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Pandey A, Karmous I. Exploring the Potential of Plant-Based Nanotechnology in Cancer Immunotherapy: Benefits, Limitations, and Future Perspectives. Biol Trace Elem Res 2024:10.1007/s12011-024-04266-6. [PMID: 38862749 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-024-04266-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Reconceptualizing cancer immunotherapy can be improved if combined with plant production systems and nanotechnology. This review aims to contribute to the knowledge of plant use in nanomedicine and cancer immunotherapy. In the foreground, we outlined each of these approaches; nanomedicine, green synthesis, and immunotherapy. The benefits of plant-based nanoparticles in mending the immune systems were subsequently analyzed, with reference to the literature. The combining effects of biological and therapeutic properties of some phytochemicals and their derivatives, with targeted nanoparticles and selective immunotherapy, can enhance the delivery of drugs and antibodies, and induce antitumor immune responses, via activation of functions of neutrophils, lymphocyte cells, and natural killer cells, and macrophages, resulting in induced apoptosis and phagocytosis of tumor cells, which can improve designing immunotherapeutic strategies targeting cancer, with a larger spectrum compared to the current cytotoxic anticancer drugs commonly used in clinics. This study uncovers the mechanistic drivers of cancer immunoengineering in cancer therapy using plant-based nanomaterials, enhancing therapeutic benefits while minimizing toxic and side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashish Pandey
- Department of Radiology, Tech4Health Institute, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ines Karmous
- Biology and Environmental Department, Institute of Applied Biology of Medenine (ISBAM), University of Gabes, Gabes, Tunisia.
- Plant Toxicology and Molecular Biology of Microorganisms, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerta, University of Carthage, Carthage, Tunisia.
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2
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Krittanai S, Rattanapisit K, Bulaon CJI, Pitaksajjakul P, Keadsanti S, Ramasoota P, Strasser R, Phoolcharoen W. Nicotiana benthamiana as a potential source for producing anti-dengue virus D54 neutralizing therapeutic antibody. BIOTECHNOLOGY REPORTS (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2024; 42:e00844. [PMID: 38881650 PMCID: PMC11179242 DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2024.e00844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV), transmitted by mosquitoes, is classified into four serotypes (DENV1-4) and typically causes mild, self-limiting symptoms upon initial infection. However, secondary infection can lead to severe symptoms due to antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). To address this, anti-DENV antibodies are being developed with the goal of neutralizing infection without ADE activity. Previous attempts using a 54_hG1 antibody from CHO-K1 mammalian cells resulted in ADE induction, increasing viral infection. This study aimed to express the D54 monoclonal antibody in Nicotiana benthamiana. The plant-produced antibody had a similar neutralizing profile to the previous 54_hG1 antibody. Notably, the ADE activities of the plant-derived antibody were successfully eliminated, with no sign of viral induction. These findings suggest that N. benthamiana could be a source of therapeutic DENV antibodies. The method offers several advantages, including lower ADE, cost-effectiveness, simple facility requirements, scalability, and potential industrial-scale production in GMP facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supaluk Krittanai
- Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | | | | | - Pannamthip Pitaksajjakul
- Center of Excellence for Antibody Research, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
- Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Sujitra Keadsanti
- Center of Excellence for Antibody Research, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Pongrama Ramasoota
- Center of Excellence for Antibody Research, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
- Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
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3
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Ali DS, Gad HA, Hathout RM. Enhancing Effector Jurkat Cell Activity and Increasing Cytotoxicity against A549 Cells Using Nivolumab as an Anti-PD-1 Agent Loaded on Gelatin Nanoparticles. Gels 2024; 10:352. [PMID: 38920901 PMCID: PMC11202840 DOI: 10.3390/gels10060352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Revised: 05/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The current research investigated the use of gelatin nanoparticles (GNPs) for enhancing the cytotoxic effects of nivolumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor. The unique feature of GNPs is their biocompatibility and functionalization potential, improving the delivery and the efficacy of immunotherapeutic drugs with fewer side effects compared to traditional treatments. This exploration of GNPs represents an innovative direction in the advancement of nanomedicine in oncology. Nivolumab-loaded GNPs were prepared and characterized. The optimum formulation had a particle size of 191.9 ± 0.67 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.027 ± 0.02, and drug entrapment of 54.67 ± 3.51%. A co-culture experiment involving A549 target cells and effector Jurkat cells treated with free nivolumab solution, and nivolumab-loaded GNPs, demonstrated that the latter had significant improvements in inhibition rate by scoring 87.88 ± 2.47% for drug-loaded GNPs against 60.53 ± 3.96% for the free nivolumab solution. The nivolumab-loaded GNPs had a lower IC50 value, of 0.41 ± 0.01 µM, compared to free nivolumab solution (1.22 ± 0.37 µM) at 72 h. The results indicate that administering nivolumab-loaded GNPs augmented the cytotoxicity against A549 cells by enhancing effector Jurkat cell activity compared to nivolumab solution treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalia S. Ali
- Department of Biotechnology, Central Administration of Biological, Innovative Products and Clinical Studies, Egyptian Drug Authority, Giza 11566, Egypt
| | - Heba A. Gad
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt
- Pharmacy Program, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah 21442, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rania M. Hathout
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt
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Izadi S, Gumpelmair S, Coelho P, Duarte HO, Gomes J, Leitner J, Kunnummel V, Mach L, Reis CA, Steinberger P, Castilho A. Plant-derived Durvalumab variants show efficient PD-1/PD-L1 blockade and therapeutically favourable FcR binding. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2024; 22:1224-1237. [PMID: 38050338 PMCID: PMC11022803 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.14260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blocking therapy targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitory signalling pathway has produced encouraging results in the treatment of a variety of cancers. Durvalumab (Imfinzi®) targeting PD-L1 is currently used for immunotherapy of several tumour malignancies. The Fc region of this IgG1 antibody has been engineered to reduce FcγR interactions with the aim of enhancing blockade of PD-1/PD-L1 interactions without the depletion of PD-L1-expressing immune cells. Here, we used Nicotiana benthamiana to produce four variants of Durvalumab (DL): wild-type IgG1 and its 'Fc-effector-silent' variant (LALAPG) carrying further modifications to increase antibody half-life (YTE); IgG4S228P and its variant (PVA) with Fc mutations to decrease binding to FcγRI. In addition, DL variants were produced with two distinct glycosylation profiles: afucosylated and decorated with α1,6-core fucose. Plant-derived DL variants were compared to the therapeutic antibody regarding their ability to (i) bind to PD-L1, (ii) block PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitory signalling and (iii) engage with the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) and various Fcγ receptors. It was found that plant-derived DL variants bind to recombinant PD-L1 and to PD-L1 expressed in gastrointestinal cancer cells and are able to effectively block its interaction with PD-1 on T cells, thereby enhancing their activation. Furthermore, we show a positive impact of Fc amino acid mutations and core fucosylation on DL's therapeutic potential. Compared to Imfinzi®, DL-IgG1 (LALAPG) and DL-IgG4 (PVA)S228P show lower affinity to CD32B inhibitory receptor which can be therapeutically favourable. Importantly, DL-IgG1 (LALAPG) also shows enhanced binding to FcRn, a key determinant of serum half-life of IgGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiva Izadi
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyInstitute for Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Simon Gumpelmair
- Division of Immune Receptors and T Cell ActivationInstitute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Pedro Coelho
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP)PortoPortugal
