Secretome,surfome and immunome: emerging approaches for the discovery of new vaccine candidates against bacterial infections

Functional genomics has made possible advanced structure-to-function investigation of pathogens and helped characterize virulence mechanisms. Proteomics has been become a tool for large-scale identification of proteins involved during invasion and infection by the pathogens. Bacterial surface and secreted proteins play key role in the interaction between the bacterial cell and the host environment. Thus exoproteome and surface proteome of a microorganism are hypothesized to contain components of effective vaccines. Surfome and exoproteome analysis strategy facilitates identification of novel vaccine antigen and overall helps in progress of discovery of vaccine. The study of the antibody response can advance how proteomics is used, because it investigates antibody–antigen interactions and also unravel the relationship of antibody responses to pathogen and host characteristics. System immunology integrating with proteome i.e. immunoproteomics is applicable to those infections that are having tendency of diverse antibody target recognition and thus accurately reflects progression of the infection.