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Fagiani F, Frigerio R, Salzano AM, Scaloni A, Marusic C, Donini M. Plant production of recombinant antigens containing the receptor binding domain (RBD) of two SARS-CoV-2 variants. Biotechnol Lett 2024:10.1007/s10529-024-03517-9. [PMID: 39066957 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-024-03517-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The aim of this work was to rapidly produce in plats two recombinant antigens (RBDw-Fc and RBDo-Fc) containing the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike (S) protein from SARS-CoV-2 variants Wuhan and Omicron as fusion proteins to the Fc portion of a murine IgG2a antibody constant region (Fc). RESULTS The two recombinant antigens were expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana plants, engineered to avoid the addition of N-linked plant-typical sugars, through vacuum agroinfiltration and showed comparable purification yields (about 35 mg/kg leaf fresh weight). CONCLUSIONS Their Western blotting and Coomassie staining evidenced the occurrence of major in planta proteolysis in the region between the RBD and Fc, which was particularly evident in RBDw-Fc, the only antigen bearing the HRV 3C cysteine protease recognition site. The two RBD N-linked glycosylation sites showed very homogeneous profiles free from plant-typical sugars, with the most abundant glycoform represented by the complex sugar GlcNAc4Man3. Both antigens were specifically recognised in Western Blot analysis by the anti-SARS-CoV-2 human neutralizing monoclonal antibody J08-MUT and RBDw-Fc was successfully used in competitive ELISA experiments for binding to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor to verify the neutralizing capacity of the serum from vaccinated patients. Both SARS-Cov-2 antigens fused to a murine Fc region were rapidly and functionally produced in plants with potential applications in diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavia Fagiani
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, ENEA Research Center Casaccia, 00123, Rome, Italy
| | - Rachele Frigerio
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, ENEA Research Center Casaccia, 00123, Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Salzano
- Proteomics, Metabolomics & Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, ISPAAM, National Research Council, 80055, Portici, Italy
| | - Andrea Scaloni
- Proteomics, Metabolomics & Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, ISPAAM, National Research Council, 80055, Portici, Italy
| | - Carla Marusic
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, ENEA Research Center Casaccia, 00123, Rome, Italy.
| | - Marcello Donini
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, ENEA Research Center Casaccia, 00123, Rome, Italy.
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2
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Merwaiss F, Lozano‐Sanchez E, Zulaica J, Rusu L, Vazquez‐Vilar M, Orzáez D, Rodrigo G, Geller R, Daròs J. Plant virus-derived nanoparticles decorated with genetically encoded SARS-CoV-2 nanobodies display enhanced neutralizing activity. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2024; 22:876-891. [PMID: 37966715 PMCID: PMC10955499 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.14230] [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: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
Viral nanoparticles (VNPs) are a new class of virus-based formulations that can be used as building blocks to implement a variety of functions of potential interest in biotechnology and nanomedicine. Viral coat proteins (CP) that exhibit self-assembly properties are particularly appropriate for displaying antigens and antibodies, by generating multivalent VNPs with therapeutic and diagnostic potential. Here, we developed genetically encoded multivalent VNPs derived from two filamentous plant viruses, potato virus X (PVX) and tobacco etch virus (TEV), which were efficiently and inexpensively produced in the biofactory Nicotiana benthamiana plant. PVX and TEV-derived VNPs were decorated with two different nanobodies recognizing two different regions of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. The addition of different picornavirus 2A ribosomal skipping peptides between the nanobody and the CP allowed for modulating the degree of VNP decoration. Nanobody-decorated VNPs purified from N. benthamiana tissues successfully recognized the RBD antigen in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and showed efficient neutralization activity against pseudoviruses carrying the Spike protein. Interestingly, multivalent PVX and TEV-derived VNPs exhibited a neutralizing activity approximately one order of magnitude higher than the corresponding nanobody in a dimeric format. These properties, combined with the ability to produce VNP cocktails in the same N. benthamiana plant based on synergistic infection of the parent PVX and TEV, make these green nanomaterials an attractive alternative to standard antibodies for multiple applications in diagnosis and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Merwaiss
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de PlantasConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – Universitat Politècnica de ValènciaValenciaSpain