| | - Henrique O. Duarte
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP)PortoPortugal
| | - Joana Gomes
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP)PortoPortugal
| | - Judith Leitner
- Division of Immune Receptors and T Cell ActivationInstitute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Vinny Kunnummel
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyInstitute for Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Lukas Mach
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyInstitute for Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Celso A. Reis
- i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP)PortoPortugal
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- Faculty of Medicine (FMUP)University of PortoPortoPortugal
| | - Peter Steinberger
- Division of Immune Receptors and T Cell ActivationInstitute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Alexandra Castilho
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyInstitute for Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
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Bulaon CJI, Khorattanakulchai N, Rattanapisit K, Sun H, Pisuttinusart N, Phoolcharoen W. Development of Plant-Derived Bispecific Monoclonal Antibody Targeting PD-L1 and CTLA-4 against Mouse Colorectal Cancer. PLANTA MEDICA 2024; 90:305-315. [PMID: 38373705 DOI: 10.1055/a-2240-7534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Checkpoint blockade immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, with monoclonal antibodies targeting immune checkpoints, yielding promising clinical benefits. However, with the advent of resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment in clinical trials, developing next-generation antibodies with potentially increased efficacy is critical. Here, we aimed to generate a recombinant bispecific monoclonal antibody for dual inhibition of programmed cell death protein 1/programmed cell death ligand 1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 axes. The plant system was used as an alternative platform for bispecific monoclonal antibody production. Dual variable domain immunoglobulin atezolizumab × 2C8 is a plant-derived bispecific monoclonal antibody that combines both programmed cell death ligand 1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 blockade into a single molecule. Dual variable domain immunoglobulin atezolizumab × 2C8 was transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana and the expression level was determined to be the highest after 4 days of infiltration. The size and assembly of the purified bispecific monoclonal antibody were determined, and its function was investigated in vitro and in vivo. The molecular structures of plant-produced dual variable domain immunoglobulin atezolizumab × 2C8 are as expected, and it was mostly present as a monomer. The plant-produced dual variable domain immunoglobulin atezolizumab × 2C8 showed in vitro binding to programmed cell death ligand 1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 proteins. The antitumor activity of plant-produced bispecific monoclonal antibody was tested in vivo by treating humanized Balb/c mice bearing a CT26 colorectal tumor. Plant-produced dual variable domain immunoglobulin atezolizumab × 2C8 significantly inhibited tumor growth by reducing tumor volume and weight. Body weight changes indicated that the plant-produced bispecific monoclonal antibody was safe and tolerable. Overall, this proof of concept study demonstrated the viability of plants to produce functional plant-based bispecific immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Joy I Bulaon
- Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | | | | | - Nuttapat Pisuttinusart
- Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Rattanapisit K, Bulaon CJI, Strasser R, Sun H, Phoolcharoen W. In vitro and in vivo studies of plant-produced Atezolizumab as a potential immunotherapeutic antibody. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14146. [PMID: 37644118 PMCID: PMC10465495 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41510-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a well-known class of immunotherapeutic drugs that have been used for effective treatment of several cancers. Atezolizumab (Tecentriq) was the first antibody to target immune checkpoint PD-L1 and is now among the most commonly used anticancer therapies. However, this anti-PD-L1 antibody is produced in mammalian cells with high manufacturing costs, limiting cancer patients' access to the antibody treatment. Plant expression system is another platform that can be utilized, as they can synthesize complex glycoproteins, are rapidly scalable, and relatively cost-efficient. Herein, Atezolizumab was transiently produced in Nicotiana benthamiana and demonstrated high expression level within 4-6 days post-infiltration. After purification by affinity chromatography, the purified plant-produced Atezolizumab was compared to Tecentriq and showed the absence of glycosylation. Furthermore, the plant-produced Atezolizumab could bind to PD-L1 with comparable affinity to Tecentriq in ELISA. The tumor growth inhibitory activity of plant-produced Atezolizumab in mice was also found to be similar to that of Tecentriq. These findings confirm the plant's capability to serve as an efficient production platform for immunotherapeutic antibodies and suggest that it could be used to alleviate the cost of existing anticancer products.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christine Joy I Bulaon
- Center of Excellence in Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Center of Excellence in Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
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Bulaon CJI, Khorattanakulchai N, Rattanapisit K, Sun H, Pisuttinusart N, Strasser R, Tanaka S, Soon-Shiong P, Phoolcharoen W. Antitumor effect of plant-produced anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody in a murine model of colon cancer. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1149455. [PMID: 37711295 PMCID: PMC10497774 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1149455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) is an immune checkpoint regulator exclusively expressed on T cells that obstructs the cell's effector functions. Ipilimumab (Yervoy®), a CTLA-4 blocking antibody, emerged as a notable breakthrough in modern cancer treatment, showing upfront clinical benefits in multiple carcinomas. However, the exhilarating cost of checkpoint blockade therapy is discouraging and even utmost prominent in developing countries. Thereby, affordability of cancer care has become a point of emphasis in drug development pipelines. Plant expression system blossomed as a cutting-edge platform for rapid, facile to scale-up, and economical production of recombinant therapeutics. Here, we describe the production of an anti-CTLA-4 2C8 antibody in Nicotiana benthamiana. ELISA and bio-layer interferometry were used to analyze antigen binding and binding kinetics. Anticancer responses in vivo were evaluated using knocked-in mice implanted with syngeneic colon tumor. At 4 days post-infiltration, the antibody was transiently expressed in plants with yields of up to 39.65 ± 8.42 μg/g fresh weight. Plant-produced 2C8 binds to both human and murine CTLA-4, and the plant-produced IgG1 also binds to human FcγRIIIa (V158). In addition, the plant-produced 2C8 monoclonal antibody is as effective as Yervoy® in inhibiting tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, our study underlines the applicability of plant platform to produce functional therapeutic antibodies with promising potential in cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Joy I. Bulaon
- Center of Excellence in Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Graduate Program of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | | | | | - Nuttapat Pisuttinusart
- Center of Excellence in Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Graduate Program of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Shiho Tanaka
- ImmunityBio, Inc., Culver City, CA, United States
| | | | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Center of Excellence in Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Nguyen KD, Kajiura H, Kamiya R, Yoshida T, Misaki R, Fujiyama K. Production and N-glycan engineering of Varlilumab in Nicotiana benthamiana. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1215580. [PMID: 37615027 PMCID: PMC10442953 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1215580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
