Expression in plants and immunogenicity of plant virus-based experimental rabies vaccine

Plant based HIV-1 vaccine candidate: Tat protein produced in spinach

The HIV-1 Tat protein has been recently explored as a prospective vaccine candidate with broad, subtype non-specific action. We approached the problem of delivery of Tat through the mucosal route by expressing Tat in an edible plant. The tat gene was assembled from synthetic overlapping oligonucleotides, and was subsequently cloned into a plant virus-based vector tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Spinach plants inoculated with the Tat-producing constructs were collected and fed to mice 7-14 days post inoculation. DNA vaccinations were performed using a gene gun. Codon optimization of the Tat gene expressed in spinach plants resulted in several-fold yield increase as detected in immunoblots, and did not cause severe symptoms in inoculated plants. Mice were fed with the Tat-producing or control vector-inoculated spinach. After three feedings, 1 week apart, 1g per mice, no differences were detected in the growth rate or behavior of the animals fed with these three types of spinach. None of the animals developed measurable Tat antibodies. Following DNA vaccination, however, mice having previously received oral Tat developed higher antibody titers to Tat than did the controls, with the titers peaking at 4 weeks post-vaccination. Codon optimization allows production of up to 300-500 microg of Tat antigen per 1 g of leaf tissue in spinach using a plant virus-based expression system. The plant produced Tat does not seem to have any apparent adverse effect on mice growth or behavior, when fed with spinach for 4 weeks. ELISA data suggested that oral Tat primed for the development of Tat antibodies when mice were subsequently vaccinated with plasmid DNA designed for Tat expression.

Plant-derived vaccines against diarrhoeal diseases

Transgenic plant-derived vaccines offer a new strategy for the development of safe, inexpensive vaccines against diarrhoeal diseases. In animal and Phase I clinical studies, these vaccines have been safe and immunogenic without the need for a buffer or vehicle other than the plant cell. This review examines some early attempts to develop oral transgenic plant vaccines against enteric infections such as enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli infection, cholera and norovirus infection.

Immunogenic properties of a chimeric plant virus expressing a hepatitis C virus (HCV)-derived epitope: new prospects for an HCV vaccine

A vaccine against Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is urgently needed due to the unsatisfactory clinical response to current therapies. We evaluated the immunological properties of a chimeric Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), a plant virus engineered to express on its surface a synthetic peptide derived from many HVR1 sequences of the HCV envelope protein E2 (R9 mimotope). Evidence was obtained that the chimeric R9-CMV elicits a specific humoral response in rabbits. Furthermore, in patients with chronic HCV infection, purified preparations of R9-CMV down-modulated the lymphocyte surface density of CD3 and CD8, and induced a significant release of interferon (IFN)-gamma, interleukin (IL)-12 p70 and IL-15 by lymphomonocyte cultures. Finally, an R9 mimotope-specific CD8 T-cell response, as assessed by intracellular IFN-gamma production, was achieved in the majority of the patients studied. Our results open up new prospects for the development of effective vaccines against HCV infection. Moreover, the wide edible host range of CMV makes the production of an edible vaccine conceivable.

Orally delivered malaria vaccines: not too hard to swallow

Vaccines offer efficient and cost-effective protection against a wide range of infectious diseases. Unfortunately, no effective vaccine is yet available against malaria, and this infection remains one of the most important causes of human morbidity and mortality in the developing world. Over the past two decades a number of candidate proteins for inclusion in a subunit vaccine have been identified. Malariologists believe that an effective malaria vaccine will need to include multiple proteins that induce protective immune responses against different stages of the Plasmodium life cycle. The construction of such multivalent vaccines is beset by considerable logistical difficulties, not least of which is how to deliver them to a population living in endemic areas. Compared with other routes of vaccine administration, oral delivery has several advantages that make it an attractive strategy for vaccine development. This review summarises the progress towards an oral vaccine delivery system for malaria and discusses the feasibility of this approach.

Development and assessment of a potato virus X-based expression system with improved biosafety

Over the last decade, plant virus-based vectors have been developed and successfully exploited for high-yield production of heterologous proteins in plants. However, widespread application of recombinant viruses raises concerns about possible risks to the environment. One of the primary safety issues that must be considered is the uncontrolled spread of the genetically engineered virus from experimental plants to susceptible weeds or crops. Using a movement-deficient Potato virus X (PVX)-based transient gene expression vector which harbors the beta-glucuronidase (gus) gene, we established a plant viral expression system that provides containment of the recombinant virus and allows for safe and efficient protein production. By deletion of the viral 25k movement protein gene, systemic spread of the modified virus in non-transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants was successfully inhibited. In transgenic N. benthamiana plants expressing the 25K viral movement protein, this deficiency was complemented, thus resulting in systemic infection with the movement-deficient virus. While no differences in virus spread and accumulation were observed compared to infection caused by wild-type PVX in non-transgenic plants, the movement protein transgenic plants exhibited none of the normal symptoms of viral infection. Several biosafety aspects were investigated including the potential for recombination between the defective virus and the movement protein transgene, as well as complementation effects in non-transgenic plants doubly infected with the defective and the wild-type virus. Furthermore, the applicability of the safety system for the production of heterologous proteins was evaluated with gus as a model gene. With respect to the stability of the gus insert and the expression level of the GUS protein, there were no differences between the novel system developed and the conventional PVX-based expression system.