| | - Enrique Lozano‐Sanchez
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de PlantasConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – Universitat Politècnica de ValènciaValenciaSpain
| | - João Zulaica
- Institute for Integrative Systems BiologyConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – Universitat de ValènciaPaternaSpain
| | - Luciana Rusu
- Institute for Integrative Systems BiologyConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – Universitat de ValènciaPaternaSpain
| | - Marta Vazquez‐Vilar
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de PlantasConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – Universitat Politècnica de ValènciaValenciaSpain
| | - Diego Orzáez
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de PlantasConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – Universitat Politècnica de ValènciaValenciaSpain
| | - Guillermo Rodrigo
- Institute for Integrative Systems BiologyConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – Universitat de ValènciaPaternaSpain
| | - Ron Geller
- Institute for Integrative Systems BiologyConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – Universitat de ValènciaPaternaSpain
| | - José‐Antonio Daròs
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de PlantasConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – Universitat Politècnica de ValènciaValenciaSpain
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3
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Santoni M, Gutierrez-Valdes N, Pivotto D, Zanichelli E, Rosa A, Sobrino-Mengual G, Balieu J, Lerouge P, Bardor M, Cecchetto R, Compri M, Mazzariol A, Ritala A, Avesani L. Performance of plant-produced RBDs as SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic reagents: a tale of two plant platforms. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 14:1325162. [PMID: 38239207 PMCID: PMC10794598 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1325162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for rapid and cost-effective diagnostic tools. Serological tests, particularly those measuring antibodies targeting the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the virus, play a pivotal role in tracking infection dynamics and vaccine effectiveness. In this study, we aimed to develop a simple enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for measuring RBD-specific antibodies, comparing two plant-based platforms for diagnostic reagent production. We chose to retain RBD in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to prevent potential immunoreactivity issues associated with plant-specific glycans. We produced ER-retained RBD in two plant systems: a stable transformation of BY-2 plant cell culture (BY2-RBD) and a transient transformation in Nicotiana benthamiana using the MagnICON system (NB-RBD). Both systems demonstrated their suitability, with varying yields and production timelines. The plant-made proteins revealed unexpected differences in N-glycan profiles, with BY2-RBD displaying oligo-mannosidic N-glycans and NB-RBD exhibiting a more complex glycan profile. This difference may be attributed to higher recombinant protein synthesis in the N. benthamiana system, potentially overloading the ER retention signal, causing some proteins to traffic to the Golgi apparatus. When used as diagnostic reagents in ELISA, BY2-RBD outperformed NB-RBD in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and correlation with a commercial kit. This discrepancy may be due to the distinct glycan profiles, as complex glycans on NB-RBD may impact immunoreactivity. In conclusion, our study highlights the potential of plant-based systems for rapid diagnostic reagent production during emergencies. However, transient expression systems, while offering shorter timelines, introduce higher heterogeneity in recombinant protein forms, necessitating careful consideration in serological test development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Denise Pivotto
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Elena Zanichelli
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Guillermo Sobrino-Mengual
- Université de Rouen Normandie, Normandie Univ, GlycoMEV UR 4358, SFR Normandie Végétal FED 4277, Innovation Chimie Carnot, IRIB, GDR CNRS Chemobiologie, RMT BESTIM, Rouen, France
- Applied Plant Biotechnology Group, Department of Plant Production and Forestry Science, University of Lleida-Agrotecnio CERCA Center, Lleida, Spain
| | - Juliette Balieu
- Université de Rouen Normandie, Normandie Univ, GlycoMEV UR 4358, SFR Normandie Végétal FED 4277, Innovation Chimie Carnot, IRIB, GDR CNRS Chemobiologie, RMT BESTIM, Rouen, France
| | - Patrice Lerouge
- Université de Rouen Normandie, Normandie Univ, GlycoMEV UR 4358, SFR Normandie Végétal FED 4277, Innovation Chimie Carnot, IRIB, GDR CNRS Chemobiologie, RMT BESTIM, Rouen, France
| | - Muriel Bardor
- Université de Rouen Normandie, Normandie Univ, GlycoMEV UR 4358, SFR Normandie Végétal FED 4277, Innovation Chimie Carnot, IRIB, GDR CNRS Chemobiologie, RMT BESTIM, Rouen, France
| | - Riccardo Cecchetto
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Microbiology Section, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Monica Compri
- Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria, UOC Microbiologia e Virologia, Verona, Italy