N-glycan engineering has dramatically evolved for the development and quality control of recombinant antibodies. Fc region of IgG contains two N-glycans whose galactose terminals on Fc-glycan have been shown to increase the stability of CH2 domain and improve effector functions. Nicotiana benthamiana has become one of the most attractive production systems for therapeutic antibodies. In this study, Varlilumab, a CD27-targeting monoclonal antibody, was transiently produced in fresh leaves of soil-grown and hydroponic-grown N. benthamiana, resulted in the yield of 174 and 618 µg/gram, respectively. However, the IgG produced in wild-type N. benthamiana lacked the terminal galactose residues in its N-glycan. Therefore, N-glycan engineering was applied to fine-tune recombinant antibodies produced in plant platforms. We further co-expressed IgG together with murine β1,4-galactosyltransferase (β1,4-GALT) to modify plant N-glycan with β1,4-linked Gal residue(s) and Arabidopsis thaliana β1,3-galactosylatransferase (β1,3-GALT) to improve galactosylation. The co-expression of IgG with each of GALTs successfully resulted in modification of N-glycan structures on the plant-produced IgG. Notably, IgG co-expressed with murine β1,4-GALT in soil-grown N. benthamiana had 42.5% of N-glycans variants having galactose (Gal) residues at the non-reducing terminus and 55.3% of that in hydroponic-grown N. benthamiana plants. Concomitantly, N-glycan profile analysis of IgG co-expressed with β1,3-GALT demonstrated that there was an increased efficiency of galactosylation and an enhancement in the formation of Lewis a structure in plant-derived antibodies. Taken together, our findings show that the first plant-derived Varlilumab was successfully produced with biantennary β1,4-galactosylated N-glycan structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Dua Nguyen
- International Center for Biotechnology, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kajiura
- International Center for Biotechnology, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- Industrial Biotechnology Initiative Division, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives (OTRI), Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ryo Kamiya
- GreenLand-Kidaya Group Co Ltd., Fukui, Japan
| | | | - Ryo Misaki
- International Center for Biotechnology, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- Industrial Biotechnology Initiative Division, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives (OTRI), Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kazuhito Fujiyama
- International Center for Biotechnology, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- Industrial Biotechnology Initiative Division, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives (OTRI), Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- Osaka University Cooperative Research Station in Southeast Asia (OU: CRS), Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Stark MC, Joubert AM, Visagie MH. Molecular Farming of Pembrolizumab and Nivolumab. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10045. [PMID: 37373192 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241210045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a class of immunotherapy agents capable of alleviating the immunosuppressive effects exerted by tumorigenic cells. The programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) immune checkpoint is one of the most ubiquitous checkpoints utilized by tumorigenic cells for immune evasion by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting the proliferation and cytokine production of T lymphocytes. Currently, the most frequently used ICIs targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint include monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) pembrolizumab and nivolumab that bind to PD-1 on T lymphocytes and inhibit interaction with PD-L1 on tumorigenic cells. However, pembrolizumab and nivolumab are costly, and thus their accessibility is limited in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Therefore, it is essential to develop novel biomanufacturing platforms capable of reducing the cost of these two therapies. Molecular farming is one such platform utilizing plants for mAb production, and it has been demonstrated to be a rapid, low-cost, and scalable platform that can be potentially implemented in LMICs to diminish the exorbitant prices, ultimately leading to a significant reduction in cancer-related mortalities within these countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Stark
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X323, Pretoria 0031, South Africa
| | - Anna M Joubert
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X323, Pretoria 0031, South Africa
| | - Michelle H Visagie
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X323, Pretoria 0031, South Africa
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Bulaon CJI, Sun H, Malla A, Phoolcharoen W. Therapeutic efficacy of plant-produced Nivolumab in transgenic C57BL/6-hPD-1 mouse implanted with MC38 colon cancer. BIOTECHNOLOGY REPORTS 2023; 38:e00794. [PMID: 37064962 PMCID: PMC10090705 DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 02/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
The therapeutic blockade of inhibitory PD-1 signaling has emerged as an effective approach for cancer immunotherapy. Nivolumab (Opdivo®), a monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting the PD-1 immune checkpoint, is approved for treatment of several cancer indications. It functions by blocking the PD-1-mediated T-cell inhibition thus reinstating anticancer immune responses. Tremendous advances in plant biotechnology offer an alternative and economical strategy to produce therapeutic mAbs for immune-based therapies. In this study, recombinant anti-PD-1 Nivolumab was produced in Nicotiana benthamiana and the plant-produced anti-PD-1 mAb was exploited for cancer treatment in syngeneic mice model C57BL/6 mice that were used to test the antitumor efficacy of plant produced Nivolumab, along with commercial Opdivo®. C57BL/6 syngeneic mice treated with plant produced anti-PD-1 mAb exhibited reduction in the growth of established MC38 tumors. The plant produced Nivolumab treatment showed 82.9% antitumor effect in decreasing the tumor volume along with 50% tumor-free mice, whereas Opdivo® showed 90.26% reduction in volume without any tumor-free mice. Finally, plant-derived anti-PD-1 therapy was also well tolerated in tumor-bearing mice that correlated with no significant body weight changes. Overall, our plant-produced Nivolumab elicits significant inhibition of tumor growth in vivo and provides a proof-of-concept for the production of immunotherapy targeting PD-1.
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Lee J, Lee SK, Park JS, Lee KR. Plant-made pharmaceuticals: exploring studies for the production of recombinant protein in plants and assessing challenges ahead. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY REPORTS 2023; 17:53-65. [PMID: 36820221 PMCID: PMC9931573 DOI: 10.1007/s11816-023-00821-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The production of pharmaceutical compounds in plants is attracting increasing attention, as plant-based systems can be less expensive, safer, and more scalable than mammalian, yeast, bacterial, and insect cell expression systems. Here, we review the history and current status of plant-made pharmaceuticals. Producing pharmaceuticals in plants requires pairing the appropriate plant species with suitable transformation technology. Pharmaceuticals have been produced in tobacco, cereals, legumes, fruits, and vegetables via nuclear transformation, chloroplast transformation, transient expression, and transformation of suspension cell cultures. Despite this wide range of species and methods used, most such efforts have involved the nuclear transformation of tobacco. Tobacco readily generates large amounts of biomass, easily accepts foreign genes, and is amenable to stable gene expression via nuclear transformation. Although vaccines, antibodies, and therapeutic proteins have been produced in plants, such pharmaceuticals are not readily utilized by humans due to differences in glycosylation, and few such compounds have been approved due to a lack of clinical data. In addition, achieving an adequate immune response using plant-made pharmaceuticals can be difficult due to low rates of production compared to other expression systems. Various technologies have recently been developed to help overcome these limitations; however, plant systems are expected to increasingly become widely used expression systems for recombinant protein production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juho Lee
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju, 54874 Republic of Korea
| | - Seon-Kyeong Lee
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju, 54874 Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Sug Park
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju, 54874 Republic of Korea
| | - Kyeong-Ryeol Lee
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju, 54874 Republic of Korea
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12
