Pan troglodytes known as the common chimpanzee is an endangered species and finds its mention in the endangered list of animals around the world. Interestingly enough phylogenetic analyses have revealed that this species is an essential sister group to the modern humans and thus is of great evolutionary value. With the increase in data and utilization of micro – RNA based therapeutics comprehensive analyses of micro – RNAs of species having close human lineage is of utmost importance. This work focuses on the secondary structural analyses of micro RNAs and their precursors from Pan Troglodytes.

Heparin-binding hemagglitinin (HBHA) has been identified as a surface-exposed adhesin that is responsible for mediating interactions with non-phagocytic cells and subsequent dissemination of the pathogen from the primary infection site. There has been a suggestion that HBHA is a good marker for the immunodiagnosis of latent tuberculosis, and HBHA- specific Th1 responses may contribute to protective immunity against active tuberculosis. This can be established from the fact that latently infected human individuals mount a strong T cell response to HBHA, whereas patients with active disease do not. However the structural analysis of the protein is still a virgin area which is the main focus of this work. Several important structural features were identified through the various methods used and data suggests that the protein is an orphan protein due to its low similarity rate (<10%) with known proteins and there are multiple epitopes comprising the largest binding pockets in the protein structure. This data would enable researchers to successfully design their in vivo studies with the said protein.