| | - Annarita Mazzariol
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Microbiology Section, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Anneli Ritala
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., Espoo, Finland
| | - Linda Avesani
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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Ruocco V, Vavra U, König-Beihammer J, Bolaños−Martínez OC, Kallolimath S, Maresch D, Grünwald-Gruber C, Strasser R. Impact of mutations on the plant-based production of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 RBDs. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1275228. [PMID: 37868317 PMCID: PMC10588190 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1275228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Subunit vaccines based on recombinant viral antigens are valuable interventions to fight existing and evolving viruses and can be produced at large-scale in plant-based expression systems. The recombinant viral antigens are often derived from glycosylated envelope proteins of the virus and glycosylation plays an important role for the immunogenicity by shielding protein epitopes. The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike is a principal target for vaccine development and has been produced in plants, but the yields of recombinant RBD variants were low and the role of the N-glycosylation in RBD from different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern is less studied. Here, we investigated the expression and glycosylation of six different RBD variants transiently expressed in leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana. All of the purified RBD variants were functional in terms of receptor binding and displayed almost full N-glycan occupancy at both glycosylation sites with predominately complex N-glycans. Despite the high structural sequence conservation of the RBD variants, we detected a variation in yield which can be attributed to lower expression and differences in unintentional proteolytic processing of the C-terminal polyhistidine tag used for purification. Glycoengineering towards a human-type complex N-glycan profile with core α1,6-fucose, showed that the reactivity of the neutralizing antibody S309 differs depending on the N-glycan profile and the RBD variant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Ruocco
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrike Vavra
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julia König-Beihammer
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Omayra C. Bolaños−Martínez
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Somanath Kallolimath
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniel Maresch
- Core Facility Mass Spectrometry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Clemens Grünwald-Gruber
- Core Facility Mass Spectrometry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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5
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De Paola C, Garcia-Carpintero V, Vazquez-Vilar M, Kaminski K, Fernandez-Del-Carmen A, Sierro N, Ivanov NV, Giuliano G, Waterhouse P, Orzaez D. Comparative analysis of the Squamosa Promoter Binding-Like (SPL) gene family in Nicotiana benthamiana and Nicotiana tabacum. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 335:111797. [PMID: 37467788 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING-LIKE (SPL) proteins constitute a large family of transcription factors known to play key roles in growth and developmental processes, including juvenile-to-adult and vegetative-to-reproductive phase transitions. This makes SPLs interesting targets for precision breeding in plants of the Nicotiana genus used as e.g. recombinant biofactories. We report the identification of 49 SPL genes in Nicotiana tabacum cv. K326 and 43 SPL genes in Nicotiana benthamiana LAB strain, which were classified into eight phylogenetic groups according to the SPL classification in Arabidopsis. Exon-intron gene structure and DNA-binding domains were highly conserved between homeologues and orthologues. Thirty of the NbSPL genes and 33 of the NtSPL genes were found to be possible targets of microRNA 156. The expression of SPL genes in leaves was analysed by RNA-seq at three different stages, revealing that genes not under miR156 control were in general constitutively expressed at high levels, whereas miR156-regulated genes showed lower expression, often developmentally regulated. We selected the N. benthamiana SPL13_1a gene as target for a CRISPR/Cas9 knock-out experiment. We show here that a full knock-out in this single gene leads to a significant delay in flowering time, a trait that could be exploited to increase biomass for recombinant protein production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmine De Paola
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (CSIC-UPV), Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Marta Vazquez-Vilar
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (CSIC-UPV), Valencia, Spain
| | | | | | - Nicolas Sierro
- PMI R&D, Philip Morris Products S.A, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | - Diego Orzaez
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (CSIC-UPV), Valencia, Spain.