Expression of a vaccine protein in a plant cell line using a geminivirus-based replicon system

Edible vaccines have been generated from both transgenic plants as well as from plant viral vectors. Here, we have taken the best attributions of both systems and designed a minimalized version of the bean yellow dwarf geminivirus (BeYDV)-based replicon consisting of the cis-acting elements required for BeYDV replication as a means to express foreign genes in a plant cell line. Replication can be switched on at high levels upon expression of the BeYDV Rep protein, and gene expression enhanced enormously. Construction of an expression cassette encoding a synthetic vaccine gene and analysis of expression levels of a vaccine protein in a plant cell line system are described.

High-level expression of the neutralizing epitope of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus by a tobacco mosaic virus-based vector

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) causes acute enteritis in pigs of all ages and is often fatal for neonates. A tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)-based vector was utilized for the expression of a core neutralizing epitope of PEDV (COE) for the development of a plant-based vaccine. In this study, the coding sequence of a COE gene was optimized based on the modification of codon usage in tobacco plant genes and the removal of mRNA-destabilizing sequences. The native and synthetic COE genes were cloned into TMV-based vectors and expressed in tobacco plants. The recombinant COE protein constituted up to 5.0% of the total soluble protein in the leaves of tobacco plants infected with the TMV-based vector containing synthetic COE gene, which was approximately 30-fold higher than that in tobacco plants infected with TMV-based vector containing a native COE gene. Therefore, this result indicates that the plant viral expression system with a synthetic gene optimized for plant expression is suitable to produce a large amount of antigen for the development of plant-based vaccine rapidly.

Immunogenicity of recombinant LT-B delivered orally to humans in transgenic corn

Previous clinical studies have demonstrated the feasibility of using edible transgenic plants to deliver protective antigens as new oral vaccines. Transgenic corn is particularly attractive for this purpose since the recombinant antigen is stable and homogeneous, and corn can be formulated in several edible forms without destroying the cloned antigen. Transgenic corn expressing 1 mg of LT-B of Escherichia coli without buffer was fed to adult volunteers in three doses, each consisting of 2.1 g of plant material. Seven (78%) of nine volunteers developed rises in both serum IgG anti-LT and numbers of specific antibody secreting cells after vaccination. Four (44%) of nine volunteers also developed stool IgA. Transgenic plants represent a new vector for oral vaccine antigens.

A corn-based delivery system for animal vaccines: an oral transmissible gastroenteritis virus vaccine boosts lactogenic immunity in swine

Recombinant plant expression systems offer a means to produce large quantities of selected antigens for subunit vaccines. Cereals are particularly well-suited expression vehicles since the expressed proteins can be stored at relatively high concentrations for extended periods of time without degradation and dry seed can be formulated into oral vaccines suitable for commercial applications. A subunit vaccine candidate directed against porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus and expressed in corn seed has been developed for oral delivery to swine. Here, we show that this vaccine, when administered to previously sensitized gilts, can boost neutralizing antibody levels in the animals’ serum, colostrum and milk. Thus, this vaccine candidate is effective at boosting lactogenic immunity and is appropriate to pursue through large-scale field trials preceding commercialization.

Expression of Amyloid-β1–40 and 1–42 Peptides in Capsicum annum var. angulosum for Oral Immunization

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the leading cause of dementia in the elderly population, still remains without an effective treatment. The accumulation and deposition of the amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta) in the brain is thought to be a key event in the pathogenesis of AD. Recently, a novel exciting technology has been investigated to combat AD: new immunotherapeutic approaches have been described that are based on vaccination with the Abeta peptide itself, and this has been shown to induce functionally beneficial anti-Abeta antibody responses in different transgenic animal models of AD. Here we report the high level expression of GFP-Abeta1-40 and 1-42 peptides in Capsicum annum var. angulosum (green pepper) using a new tomato mosaic tobamovirus-based hybrid replication vector. After preinoculation of Nicotiana benthamiana plants with the in vitro transcript of the vector, the isolated virions were used to inoculate green pepper, which accumulated the GFPAbeta1-40 or 1-42 fusion proteins to a level of 100 microg/g of leaves 7 days after inoculation. These results make it possible to test whether oral immunization by feeding plant samples could stimulate antibody production against Abeta peptides.