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Jaewjaroenwattana J, Phoolcharoen W, Pasomsub E, Teengam P, Chailapakul O. Electrochemical paper-based antigen sensing platform using plant-derived monoclonal antibody for detecting SARS-CoV-2. Talanta 2023; 251:123783. [PMID: 35977451 PMCID: PMC9357285 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2022.123783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The current approaches of diagnostic platforms for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infections mostly relied on adapting the existing technology. In this work, a simple and low-cost electrochemical sensing platform for detecting SAR-CoV-2 antigen was established. The proposed sensor combined the innovative disposable paper-based immunosensor and cost-effective plant-based anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody CR3022, expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana. The cellulose nanocrystal was modified on screen-printed graphene electrode to provide the abundant COOH functional groups on electrode surface, leading to the high ability for antibody immobilization. The quantification of the presence receptor binding domain (RBD) spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 was performed using differential pulse voltammetry by monitoring the changing current of [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- redox solution. The current change of [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- before and after the presence of target RBD could be clearly distinguished, providing a linear relationship with RBD concentration in the range from 0.1 pg/mL to 500 ng/mL with the minimum limit of detection of 2.0 fg/mL. The proposed platform was successfully applied to detect RBD in nasopharyngeal swab samples with satisfactory results. Furthermore, the paper-based immunosensor was extended to quantify the RBD level in spiked saliva samples, demonstrating the broadly applicability of this system. This electrochemical paper-based immunosensor has the potential to be employed as a point-of-care testing for COVID-19 diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jutamas Jaewjaroenwattana
- Electrochemistry and Optical Spectroscopy Center of Excellence, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Ekawat Pasomsub
- Division of Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Prinjaporn Teengam
- Electrochemistry and Optical Spectroscopy Center of Excellence, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
| | - Orawon Chailapakul
- Electrochemistry and Optical Spectroscopy Center of Excellence, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
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13
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Phetphoung T, Malla A, Rattanapisit K, Pisuttinusart N, Damrongyot N, Joyjamras K, Chanvorachote P, Phakham T, Wongtangprasert T, Strasser R, Chaotham C, Phoolcharoen W. Expression of plant-produced anti-PD-L1 antibody with anoikis sensitizing activity in human lung cancer cells via., suppression on epithelial-mesenchymal transition. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0274737. [PMID: 36367857 PMCID: PMC9651560 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint antibodies in cancer treatment are receptor-ligand pairs that modulate cancer immunity. PD-1/PD-L1 pathway has emerged as one of the major targets in cancer immunotherapy. Atezolizumab, the first anti-PD-L1 antibody approved for the treatment of metastatic urothelial, non-small cell lung, small cell lung and triple-negative breast cancers, is produced in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells with several limitations i.e., high-production costs, low-capacity yields, and contamination risks. Due to the rapid scalability and low production costs, the transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves was investigated by co-infiltration of Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV3101 cultures harboring the nucleic acid sequences encoding for Atezolizumab heavy chain and light chain in this study. The transient expression of Atezolizumab in transformed N. benthamiana accumulated up to 86.76 μg/g fresh leaf weight after 6 days of agroinfiltration (OD 600 nm: 0.4) with 1:1 ratio of heavy chain to light chain. The structural and functional characteristics of plant-produced Atezolizumab was compared with commercially available Tecentriq® from CHO cells with similar binding efficacies to PD-L1 receptor. The direct anti-cancer effect of plant-produced anti-PD-L1 was further performed in human lung metastatic cancer cells H460 cultured under detachment condition, demonstrating the activity of anti-PD-L1-antibody on sensitizing anoikis as well as the suppression on anti-apoptosis proteins (Bcl-2 and Mcl-1) and modulation of epithelial to mesenchymal regulating proteins (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Snail and Slug). In conclusion, this study manifests plants as an alternative cost-effective platform for the production of functional monoclonal antibodies for use in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thareeya Phetphoung
- Graduate Program of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | | | - Nuttapat Pisuttinusart
- Graduate Program of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Naruechai Damrongyot
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Keerati Joyjamras
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Unit, Department of Medical Science, Faculty of Science, Rangsit University, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Pithi Chanvorachote
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Cancer Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Tanapati Phakham
- Center of Excellence in Systems Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Excellence Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Tossapon Wongtangprasert
- Center of Excellence in Systems Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Excellence Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand
- Excellence Chulalongkorn Comprehensive Cancer Center, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Chatchai Chaotham
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Cancer Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- * E-mail: (CC); (WP)
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- * E-mail: (CC); (WP)
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Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity-null effector developed using mammalian and plant GlycoDelete platform. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19030. [PMID: 36347901 PMCID: PMC9643331 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23311-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer therapy using immune checkpoint inhibitor antibodies has markedly shifted the paradigm of cancer treatment. However, methods completely eliminating the effector function of these signal-regulating antibodies is urgently required. The heterogeneity of glycan chains in antibodies limits their use as therapeutic agents due to their variability; thus, the development of uniform glycan chains is necessary. Here, we subjected the anti-programmed cell death protein (PD)-1 antibody nivolumab, a representative immune checkpoint inhibitor, to GlycoDelete (GD) engineering to remove the antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) of the antibody, leaving only one glycan in the Fc. Glyco-engineered CHO cells were prepared by overexpressing endo-β-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (Endo T) in CHO cells, in which N-acetyl-glucosaminyl-transferase I was knocked out using Cas9. GD IgG1 nivolumab and GD IgG4 nivolumab were produced using GD CHO cells, and glycan removal was confirmed using mass spectrometry. Target binding and PD-1 inhibition was not altered; however, ADCC decreased. Furthermore, the IgG4 form, determined to be the most suitable form of GD nivolumab, was produced in a plant GD system. The plant GD nivolumab also reduced ADCC without affecting PD-1 inhibitory function. Thus, CHO and plant GD platforms can be used to improve signal-regulating antibodies by reducing their effector function.
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15
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Plant Molecular Pharming and Plant-Derived Compounds towards Generation of Vaccines and Therapeutics against Coronaviruses. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10111805. [DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10111805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The current century has witnessed infections of pandemic proportions caused by Coronaviruses (CoV) including severe acute respiratory syndrome-related CoV (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome-related CoV (MERS-CoV) and the recently identified SARS-CoV2. Significantly, the SARS-CoV2 outbreak, declared a pandemic in early 2020, has wreaked devastation and imposed intense pressure on medical establishments world-wide in a short time period by spreading at a rapid pace, resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, there is a compelling need to combat and contain the CoV infections. The current review addresses the unique features of the molecular virology of major Coronaviruses that may be tractable towards antiviral targeting and design of novel preventative and therapeutic intervention strategies. Plant-derived vaccines, in particular oral vaccines, afford safer, effectual and low-cost avenues to develop antivirals and fast response vaccines, requiring minimal infrastructure and trained personnel for vaccine administration in developing countries. This review article discusses recent developments in the generation of plant-based vaccines, therapeutic/drug molecules, monoclonal antibodies and phytochemicals to preclude and combat infections caused by SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 viruses. Efficacious plant-derived antivirals could contribute significantly to combating emerging and re-emerging pathogenic CoV infections and help stem the tide of any future pandemics.