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6
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Mamedov T, Yuksel D, Gurbuzaslan I, Ilgin M, Gulec B, Mammadova G, Ozdarendeli A, Pavel STI, Yetiskin H, Kaplan B, Uygut MA, Hasanova G. Plant-produced RBD and cocktail-based vaccine candidates are highly effective against SARS-CoV-2, independently of its emerging variants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1202570. [PMID: 37600182 PMCID: PMC10433747 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1202570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel and highly pathogenic coronavirus that caused an outbreak in Wuhan City, China, in 2019 and then spread rapidly throughout the world. Although several coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are currently available for mass immunization, they are less effective against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, especially the Omicron (B.1.1.529). Recently, we successfully produced receptor-binding domain (RBD) variants of the spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 and an antigen cocktail in Nicotiana benthamiana, which are highly produced in plants and elicited high-titer antibodies with potent neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, based on neutralization ability, we demonstrate that plant-produced RBD and cocktail-based vaccine candidates are highly effective against SARS-CoV-2, independently of its emerging variants. These data demonstrate that plant-produced RBD and cocktail-based proteins are the most promising vaccine candidates and may protect against Delta and Omicron-mediated COVID-19. This is the first report describing vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, which demonstrate significant activities against Delta and Omicron variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarlan Mamedov
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Türkiye
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnologies, Ministry of Science and Education, Republic of Azerbaijan, Baku, Azerbaijan
| | - Damla Yuksel
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Türkiye
| | - Irem Gurbuzaslan
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Türkiye
| | - Merve Ilgin
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Türkiye
| | - Burcu Gulec
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Türkiye
| | - Gulshan Mammadova
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Türkiye
| | - Aykut Ozdarendeli
- Department of Microbiology, Medical Faculty, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Türkiye
- Vaccine Research, Development and Application Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Türkiye
| | - Shaikh Terkis Islam Pavel
- Department of Microbiology, Medical Faculty, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Türkiye
- Vaccine Research, Development and Application Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Türkiye
| | - Hazel Yetiskin
- Department of Microbiology, Medical Faculty, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Türkiye
- Vaccine Research, Development and Application Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Türkiye
| | - Busra Kaplan
- Department of Microbiology, Medical Faculty, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Türkiye
- Vaccine Research, Development and Application Center, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Türkiye
| | - Muhammet Ali Uygut
- Department of Microbiology, Medical Faculty, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Türkiye
| | - Gulnara Hasanova
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Türkiye
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Saba-Mayoral A, Rosa C, Sobrino-Mengual G, Armario-Najera V, Christou P, Capell T. Production of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain in stably transformed rice plants for developing country applications. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2023; 21:1094-1096. [PMID: 36740598 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.14023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Saba-Mayoral
- Applied Plant Biotechnology Group, Department of Plant Production and Forestry Science, University of Lleida-Agrotecnio CERCA Center, Lleida, Spain
| | - Claudia Rosa
- Applied Plant Biotechnology Group, Department of Plant Production and Forestry Science, University of Lleida-Agrotecnio CERCA Center, Lleida, Spain
| | - Guillermo Sobrino-Mengual
- Applied Plant Biotechnology Group, Department of Plant Production and Forestry Science, University of Lleida-Agrotecnio CERCA Center, Lleida, Spain
| | - Victoria Armario-Najera
- Applied Plant Biotechnology Group, Department of Plant Production and Forestry Science, University of Lleida-Agrotecnio CERCA Center, Lleida, Spain
| | - Paul Christou
- Applied Plant Biotechnology Group, Department of Plant Production and Forestry Science, University of Lleida-Agrotecnio CERCA Center, Lleida, Spain
- ICREA, Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Teresa Capell