Expression of the B subunit of the heat-labile enterotoxin of Escherichia coli in tobacco mosaic virus-infected Nicotiana benthamiana plants and its characterization as mucosal immunogen and adjuvant

We have produced biologically active recombinant (r) LTB, the nontoxic B subunit of heat-labile toxin (LT) of Escherichia coli in tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)-infected Nicotiana benthamiana plants. We amplified the LTB encoding sequence with its leader and introduced a hexahistidyl tag and an endoplasmic reticulum retention signal. The resulting product was ligated into a TMV-based plant viral expression vector that was used for the generation of recombinant viral RNA. Eighty-nine percent of N. benthamiana plants inoculated with the recombinant viral RNA were systemically infected as determined by anti-TMV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) experiments. The rLTB monomer was identified by LT-specific as well as by histidyl-tag-specific immunoblots. rLTB from plant extracts of TMV-infected N. benthamiana leaves was purified to give 75 microg rLTB pentamers per gram fresh plant material and was capable of binding G(M)1 ganglioside. The immunogenicity of the plant-produced rLTB was tested in mice and showed that intranasal application of rLTB (15 microg per mouse) induced LTB-specific IgG1 antibodies. To prove its adjuvanticity, rLTB was intranasally co-administered with the Hevea latex allergen Hev b 3, leading to allergen-specific IgG1 and IgG2a antibody production. The fact that intranasal application of rLTB and Hev b 3 prior to systemic challenge with the allergen enhanced the Th2 responses at the humoral and cellular level indicated that rLTB promoted immune responses that were naturally induced by the antigen/allergen. In conclusion, these results indicate that the plant viral expression system is suitable for the rapid large-scale production of biologically active LTB with strong mucosal adjuvant capacity.

Plant virus expression systems for transient production of recombinant allergens in Nicotiana benthamiana

In recent years, several studies have demonstrated the use of autonomously replicating plant viruses as vehicles to express a variety of therapeutic molecules of pharmaceutical interest. Plant virus vectors for expression of heterologous proteins in plants represent an attractive biotechnological tool to complement the conventional production of recombinant proteins in bacterial, fungal, or mammalian cells. Virus vectors are advantageous when high levels of gene expression are desired within a short time, although the instability of the foreign genes in the viral genome may present problems. Similar levels of foreign protein production in transgenic plants often are unattainable, in some cases because of the toxicity of the foreign protein. Now virus-based vectors are for the first time investigated as a means of producing recombinant allergens in plants. Several plant virus vectors have been developed for the expression of foreign proteins. Here, we describe the utilization of tobacco mosaic virus- and potato virus X-based vectors for the transient expression of plant allergens in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. One approach involves the inoculation of tobacco plants with infectious RNA transcribed in vitro from a cDNA copy of the recombinant viral genome. Another approach utilizes the transfection of whole plants from wounds inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens containing cDNA copies of recombinant plus-sense RNA viruses.

Japanese encephalitis vaccines: moving away from the mouse brain

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a severe disease that is widespread throughout Asia and is spreading beyond its traditional boundaries. Three vaccines are currently in use against JE but only one is available internationally, a mouse-brain-derived inactivated vaccine first used in the 1930s. Although this vaccine has been effective in reducing the incidence of JE, it is relatively expensive and has been linked to severe allergic and neurological reactions. Cell-culture-derived inactivated and attenuated vaccines have been developed but are only used in the People's Republic of China. Other vaccines currently in various stages of development are DNA vaccines, a chimeric yellow fever-JE viral vaccine, virus-like particle vaccines and poxvirus-based vaccines. Poxvirus-based vaccines and the chimeric yellow fever-JE vaccine have been tested in Phase I clinical trials. These new vaccines have the potential to significantly reduce the impact of JE in Asia, particularly if used in an oral vaccine delivery strategy.

Plant-based vaccines

Plant systems are reviewed with regard to their ability to express and produce subunit vaccines. Examples of different types of expression systems producing a variety of vaccine candidates are illustrated. Many of these subunit vaccines have been purified and shown to elicit an immune response when injected into animal models. This review also includes vaccines that have been administered orally in a non-purified form as a food or feed product. Cases are highlighted which demonstrate that orally delivered plant-based vaccines can elicit immune responses and in some case studies, confer protection. Examples are used to illustrate some of the inherent advantages of a plant-based system, such as cost, ease of scale-up and convenience of delivery. Also, some of the key steps are identified that will be necessary to bring these new vaccines to the market.

Plant cell factories and mucosal vaccines

Many advances continue to be made in the field of plant-derived vaccines. Plants have been shown capable of expressing a multicomponent vaccine that when orally delivered induces a T-helper cell subset 1 response and enables passive immunization. Furthermore, a plant-derived vaccine has been shown to protect against challenge in the target host. Increased antigen expression levels (up to 4.1% total soluble protein) have been obtained through transformation of the chloroplast genome. In view of these findings, plant-derived vaccines have been proved as valuable commodities to the world's health system; however, before their application, studies need to focus on optimization of immunization strategies and to investigate antigen stability.