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16
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Boonyayothin W, Kobtrakul K, Khositanon P, Vimolmangkang S, Phoolcharoen W. Development of a plant-produced recombinant monoclonal antibody against Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) for immunoassay application. BIOTECHNOLOGY REPORTS (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2022; 34:e00725. [PMID: 35686006 PMCID: PMC9171438 DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2022.e00725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) is mainly a psychoactive compound in the cannabis plant. The immunoassay, an alternative method to HPLC and GC, can be used to analyze and measure Δ9-THC. This method provides high sensitivity and specificity by using antibodies specific to the desired substances. Currently, plants provide several benefits over traditional expression platforms to produce recombinant antibodies, such as lower production costs and scalability. Therefore, this study aims to produce a recombinant anti-Δ9-THC monoclonal antibody (mAb) with transient expression using N. benthamiana. The highest expression level of the plant-produced mAb was estimated to be 0.33 ug/g leaf fresh weight. Our results demonstrate that the antibody provided in vitro affinity binding related to Δ9-THC and the metabolites of Δ9-THC, such as cannabinol (CBN). Moreover, the antibody also showed binding efficiency with Δ9-THC in cannabis extract. Moreover, plant-produced mAbs provide efficiency against Δ9-THC and can be applied for further immunoassay applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanuttha Boonyayothin
- Center of Excellence in Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology Program, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Khwanlada Kobtrakul
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology Program, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Petlada Khositanon
- Research Cluster for Cannabis and its Natural Substances, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Sornkanok Vimolmangkang
- Center of Excellence in Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Research Cluster for Cannabis and its Natural Substances, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Center of Excellence in Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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17
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Comprehensive Analysis of Nivolumab, A Therapeutic Anti-Pd-1 Monoclonal Antibody: Impact of Handling and Stress. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14040692. [PMID: 35456527 PMCID: PMC9025134 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14040692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Nivolumab, formulated in the medicine Opdivo® (10 mg/mL), is a therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) used in the treatment of different types of cancer. Currently, there is insufficient knowledge about the behaviour of this protein with regards to the risk associated with its routine handling or unintentional mishandling, or when subjected to stress conditions in hospitals. These conditions can be simulated in forced degradation studies, which provide an in-depth understanding of the biophysical and biochemical properties of mAbs. In this study, we carried out a physicochemical and functional characterisation of nivolumab, which was subjected to various stress conditions: heat, freeze/thaw cycles, agitation, light exposure and high hypertonic solution. We used a wide range of analytical techniques: Far-UV CD, IT-FS, DLS, SE/UHPLC(UV)-[Native]MS, and ELISA. The results show that exposure to light was the stress test with the greatest impact on the samples, revelling the formation of non-natural dimers and a different isoform profile. In addition, nivolumab (Opdivo®) demonstrated stability up to 60 °C (1 h). As regards functionality all the nivolumab (Opdivo®) stressed samples were found to be stable except for those subjected to light and agitation, and to a lesser extent, those subjected to FTC 5 and NaCl stresses.
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18
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Improving Protein Quantity and Quality—The Next Level of Plant Molecular Farming. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031326. [PMID: 35163249 PMCID: PMC8836236 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants offer several unique advantages in the production of recombinant pharmaceuticals for humans and animals. Although numerous recombinant proteins have been expressed in plants, only a small fraction have been successfully put into use. The hugely distinct expression systems between plant and animal cells frequently cause insufficient yield of the recombinant proteins with poor or undesired activity. To overcome the issues that greatly constrain the development of plant-produced pharmaceuticals, great efforts have been made to improve expression systems and develop alternative strategies to increase both the quantity and quality of the recombinant proteins. Recent technological revolutions, such as targeted genome editing, deconstructed vectors, virus-like particles, and humanized glycosylation, have led to great advances in plant molecular farming to meet the industrial manufacturing and clinical application standards. In this review, we discuss the technological advances made in various plant expression platforms, with special focus on the upstream designs and milestone achievements in improving the yield and glycosylation of the plant-produced pharmaceutical proteins.
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Hanittinan O, Rattanapisit K, Malla A, Tharakhet K, Ketloy C, Prompetchara E, Phoolcharoen W. Feasibility of plant-expression system for production of recombinant anti-human IgE: An alternative production platform for therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1012583. [PMID: 36531354 PMCID: PMC9755585 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1012583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Omalizumab, the anti-immunoglobulin IgE antibody is the only approved and available monoclonal antibody as an auxiliary medicament for the severe respiratory allergic reactions. It forms small size immune complexes by binding to free IgE, thereby inhibiting the interaction of IgE with its receptors. Additionally, the anti-IgE can also differently shape the airflow by impeding the stimulation of IgE receptors present on structural cells in the respiratory tract. The present study aimed to use plants as an expression system for anti-human IgE antibody production, using Nicotiana benthamiana as hosts. Recombinant Agrobacterium tumefaciens containing heavy chain (HC) and light chain (LC) domains of anti-human IgE were co-transformed in N. benthamiana. The assembling of the antibody and its expression was detected by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis. The functional ability of the anti-IgE antibody was determined via its binding capacity with target IgE by ELISA and the inhibition of basophil activation. The anti-human IgE mAb generated in plants was shown to be effective in binding to its target IgE and inhibit the IgE-crosslink in RS-ATL8 reporter cells. Although, antibody yield and purification process have to be further optimized, this study demonstrates the use of plant expression system as a promising platform for the production of Omalizumab which showed a comparable in vitro function to that of commercial Omalizumab (Xolair) in the inhibition of basophil activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oranicha Hanittinan
- Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | | | - Kittipan Tharakhet
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula VRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Chutitorn Ketloy
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula VRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Eakachai Prompetchara
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula VRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- *Correspondence: Eakachai Prompetchara, ; Waranyoo Phoolcharoen,
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- *Correspondence: Eakachai Prompetchara, ; Waranyoo Phoolcharoen,
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Malaquias ADM, Marques LEC, Pereira SS, de Freitas Fernandes C, Maranhão AQ, Stabeli RG, Florean EOPT, Guedes MIF, Fernandes CFC. A review of plant-based expression systems as a platform for single-domain recombinant antibody production. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 193:1130-1137. [PMID: 34699899 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.10.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies have contributed to improving the treatment of several diseases. However, limitations related to pharmacokinetic parameters and production costs have instigated the search for alternative products. Camelids produce functional immunoglobulins G devoid of light chains and CH1 domains, in which the antigenic recognition site is formed by a single domain called VHH or nanobody. VHHs' small size and similarity to the human VH domain contribute to high tissue penetration and low immunogenicity. In addition, VHHs provide superior antigen recognition compared to human antibodies, better solubility and stability. Due to these characteristics and the possibility of obtaining gene-encoding VHHs, applications of this biological tool, whether as a monomer or in related recombinant constructs, have been reported. To ensure antibody efficacy and cost-effectiveness, strategies for their expression, either using prokaryotic or eukaryotic systems, have been utilized. Plant-based expression systems are useful for VHH related constructs that require post-translational modifications. This system has exhibited versatility, low-cost upstream production, and safety. This article presents the main advances associated to the heterologous expression of VHHs in plant systems. Besides, we show insights related to the use of VHHs as a strategy for plant pathogen control and a tool for genomic manipulation in plant systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Soraya S Pereira
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz Rondônia, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil
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21
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Opdensteinen P, Meyer S, Buyel JF. Nicotiana spp. for the Expression and Purification of Functional IgG3 Antibodies Directed Against the Staphylococcus aureus Alpha Toxin. FRONTIERS IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fceng.2021.737010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunoglobulin subclass IgG1 is bound and neutralized effectively by Staphylococcus aureus protein A, allowing the bacterium to evade the host’s adaptive immune response. In contrast, the IgG3 subclass is not bound by protein A and can be used to treat S. aureus infections, including drug-resistant strains such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, the yields of recombinant IgG3 are generally low because this subclass is prone to degradation, and recovery is hindered by the inability to use protein A as an affinity ligand for antibody purification. Here, we investigated plants (Nicotiana spp.) as an alternative to microbes and mammalian cell cultures for the production of an IgG3 antibody specific for the S. aureus alpha toxin. We targeted recombinant IgG3 to different subcellular compartments and tested different chromatography conditions to improve recovery and purification. Finally, we tested the antigen-binding capacity of the purified antibodies. The highest IgG3 levels in planta (>130 mg kg−1 wet biomass) were achieved by targeting the endoplasmic reticulum or apoplast. Although the purity of IgG3 exceeded 95% following protein G chromatography, product recovery requires further improvement. Importantly, the binding affinity of the purified antibodies was in the nanomolar range and thus comparable to previous studies using murine hybridoma cells as the production system.