- Applied Plant Biotechnology Group, Department of Plant Production and Forestry Science, University of Lleida-Agrotecnio CERCA Center, Lleida, Spain
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de Andrade IA, Franca LV, Kauffmann CM, Maeda MHK, Koyama LHH, Hamann PRV, Lopes-Luz L, Fogaça MBT, de Camargo BR, Ribeiro BM, Bührer-Sékula S, Nagata T. Practical use of tobravirus-based vector to produce SARS-CoV-2 antigens in plants. J Virol Methods 2023; 315:114710. [PMID: 36914098 PMCID: PMC10008036 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2023.114710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
Abstract
A plant-based heterologous expression system is an attractive option for recombinant protein production because it is based on a eukaryotic system of high feasibility, and low biological risks. Frequently, binary vector systems are used for transient gene-expression in plants. However, plant virus vector-based systems offer advantages for higher protein yields due to their self-replicating machinery. In the present study, we show an efficient protocol using a plant virus vector based on a tobravirus, pepper ringspot virus, that was employed for transient expression of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 partial gene fragments of the spike (named S1-N) and the nucleocapsid (named N) proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Purified proteins yield of 40~60µg/g of fresh leaves were obtained. Both proteins, S1-N and N, showed high and specific reactivities against convalescent patients' sera by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay format. The advantages and critical points in using this plant virus vector are discussed. DATA AVAILABILITY: All data generated and analyzed during this study are included in this published article and supporting materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ikaro Alves de Andrade
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil; Pós-graduação em Biologia Microbiana, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Luísa Valério Franca
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Caterynne Melo Kauffmann
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil; Pós-graduação em Fitopatologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Matheus Hideki Kihara Maeda
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Lucas Hideo Hataka Koyama
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Pedro Ricardo Vieira Hamann
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Lopes-Luz
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento e Produção de Testes Rápidos, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, 74690-900, Brazil
| | - Matheus Bernardes Torres Fogaça
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento e Produção de Testes Rápidos, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, 74690-900, Brazil
| | - Brenda Rabello de Camargo
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Bergmann Morais Ribeiro
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Samira Bührer-Sékula
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento e Produção de Testes Rápidos, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, 74690-900, Brazil
| | - Tatsuya Nagata
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil; Pós-graduação em Biologia Microbiana, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil; Pós-graduação em Fitopatologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil.
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9
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Pitino M, Fleites LA, Shrum L, Heck M, Shatters RG. Plant production of high affinity nanobodies that block SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding with its receptor, human angiotensin converting enzyme. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:1045337. [PMID: 36619377 PMCID: PMC9822723 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1045337] [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: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Nanobodies® (VHH antibodies), are small peptides that represent the antigen binding domain, VHH of unique single domain antibodies (heavy chain only antibodies, HcAb) derived from camelids. Here, we demonstrate production of VHH nanobodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins in the solanaceous plant Nicotiana benthamiana through transient expression and their subsequent detection verified through western blot. We demonstrate that these nanobodies competitively inhibit binding between the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain and its human receptor protein, angiotensin converting enzyme 2. There has been significant interest and a number of publications on the use of plants as biofactories and even some reports of producing nanobodies in plants. Our data demonstrate that functional nanobodies blocking a process necessary to initiate SARS-CoV-2 infection into mammalian cells can be produced in plants. This opens the alternative of using plants in a scheme to rapidly respond to therapeutic needs for emerging pathogens in human medicine and agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Michelle Heck
- Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Robert G. Shatters
- U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory, Subtropical Insects and Horticulture Research Unit, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Fort Pierce, FL, United States,*Correspondence: Robert G. Shatters Jr,
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10
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Rozov SM, Zagorskaya AA, Konstantinov YM, Deineko EV. Three Parts of the Plant Genome: On the Way to Success in the Production of Recombinant Proteins. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:38. [PMID: 36616166 PMCID: PMC9824153 DOI: 10.3390/plants12010038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Recombinant proteins are the most important product of current industrial biotechnology. They are indispensable in medicine (for diagnostics and treatment), food and chemical industries, and research. Plant cells combine advantages of the eukaryotic protein production system with simplicity and efficacy of the bacterial one. The use of plants for the production of recombinant proteins is an economically important and promising area that has emerged as an alternative to traditional approaches. This review discusses advantages of plant systems for the expression of recombinant proteins using nuclear, plastid, and mitochondrial genomes. Possibilities, problems, and prospects of modifications of the three parts of the genome in light of obtaining producer plants are examined. Examples of successful use of the nuclear expression platform for production of various biopharmaceuticals, veterinary drugs, and technologically important proteins are described, as are examples of a high yield of recombinant proteins upon modification of the chloroplast genome. Potential utility of plant mitochondria as an expression system for the production of recombinant proteins and its advantages over the nucleus and chloroplasts are substantiated. Although these opportunities have not yet been exploited, potential utility of plant mitochondria as an expression system for the production of recombinant proteins and its advantages over the nucleus and chloroplasts are substantiated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey M. Rozov
- Federal Research Center, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Akad. Lavrentieva 10, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Alla A. Zagorskaya
- Federal Research Center, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Akad. Lavrentieva 10, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Yuri M. Konstantinov
- Siberian Institute of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Lermontova Str. 132, Irkutsk 664033, Russia
| | - Elena V. Deineko
- Federal Research Center, Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. Akad. Lavrentieva 10, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
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11
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Mardanova ES, Kotlyarov RY, Ravin NV. Rapid Transient Expression of Receptor-Binding Domain of SARS-CoV-2 and the Conserved M2e Peptide of Influenza A Virus Linked to Flagellin in Nicotiana benthamiana Plants Using Self-Replicating Viral Vector. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:plants11243425. [PMID: 36559537 PMCID: PMC9785242 DOI: 10.3390/plants11243425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The development of recombinant vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A is an important task. The combination of the conserved influenza A antigen, the extracellular domain of the transmembrane protein M2 (M2e), and the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (RBD) provides the opportunity to develop a bivalent vaccine against these infections. The fusion of antigens with bacterial flagellin, the ligand for Toll-like receptor 5 and potent mucosal adjuvant, may increase the immunogenicity of the candidate vaccines and enable intranasal immunization. In this study, we report the transient expression of RBD alone, RBD coupled with four copies of M2e, and fusions of RBD and RBD-4M2e with flagellin in Nicotiana benthamiana plants using the self-replicating potato virus X-based vector pEff. The yields of purified recombinant proteins per gram of fresh leaf tissue were about 20 µg for RBD, 50-60 µg for RBD-4M2e and the fusion of RBD with flagellin, and about 90 µg for RBD-4M2e fused to flagellin. Targeting to the endoplasmic reticulum enabled the production of glycosylated recombinant proteins comprising RBD. Our results show that plant-produced RBD and RBD-4M2e could be further used for the development of subunit vaccines against COVID-19 and a bivalent vaccine against COVID-19 and influenza A, while flagellin fusions could be used for the development of intranasal vaccines.
