[Frontiers in Bioscience E4, 311-319, January 1, 2012]

Immunoinformatics: how in silico methods are re-shaping the investigation of peptide immune specificity

Lawrence Jin Kiat Wee1,2, Shen Jean Lim3, Lisa F.P. Ng1,3, Joo Chuan Tong2,3

1Singapore Immunology Network, 8A Biomedical Grove, No. 04-06 Immunos, Biopolis, Singapore 138648, 2Data Mining Department, Institute for Infocomm Research, 1 Fusionopolis Way, No. 21-01 Connexis South Tower, Singapore 138632, 3Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 8 Medical Drive, Singapore 117597

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Immunological databases
4. T-cell epitope prediction
5. B-cell epitope prediction
6. Emerging perspectives
6.1. Caspases
6.2. Granzymes
7. Conclusion
8. Acknowledgements
9. References

1. ABSTRACT

In the past decade, information technology has enabled synergistic advances in key domains of immunological research including the development of diagnostics and vaccines. Computational methods of epitope mapping now play instrumental roles in bench experiments, by facilitating the selection of immunogenic targets and the modeling of downstream cellular responses. In this article, we summarize the latest development and application of immune epitope prediction methods and discuss future directions in this field which could enhance our understanding of immune specificity.