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22
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Phakham T, Bulaon CJI, Khorattanakulchai N, Shanmugaraj B, Buranapraditkun S, Boonkrai C, Sooksai S, Hirankarn N, Abe Y, Strasser R, Rattanapisit K, Phoolcharoen W. Functional Characterization of Pembrolizumab Produced in Nicotiana benthamiana Using a Rapid Transient Expression System. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:736299. [PMID: 34567049 PMCID: PMC8459022 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.736299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The striking innovation and clinical success of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have undoubtedly contributed to a breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy. Generally, ICIs produced in mammalian cells requires high investment, production costs, and involves time consuming procedures. Recently, the plants are considered as an emerging protein production platform due to its cost-effectiveness and rapidity for the production of recombinant biopharmaceuticals. This study explored the potential of plant-based system to produce an anti-human PD-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb), Pembrolizumab, in Nicotiana benthamiana. The transient expression of this mAb in wild-type N. benthamiana accumulated up to 344.12 ± 98.23 μg/g fresh leaf weight after 4 days of agroinfiltration. The physicochemical and functional characteristics of plant-produced Pembrolizumab were compared to mammalian cell-produced commercial Pembrolizumab (Keytruda®). Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and western blot analysis results demonstrated that the plant-produced Pembrolizumab has the expected molecular weight and is comparable with the Keytruda®. Structural characterization also confirmed that both antibodies have no protein aggregation and similar secondary and tertiary structures. Furthermore, the plant-produced Pembrolizumab displayed no differences in its binding efficacy to PD-1 protein and inhibitory activity between programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) interaction with the Keytruda®. In vitro efficacy for T cell activation demonstrated that the plant-produced Pembrolizumab could induce IL-2 and IFN-γ production. Hence, this proof-of-concept study showed that the plant-production platform can be utilized for the rapid production of functional mAbs for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanapati Phakham
- Interdisciplinary Program of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Systems Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Christine Joy I. Bulaon
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Plant-Produced Pharmaceutical Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Narach Khorattanakulchai
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Plant-Produced Pharmaceutical Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Supranee Buranapraditkun
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Center of Excellence in Immunology and Immune-Mediated Diseases, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center-Chula VRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Chatikorn Boonkrai
- Interdisciplinary Program of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Systems Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Sarintip Sooksai
- The Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Nattiya Hirankarn
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Center of Excellence in Immunology and Immune-Mediated Diseases, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Yoshito Abe
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy at Fukuoka, International University of Health and Welfare, Okawa, Japan
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Plant-Produced Pharmaceutical Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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23
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Shanmugaraj B, Siriwattananon K, Malla A, Phoolcharoen W. Potential for Developing Plant-Derived Candidate Vaccines and Biologics against Emerging Coronavirus Infections. Pathogens 2021; 10:1051. [PMID: 34451516 PMCID: PMC8400130 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10081051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The emerging human coronavirus infections in the 21st century remain a major public health crisis causing worldwide impact and challenging the global health care system. The virus is circulating in several zoonotic hosts and continuously evolving, causing occasional outbreaks due to spill-over events occurring between animals and humans. Hence, the development of effective vaccines or therapeutic interventions is the current global priority in order to reduce disease severity, frequent outbreaks, and to prevent future infections. Vaccine development for newly emerging pathogens takes a long time, which hinders rapid immunization programs. The concept of plant-based pharmaceuticals can be readily applied to meet the recombinant protein demand by means of transient expression. Plants are evolved as an expression platform, and they bring a combination of unique interests in terms of rapid scalability, flexibility, and economy for industrial-scale production of effective vaccines, diagnostic reagents, and other biopharmaceuticals. Plants offer safe biologics to fulfill emergency demands, especially during pandemic situations or outbreaks caused by emerging strains. This review highlights the features of a plant expression platform for producing recombinant biopharmaceuticals to combat coronavirus infections with emphasis on COVID-19 vaccine and biologics development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Konlavat Siriwattananon
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand;
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Ashwini Malla
- Baiya Phytopharm Co., Ltd., Bangkok 10250, Thailand; (B.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Baiya Phytopharm Co., Ltd., Bangkok 10250, Thailand; (B.S.); (A.M.)
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand;
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24
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Siriwattananon K, Manopwisedjaroen S, Shanmugaraj B, Rattanapisit K, Phumiamorn S, Sapsutthipas S, Trisiriwanich S, Prompetchara E, Ketloy C, Buranapraditkun S, Wijagkanalan W, Tharakhet K, Kaewpang P, Leetanasaksakul K, Kemthong T, Suttisan N, Malaivijitnond S, Ruxrungtham K, Thitithanyanont A, Phoolcharoen W. Plant-Produced Receptor-Binding Domain of SARS-CoV-2 Elicits Potent Neutralizing Responses in Mice and Non-human Primates. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:682953. [PMID: 34054909 PMCID: PMC8158422 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.682953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected global public health and economy. Despite the substantial efforts, only few vaccines are currently approved and some are in the different stages of clinical trials. As the disease rapidly spreads, an affordable and effective vaccine is urgently needed. In this study, we investigated the immunogenicity of plant-produced receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 in order to use as a subunit vaccine. In this regard, RBD of SARS-CoV-2 was fused with Fc fragment of human IgG1 and transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana by agroinfiltration. The plant-produced RBD-Fc fusion protein was purified from the crude extract by using protein A affinity column chromatography. Two intramuscular administration of plant-produced RBD-Fc protein formulated with alum as an adjuvant have elicited high neutralization titers in immunized mice and cynomolgus monkeys. Further it has induced a mixed Th1/Th2 immune responses and vaccine-specific T-lymphocyte responses which was confirmed by interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) enzyme-linked immunospot assay. Altogether, our results demonstrated that the plant-produced SARS-CoV-2 RBD has the potential to be used as an effective vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating the immunogenicity of plant-produced SARS-CoV-2 RBD protein in mice and non-human primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konlavat Siriwattananon
- Research Unit for Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | | | | | - Supaporn Phumiamorn
- Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, Institute of Biological Products, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Sompong Sapsutthipas
- Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, Institute of Biological Products, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Sakalin Trisiriwanich
- Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, Institute of Biological Products, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | - Eakachai Prompetchara
- Faculty of Medicine, Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center, Chula VRC), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Chutitorn Ketloy
- Faculty of Medicine, Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center, Chula VRC), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Supranee Buranapraditkun
- Faculty of Medicine, Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center, Chula VRC), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Kittipan Tharakhet
- Faculty of Medicine, Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center, Chula VRC), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Papatsara Kaewpang
- Faculty of Medicine, Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center, Chula VRC), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Kantinan Leetanasaksakul
