryotes. Because of the urgent need for novel antibacterial drugs, we identified nine drug-like candidates using lipinski's rule of five and ADMET profiling. Molecular docking revealed that Biselyngbyaside B and Smenamide A exhibited greater binding affinities in comparison to the co-crystallized inhibitor EOF, with a binding energy of -9.03 kcal/mol. Further molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the Biselyngbyaside B-DNA gyrase B complex surpassed both EOF and Smenamide A in terms of structural stability, compactness, and strong hydrogen bonding. Umbrella sampling was employed to estimate the binding free energy from thirty sampling simulations, and Biselyngbyaside B exhibited a significantly favourable ΔG bind of -91.66 kJ/mol, outperforming EOF (-68.93 kJ/mol) and Smenamide A (-36.4 kJ/mol). These findings clearly indicate a stronger and more stable interaction between Biselyngbyaside B and GyrB. Biselyngbyaside B continuously showed better pharmacokinetic characteristics, non-hepatotoxicity, and a greater binding affinity than previously documented DNA gyrase B inhibitors. This study emphasizes the integration of molecular dockings, molecular dynamics simulation, umbrella sampling, and ADMET analysis provided crucial quantitative insights into the identification of potent drug-like candidates for further validation. Overall, the Biselyngbyaside B was found to be the most promising lead compound for novel antibacterial drug development targeting DNA gyrase B.
{"title":"Discovery of biselyngbyaside B a novel lead inhibitor of drug-resistant bacteria targeting DNA gyrase B.","authors":"Kiran Mahapatra, Swagat Ranjan Maharana, Showkat Ahmad Mir, Munmun Bordhan, Binata Nayak","doi":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108628","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108628","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a growing global threat, with antibiotic-resistant infections becoming a leading cause of death worldwide. The present study explores natural cyanobacterial compounds as possible inhibitors of Escherichia coli DNA gyrase B (GyrB) which is a verified antibacterial target that is not present in higher eukaryotes. Because of the urgent need for novel antibacterial drugs, we identified nine drug-like candidates using lipinski's rule of five and ADMET profiling. Molecular docking revealed that Biselyngbyaside B and Smenamide A exhibited greater binding affinities in comparison to the co-crystallized inhibitor EOF, with a binding energy of -9.03 kcal/mol. Further molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the Biselyngbyaside B-DNA gyrase B complex surpassed both EOF and Smenamide A in terms of structural stability, compactness, and strong hydrogen bonding. Umbrella sampling was employed to estimate the binding free energy from thirty sampling simulations, and Biselyngbyaside B exhibited a significantly favourable ΔG bind of -91.66 kJ/mol, outperforming EOF (-68.93 kJ/mol) and Smenamide A (-36.4 kJ/mol). These findings clearly indicate a stronger and more stable interaction between Biselyngbyaside B and GyrB. Biselyngbyaside B continuously showed better pharmacokinetic characteristics, non-hepatotoxicity, and a greater binding affinity than previously documented DNA gyrase B inhibitors. This study emphasizes the integration of molecular dockings, molecular dynamics simulation, umbrella sampling, and ADMET analysis provided crucial quantitative insights into the identification of potent drug-like candidates for further validation. Overall, the Biselyngbyaside B was found to be the most promising lead compound for novel antibacterial drug development targeting DNA gyrase B.</p>","PeriodicalId":93952,"journal":{"name":"Computational biology and chemistry","volume":"120 Pt 1","pages":"108628"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144812799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01Epub Date: 2025-08-05DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108601
Ana Laura Medina-Nieto, Sairy Yarely Andrade-Guillen, Fátima Berenice Ramírez-Montiel, Fátima Tornero-Gutiérrez, José A Martínez-Álvarez, Ángeles Rangel-Serrano, Itzel Páramo-Pérez, Naurú Idalia Vargas-Maya, Javier de la Mora, Claudia Leticia Mendoza-Macías, Patricia Cuéllar-Mata, Nayeli Alva-Murillo, Bernardo Franco, Felipe Padilla-Vaca
Acid sphingomyelinases (aSMases) are enzymes involved in the repair of the plasma membrane in eukaryotic cells. However, neutral sphingomyelinases (nSMases) have also been shown to possess other roles in bacteria and eukaryotic microorganisms, especially as virulence factors. These enzymes exhibit structural conservation but are characterized by elusive homology and the lack of sequence signatures or motifs. In a previous study, we reported the structural features of the complete set of sphingomyelinases (SMases) in Entamoeba histolytica and Trichomonas vaginalis, showing structural homology and functional differences in two aSMases from E. histolytica (EhSMase). However, the approach was limited due to the AlphaFold3 source code not being publicly available at the time. In this report, the structural transitions in the aSMases from T. vaginalis (TvSMase) were measured using open-source AlphaFold3 and collective motions of proteins via Normal Mode Analysis in internal coordinates. They compared them with the models from aSMase4 (EHI_100080) and aSMase6 (EHI_125660) from E. histolytica, containing different combinations of ligands. Using full-length sphingomyelin and the Mg2+ and Co2+ ions, where Co2+ was shown to inhibit the enzymes of both organisms, we demonstrate that the enzymes exhibit limited flexibility and deformability, except for the T. vaginalis TVAG_271580 enzyme, which displays high structural deformability. This contrasts with the inhibitory mechanism elicited by Co2+ as shown previously. TVSMase3 (TVAG_222460) could not be modelled with the sphingomyelin in the active site pocket, suggesting a regulatory role rather than a functional active enzyme. Additional physicochemical parameters calculated for T. vaginalis enzymes suggest unstable structures and high internal mobility (estimated using the Internal Coordinate method), which may be associated with the functional role of these enzymes. The results presented here open an avenue for searching for novel inhibitors of aSMases that target their physical properties, which could potentially complement treatment to control the parasite burden. These inhibitors could be valuable for further studying the role of these enzymes in parasite pathobiology and, potentially, as therapeutic targets.
{"title":"Trichomonas vaginalis acid sphingomyelinases' theoretical structural analysis shows substrate binding diversity related to protein flexibility and mobility.","authors":"Ana Laura Medina-Nieto, Sairy Yarely Andrade-Guillen, Fátima Berenice Ramírez-Montiel, Fátima Tornero-Gutiérrez, José A Martínez-Álvarez, Ángeles Rangel-Serrano, Itzel Páramo-Pérez, Naurú Idalia Vargas-Maya, Javier de la Mora, Claudia Leticia Mendoza-Macías, Patricia Cuéllar-Mata, Nayeli Alva-Murillo, Bernardo Franco, Felipe Padilla-Vaca","doi":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108601","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2025.108601","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Acid sphingomyelinases (aSMases) are enzymes involved in the repair of the plasma membrane in eukaryotic cells. However, neutral sphingomyelinases (nSMases) have also been shown to possess other roles in bacteria and eukaryotic microorganisms, especially as virulence factors. These enzymes exhibit structural conservation but are characterized by elusive homology and the lack of sequence signatures or motifs. In a previous study, we reported the structural features of the complete set of sphingomyelinases (SMases) in Entamoeba histolytica and Trichomonas vaginalis, showing structural homology and functional differences in two aSMases from E. histolytica (EhSMase). However, the approach was limited due to the AlphaFold3 source code not being publicly available at the time. In this report, the structural transitions in the aSMases from T. vaginalis (TvSMase) were measured using open-source