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Taratorn Kemthong
- National Primate Research Center of Thailand-Chulalongkorn University, Saraburi, Thailand
| | - Nutchanat Suttisan
- National Primate Research Center of Thailand-Chulalongkorn University, Saraburi, Thailand
| | | | - Kiat Ruxrungtham
- Faculty of Medicine, Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center, Chula VRC), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Research Unit for Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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25
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Siriwattananon K, Manopwisedjaroen S, Kanjanasirirat P, Budi Purwono P, Rattanapisit K, Shanmugaraj B, Smith DR, Borwornpinyo S, Thitithanyanont A, Phoolcharoen W. Development of Plant-Produced Recombinant ACE2-Fc Fusion Protein as a Potential Therapeutic Agent Against SARS-CoV-2. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 11:604663. [PMID: 33584747 PMCID: PMC7874119 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.604663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which has recently emerged as a potential threat to global public health. SARS-CoV-2 is the third known human coronavirus that has huge impact on the human population after SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. Although some vaccines and therapeutic drugs are currently in clinical trials, none of them are approved for commercial use yet. As with SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 utilizes angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as the cell entry receptor to enter into the host cell. In this study, we have transiently produced human ACE2 fused with the Fc region of human IgG1 in Nicotiana benthamiana and the in vitro neutralization efficacy of the plant-produced ACE2-Fc fusion protein was assessed. The recombinant ACE2-Fc fusion protein was expressed in N. benthamiana at 100 μg/g leaf fresh weight on day 6 post-infiltration. The recombinant fusion protein showed potent binding to receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. Importantly, the plant-produced fusion protein exhibited potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro. Treatment with ACE2-Fc fusion protein after viral infection dramatically inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infectivity in Vero cells with an IC50 value of 0.84 μg/ml. Moreover, treatment with ACE2-Fc fusion protein at the pre-entry stage suppressed SARS-CoV-2 infection with an IC50 of 94.66 μg/ml. These findings put a spotlight on the plant-produced ACE2-Fc fusion protein as a potential therapeutic candidate against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konlavat Siriwattananon
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | | | - Priyo Budi Purwono
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
| | - Kaewta Rattanapisit
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Balamurugan Shanmugaraj
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Duncan R. Smith
- Institute of Molecular Bioscience, Mahidol University, Salaya, Thailand
| | - Suparerk Borwornpinyo
- Excellence Center for Drug Discovery, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Abstract
Various systems exist for the robust production of recombinant proteins. However, only a few systems are optimal for human vaccine protein production. Plant-based transient protein expression systems offer an advantageous alternative to costly mammalian cell culture-based systems and can perform posttranslational modifications due to the presence of an endomembrane system that is largely similar to that of the animal cell. Technological advances in expression vectors for transient expression in the last two decades have produced new plant expression systems with the flexibility and speed that cannot be matched by those based on mammalian or insect cell culture. The rapid and high-level protein production capability of transient expression systems makes them the optimal system to quickly and versatilely develop and produce vaccines against viruses such as 2019-nCoV that have sudden and unpredictable outbreaks. Here, expression of antiviral subunit vaccines in Nicotiana benthamiana plants via transient expression is demonstrated.
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27
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Calmeiro J, Carrascal MA, Tavares AR, Ferreira DA, Gomes C, Cruz MT, Falcão A, Neves BM. Pharmacological combination of nivolumab with dendritic cell vaccines in cancer immunotherapy: An overview. Pharmacol Res 2020; 164:105309. [PMID: 33212291 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2020.105309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 10/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In the last decade, immunotherapy led to a paradigm shift in the treatment of numerous malignancies. Alongside with monoclonal antibodies blocking programmed cell death receptor-1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 and cytotoxic T- lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) immune checkpoints, cell-based approaches such as CAR-T cells and dendritic cell (DC) vaccines have strongly contributed to pushing forward this thrilling field. While initial strategies were mainly focused on monotherapeutic regimens, it is now consensual that the combination of immunotherapies tackling multiple cancer hallmarks can result in superior clinical outcomes. Here, we review in depth the pharmacological combination of DC-based vaccines that boost tumour elimination by eliciting and expanding effector immune cells, with the PD-1 inhibitor Nivolumab that allows blocking key tumour immune escape mechanisms. This combination represents an important step in cancer therapy, with a significant enhancement in patient survival in several types of tumours, paving an important way in establishing combinatorial immunotherapeutic strategies as first-line treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Calmeiro
- Faculty of Pharmacy, FFUC, University of Coimbra, 3000-548, Coimbra, Portugal; Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, CNC, University of Coimbra, 3004-504, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Mylène A Carrascal
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, CNC, University of Coimbra, 3004-504, Coimbra, Portugal; Tecnimede Group, 2710-089, Sintra, Portugal
| | - Adriana Ramos Tavares
- Faculty of Pharmacy, FFUC, University of Coimbra, 3000-548, Coimbra, Portugal; Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, CNC, University of Coimbra, 3004-504, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Daniel Alexandre Ferreira
- Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research, iCBR, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3000-548, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Célia Gomes
- Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research, iCBR, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, 3000-548, Coimbra, Portugal; Center for Innovation in Biomedicine and Biotechnology, CIBB, University of Coimbra, 300-504, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Maria Teresa Cruz
- Faculty of Pharmacy, FFUC, University of Coimbra, 3000-548, Coimbra, Portugal; Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, CNC, University of Coimbra, 3004-504, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Amílcar Falcão
- Faculty of Pharmacy, FFUC, University of Coimbra, 3000-548, Coimbra, Portugal; Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research, CIBIT, University of Coimbra, 3000-548, Coimbra, Portugal.
| | - Bruno Miguel Neves
- Department of Medical Sciences and Institute of Biomedicine, iBiMED, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
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28
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Rattanapisit K, Shanmugaraj B, Manopwisedjaroen S, Purwono PB, Siriwattananon K, Khorattanakulchai N, Hanittinan O, Boonyayothin W, Thitithanyanont A, Smith DR, Phoolcharoen W. Rapid production of SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) and spike specific monoclonal antibody CR3022 in Nicotiana benthamiana. Sci Rep 2020. [PMID: 33077899 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-27160/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the ongoing global outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which is a significant threat to global public health. The rapid spread of COVID-19 necessitates the development of cost-effective technology platforms for the production of vaccines, drugs, and protein reagents for appropriate disease diagnosis and treatment. In this study, we explored the possibility of producing the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 and an anti-SARS-CoV monoclonal antibody (mAb) CR3022 in Nicotiana benthamiana. Both RBD and mAb CR3022 were transiently produced with the highest expression level of 8 μg/g and 130 μg/g leaf fresh weight respectively at 3 days post-infiltration. The plant-produced RBD exhibited specific binding to the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Furthermore, the plant-produced mAb CR3022 binds to SARS-CoV-2, but fails to neutralize the virus in vitro. This is the first report showing the production of anti-SARS-CoV-2 RBD and mAb CR3022 in plants. Overall these findings provide a proof-of-concept for using plants as an expression system for the production of SARS-CoV-2 antigens and antibodies or similar other diagnostic reagents against SARS-CoV-2 rapidly, especially during epidemic or pandemic situation.