AlphaFold3 and collective motions of proteins via Normal Mode Analysis in internal coordinates. They compared them with the models from aSMase4 (EHI_100080) and aSMase6 (EHI_125660) from E. histolytica, containing different combinations of ligands. Using full-length sphingomyelin and the Mg<sup>2+</sup> and Co<sup>2+</sup> ions, where Co<sup>2+</sup> was shown to inhibit the enzymes of both organisms, we demonstrate that the enzymes exhibit limited flexibility and deformability, except for the T. vaginalis TVAG_271580 enzyme, which displays high structural deformability. This contrasts with the inhibitory mechanism elicited by Co<sup>2+</sup> as shown previously. TVSMase3 (TVAG_222460) could not be modelled with the sphingomyelin in the active site pocket, suggesting a regulatory role rather than a functional active enzyme. Additional physicochemical parameters calculated for T. vaginalis enzymes suggest unstable structures and high internal mobility (estimated using the Internal Coordinate method), which may be associated with the functional role of these enzymes. The results presented here open an avenue for searching for novel inhibitors of aSMases that target their physical properties, which could potentially complement treatment to control the parasite burden. These inhibitors could be valuable for further studying the role of these enzymes in parasite pathobiology and, potentially, as therapeutic targets.</p>","PeriodicalId":93952,"journal":{"name":"Computational biology and chemistry","volume":"120 Pt 1","pages":"108601"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144812801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Drug repurposing represents a promising approach towards drug discovery that has the potential to improve patient outcomes and address unmet medical needs. This study attempted to repurpose existing sulfonamide drugs in search of novel anticancer drugs because of their effectiveness in treating bacterial infections. A search was made in DrugBank for Sulfonamide, and 25 drugs with functional groups like SH, OSO, CS, and -S- were chosen for our study. The drug properties, such as dipole moment, volume, polarisability, highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), and electrostatic potential map, were analysed through a quantum mechanical approach at different functionals: M062X, M06HF, and B3LYP with basis sets (6-31 +G*, LANL2DZ). The electrostatic potential map was analyzed to determine the magnitude, size, and distribution of the electron cloud surrounding the sulfur atoms. Analysis of NBO (Natural Bond Orbital) and NCI (Non-Covalent Interaction) plots confirmed the presence of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in the sulfonamide drugs. Furthermore, the frontier molecular orbitals (HOMO and LUMO) and the band gap were thoroughly examined for all drugs to identify the best electron acceptors and donors. Docking analysis was performed to have a lock-and-key model of 25 sulfonamide drugs with the most promising cancer-targeted protein (1ZZ1): histone deacetylases (HDACs). The best drug orientation (optimal position) was discussed and compared with the control ligand SHH based on the analysis of binding affinity and root mean square deviation (RMSD). Binding affinity of control ligand SHH is -8.1 kcal/mol for the 2nd pose, which matches exactly with 1ZZ1 SHH ligand. The drugs Tolazamide, Fezolinetant, Ensulizole, Taurolidine, Acetohexamide, Isoxicam, Sulfamethizole, Sulfamethoxazole, Sulfapyridine, Sulfaphenazole, and Dodecyl sulphate were observed to exhibit high molecular volume, polarizability, dipole moment and significant HOMO, LUMO values, which are recommended for further quantum mechanical calculations. The findings of this study will be essential for evaluating the properties of sulfonamide drugs from a drugbank using a variety of analyses in order to repurpose them as novel anticancer drugs. Quantum mechanical calculations will be performed on the optimal docking poses in future work. Keywords: Sulfonamide drugs, Docking, Histone deacetylases, Lipinsk's rule, Binding affinity.