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MESH Headings
- Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2
- Animals
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/genetics
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/metabolism
- Antibodies, Viral/genetics
- Antibodies, Viral/immunology
- Antibodies, Viral/metabolism
- Betacoronavirus/metabolism
- COVID-19
- Chlorocebus aethiops
- Coronavirus Infections/pathology
- Coronavirus Infections/virology
- Humans
- Neutralization Tests
- Pandemics
- Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/chemistry
- Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/metabolism
- Plant Leaves/metabolism
- Pneumonia, Viral/pathology
- Pneumonia, Viral/virology
- Protein Binding
- Protein Domains/immunology
- Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis
- Recombinant Proteins/immunology
- Recombinant Proteins/isolation & purification
- SARS-CoV-2
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/chemistry
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/genetics
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/metabolism
- Tobacco/metabolism
- Vero Cells
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaewta Rattanapisit
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Balamurugan Shanmugaraj
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Priyo Budi Purwono
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
| | - Konlavat Siriwattananon
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Narach Khorattanakulchai
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Oranicha Hanittinan
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Wanuttha Boonyayothin
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Duncan R Smith
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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29
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Rattanapisit K, Shanmugaraj B, Manopwisedjaroen S, Purwono PB, Siriwattananon K, Khorattanakulchai N, Hanittinan O, Boonyayothin W, Thitithanyanont A, Smith DR, Phoolcharoen W. Rapid production of SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) and spike specific monoclonal antibody CR3022 in Nicotiana benthamiana. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17698. [PMID: 33077899 PMCID: PMC7573609 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74904-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the ongoing global outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which is a significant threat to global public health. The rapid spread of COVID-19 necessitates the development of cost-effective technology platforms for the production of vaccines, drugs, and protein reagents for appropriate disease diagnosis and treatment. In this study, we explored the possibility of producing the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 and an anti-SARS-CoV monoclonal antibody (mAb) CR3022 in Nicotiana benthamiana. Both RBD and mAb CR3022 were transiently produced with the highest expression level of 8 μg/g and 130 μg/g leaf fresh weight respectively at 3 days post-infiltration. The plant-produced RBD exhibited specific binding to the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Furthermore, the plant-produced mAb CR3022 binds to SARS-CoV-2, but fails to neutralize the virus in vitro. This is the first report showing the production of anti-SARS-CoV-2 RBD and mAb CR3022 in plants. Overall these findings provide a proof-of-concept for using plants as an expression system for the production of SARS-CoV-2 antigens and antibodies or similar other diagnostic reagents against SARS-CoV-2 rapidly, especially during epidemic or pandemic situation.
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MESH Headings
- Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2
- Animals
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/genetics
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/metabolism
- Antibodies, Viral/genetics
- Antibodies, Viral/immunology
- Antibodies, Viral/metabolism
- Betacoronavirus/metabolism
- COVID-19
- Chlorocebus aethiops
- Coronavirus Infections/pathology
- Coronavirus Infections/virology
- Humans
- Neutralization Tests
- Pandemics
- Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/chemistry
- Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A/metabolism
- Plant Leaves/metabolism
- Pneumonia, Viral/pathology
- Pneumonia, Viral/virology
- Protein Binding
- Protein Domains/immunology
- Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis
- Recombinant Proteins/immunology
- Recombinant Proteins/isolation & purification
- SARS-CoV-2
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/chemistry
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/genetics
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/metabolism
- Nicotiana/metabolism
- Vero Cells
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaewta Rattanapisit
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Balamurugan Shanmugaraj
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Priyo Budi Purwono
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
| | - Konlavat Siriwattananon
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Narach Khorattanakulchai
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Oranicha Hanittinan
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Wanuttha Boonyayothin
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Duncan R Smith
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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30
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Rapid transient expression of functional human vascular endothelial growth factor in Nicotiana benthamiana and characterization of its biological activity. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 27:e00514. [PMID: 32884911 PMCID: PMC7453061 DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2020.e00514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Growth factors play a crucial role in wound healing. Plant-produced human vascular endothelial growth factor (hVEGF) induces the keratinocyte cells migration. The plant-produced hVEGF has shown potential as a wound healing agent in drug and cosmetic industry.
Human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent pro-angiogenic growth factor essential for wound healing. Due to its potential applications, many expression strategies have been developed to produce high levels of VEGF. Here, we have optimized the expression conditions for the production of recombinant VEGF in Nicotiana benthamiana by using a geminiviral vector. Four different expression constructs that differ by the location of a C- or N-terminal histidine tag and SEKDEL sequence were developed and utilized for plant transient expression. The recombinant VEGF was further purified by using affinity chromatography and confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting probed with anti-VEGF antibody. Furthermore, our results showed that the recombinant VEGF in all tested concentrations did not exhibit any cytotoxic effect on HaCaT cells and induced cell migration in vitro. These findings show that the plant-produced VEGF has the potential to be used in regenerative medicine and cosmetic industry.
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31
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Shanmugaraj B, I. Bulaon CJ, Phoolcharoen W. Plant Molecular Farming: A Viable Platform for Recombinant Biopharmaceutical Production. PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9070842. [PMID: 32635427 PMCID: PMC7411908 DOI: 10.3390/plants9070842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 06/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The demand for recombinant proteins in terms of quality, quantity, and diversity is increasing steadily, which is attracting global attention for the development of new recombinant protein production technologies and the engineering of conventional established expression systems based on bacteria or mammalian cell cultures. Since the advancements of plant genetic engineering in the 1980s, plants have been used for the production of economically valuable, biologically active non-native proteins or biopharmaceuticals, the concept termed as plant molecular farming (PMF). PMF is considered as a cost-effective technology that has grown and advanced tremendously over the past two decades. The development and improvement of the transient expression system has significantly reduced the protein production timeline and greatly improved the protein yield in plants. The major factors that drive the plant-based platform towards potential competitors for the conventional expression system are cost-effectiveness, scalability, flexibility, versatility, and robustness of the system. Many biopharmaceuticals including recombinant vaccine antigens, monoclonal antibodies, and other commercially viable proteins are produced in plants, some of which are in the pre-clinical and clinical pipeline. In this review, we consider the importance of a plant- based production system for recombinant protein production, and its potential to produce biopharmaceuticals is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balamurugan Shanmugaraj
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand;
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand;
| | - Christine Joy I. Bulaon
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand;
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand;
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +66-2-218-8359; Fax: +66-2-218-8357
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Spectrum and Clinical Activity of PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors: Regulatory Approval and Under Development. Curr Oncol Rep 2020; 22:70. [DOI: 10.1007/s11912-020-00928-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Shanmugaraj B, Rattanapisit K, Manopwisedjaroen S, Thitithanyanont A, Phoolcharoen W. Monoclonal Antibodies B38 and H4 Produced in Nicotiana benthamiana Neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:589995. [PMID: 33329653 PMCID: PMC7728718 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.589995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak caused by novel zoonotic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was initially reported in Wuhan city, Hubei Province of China, in late December 2019. The rapid global spread of the virus calls for the urgent development of vaccines or therapeutics for human applications to combat the coronavirus infection. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been utilized as effective therapeutics for treating various infectious diseases. In the present study, we evaluated the feasibility of plant expression system for the rapid production of recently identified therapeutically suitable human anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs B38 and H4. Transient co-expression of heavy-chain and light-chain sequences of both the antibodies by using plant expression geminiviral vector resulted in rapid accumulation of assembled mAbs in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves within 4 days post-infiltration. Furthermore, both the mAbs were purified from the plant crude extracts with single-step protein A affinity column chromatography. The expression level of mAb B38 and H4 was estimated to be 4 and 35 μg/g leaf fresh weight, respectively. Both plant-produced mAbs demonstrated specific binding to receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 and exhibited efficient virus neutralization activity in vitro. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of functional anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs produced in plants, which demonstrates the ability of using a plant expression system as a suitable platform for the production of effective, safe, and affordable SARS-CoV-2 mAbs to fight against the spread of this highly infectious pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balamurugan Shanmugaraj
- Research Unit for Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Kaewta Rattanapisit
- Research Unit for Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | | | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Research Unit for Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- *Correspondence: Waranyoo Phoolcharoen,
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