药物再利用是一种很有前途的药物发现方法,有可能改善患者的治疗效果并解决未满足的医疗需求。由于磺胺类药物在治疗细菌感染方面的有效性,本研究试图重新利用现有的磺胺类药物来寻找新的抗癌药物。我们在DrugBank中检索了磺胺类药物,选取了含有SH、OSO、CS、- s -等功能基团的25种药物作为研究对象。利用量子力学方法分析了M062X、M06HF和B3LYP不同官能团(6-31 +G*, LANL2DZ)上的偶极矩、体积、极化率、最高占据分子轨道(HOMO)、最低未占据分子轨道(LUMO)和静电势图等药物性质。分析静电势图以确定硫原子周围电子云的大小、大小和分布。NBO(天然键轨道)和NCI(非共价相互作用)图的分析证实了磺胺类药物分子内氢键的存在。此外,对所有药物的前沿分子轨道(HOMO和LUMO)和带隙进行了彻底的检查,以确定最佳的电子受体和给体。对接分析25种磺胺类药物与最有希望的癌症靶向蛋白(1ZZ1):组蛋白去乙酰化酶(hdac)建立锁-钥匙模型。通过结合亲和力和均方根偏差(RMSD)分析,讨论了最佳药物取向(最佳位置),并与对照配体SHH进行了比较。控制配体SHH第二位姿的结合亲和力为-8.1 kcal/mol,与1ZZ1 SHH配体完全匹配。药物Tolazamide、Fezolinetant、ensullizole、taaurolidine、Acetohexamide、Isoxicam、sulfameethizole、Sulfamethoxazole、Sulfapyridine、Sulfaphenazole和Dodecyl sulphate表现出较高的分子体积、极化率、偶极矩和显著的HOMO、LUMO值,建议进一步进行量子力学计算。本研究的发现对于利用各种分析方法评估药库中磺胺类药物的特性,以便将其重新用作新型抗癌药物至关重要。在未来的工作中,将对最佳对接姿态进行量子力学计算。关键词:磺胺类药物,对接,组蛋白去乙酰化酶,利平斯克规则,结合亲和力
{"title":"Repurposing sulfonamide drugs as anticancer ligands and understanding its properties through density functional theory.","authors":"Palanisamy Deepa, Balasubramanian Sundarakannan, Duraisamy Thirumeignanam","doi":"10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2026.108933","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiolchem.2026.108933","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Drug repurposing represents a promising approach towards drug discovery that has the potential to improve patient outcomes and address unmet medical needs. This study attempted to repurpose existing sulfonamide drugs in search of novel anticancer drugs because of their effectiveness in treating bacterial infections. A search was made in DrugBank for Sulfonamide, and 25 drugs with functional groups like SH, OSO, CS, and -S- were chosen for our study. The drug properties, such as dipole moment, volume, polarisability, highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), and electrostatic potential map, were analysed through a quantum mechanical approach at different functionals: M062X, M06HF, and B3LYP with basis sets (6-31 +G*, LANL2DZ). The electrostatic potential map was analyzed to determine the magnitude, size, and distribution of the electron cloud surrounding the sulfur atoms. Analysis of NBO (Natural Bond Orbital) and NCI (Non-Covalent Interaction) plots confirmed the presence of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in the sulfonamide drugs. Furthermore, the frontier molecular orbitals (HOMO and LUMO) and the band gap were thoroughly examined for all drugs to identify the best electron acceptors and donors. Docking analysis was performed to have a lock-and-key model of 25 sulfonamide drugs with the most promising cancer-targeted protein (1ZZ1): histone deacetylases (HDACs). The best drug orientation (optimal position) was discussed and compared with the control ligand SHH based on the analysis of binding affinity and root mean square deviation (RMSD). Binding affinity of control ligand SHH is -8.1 kcal/mol for the 2nd pose, which matches exactly with 1ZZ1 SHH ligand. The drugs Tolazamide, Fezolinetant, Ensulizole, Taurolidine, Acetohexamide, Isoxicam, Sulfamethizole, Sulfamethoxazole, Sulfapyridine, Sulfaphenazole, and Dodecyl sulphate were observed to exhibit high molecular volume, polarizability, dipole moment and significant HOMO, LUMO values, which are recommended for further quantum mechanical calculations. The findings of this study will be essential for evaluating the properties of sulfonamide drugs from a drugbank using a variety of analyses in order to repurpose them as novel anticancer drugs. Quantum mechanical calculations will be performed on the optimal docking poses in future work. Keywords: Sulfonamide drugs, Docking, Histone deacetylases, Lipinsk's rule, Binding affinity.</p>","PeriodicalId":93952,"journal":{"name":"Computational biology and chemistry","volume":"122 ","pages":"108933"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146121383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}