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12
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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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13
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Juteršek M, Petek M, Ramšak Ž, Moreno-Giménez E, Gianoglio S, Mateos-Fernández R, Orzáez D, Gruden K, Baebler Š. Transcriptional deregulation of stress-growth balance in Nicotiana benthamiana biofactories producing insect sex pheromones. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:941338. [PMID: 36388501 PMCID: PMC9645294 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.941338] [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: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Plant biofactories are a promising platform for sustainable production of high-value compounds, among which are insect sex pheromones, a green alternative to conventional insecticides in agriculture. Recently, we have constructed transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants ("Sexy Plants", SxP) that successfully produce a blend of moth (Lepidoptera) sex pheromone compounds (Z)-11-hexadecen-1-ol and (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate. However, efficient biosynthesis of sex pheromones resulted in growth and developmental penalty, diminishing the potential for commercial use of SxP in biomanufacturing. To gain insight into the underlying molecular responses, we analysed the whole-genome transcriptome and evaluated it in relation to growth and pheromone production in low- and high-producing transgenic plants of v1.0 and v1.2 SxP lines. In our study, high-producing SxPv1.2 plants accumulated the highest amounts of pheromones but still maintained better growth compared to v1.0 high producers. For an in-depth biological interpretation of the transcriptomic data, we have prepared a comprehensive functional N. benthamiana genome annotation as well as gene translations to Arabidopsis thaliana, enabling functional information transfer by using Arabidopsis knowledge networks. Differential gene expression analysis, contrasting pheromone producers to wild-type plants, revealed that while only a few genes were differentially regulated in low-producing plants, high-producing plants exhibited vast transcriptional reprogramming. They showed signs of stress-like response, manifested as downregulation of photosynthesis-related genes and significant differences in expression of hormonal signalling and secondary metabolism-related genes, the latter presumably leading to previously reported volatilome changes. Further network analyses confirmed stress-like response with activation of jasmonic acid and downregulation of gibberellic acid signalling, illuminating the possibility that the observed growth penalty was not solely a consequence of a higher metabolic burden imposed upon constitutive expression of a heterologous biosynthetic pathway, but rather the result of signalling pathway perturbation. Our work presents an example of comprehensive transcriptomic analyses of disadvantageous stress signalling in N. benthamiana biofactory that could be applied to other bioproduction systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mojca Juteršek
- Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marko Petek
- Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Živa Ramšak
- Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Elena Moreno-Giménez
- Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV), Valencia, Spain
| | - Silvia Gianoglio
- Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV), Valencia, Spain
| | - Rubén Mateos-Fernández
- Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV), Valencia, Spain
| | - Diego Orzáez
- Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV), Valencia, Spain
| | - Kristina Gruden
- Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Špela Baebler
- Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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14
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Rebelo BA, Folgado A, Ferreira AC, Abranches R. Production of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and its Receptor Binding Domain in plant cell suspension cultures. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:995429. [PMID: 36340353 PMCID: PMC9634662 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.995429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the worldwide spread of SARS-CoV-2, has prompted the scientific community to rapidly develop efficient and specific diagnostics and therapeutics. A number of avenues have been explored, including the manufacture of COVID-related proteins to be used as reagents for diagnostics or treatment. The production of RBD and Spike proteins was previously achieved in eukaryotic cells, mainly mammalian cell cultures, while the production in microbial systems has been unsuccessful until now. Here we report the effective production of SARS-CoV-2 proteins in two plant model systems. We established transgenic tobacco BY-2 and Medicago truncatula A17 cell suspension cultures stably producing the full-length Spike and RBD recombinant proteins. For both proteins, various glycoforms were obtained, with higher yields in Medicago cultures than BY-2. This work highlights that RBD and Spike can be secreted into the culture medium, which will impact subsequent purification and downstream processing costs. Analysis of the culture media indicated the presence of the high molecular weight Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Although the production yields still need improvement to compete with mammalian systems, this is the first report showing that plant cell suspension cultures are able to produce the high molecular weight Spike protein. This finding strengthens the potential of plant cell cultures as production platforms for large complex proteins.
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15
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Talens-Perales D, Nicolau-Sanus M, Polaina J, Daròs JA. Expression of an extremophilic xylanase in Nicotiana benthamiana and its use for the production of prebiotic xylooligosaccharides. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15743. [PMID: 36131073 PMCID: PMC9492658 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19774-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A gene construct encoding a xylanase, which is active in extreme conditions of temperature and alkaline pH (90 °C, pH 10.5), has been transitorily expressed with high efficiency in Nicotiana benthamiana using a viral vector. The enzyme, targeted to the apoplast, accumulates in large amounts in plant tissues in as little as 7 days after inoculation, without detrimental effects on plant growth. The properties of the protein produced by the plant, in terms of resistance to temperature, pH, and enzymatic activity, are equivalent to those observed when Escherichia coli is used as a host. Purification of the plant-produced recombinant xylanase is facilitated by exporting the protein to the apoplastic space. The production of this xylanase by N. benthamiana, which avoids the hindrances derived from the use of E. coli, namely, intracellular production requiring subsequent purification, represents an important step for potential applications in the food industry in which more sustainable and green products are continuously demanded. As an example, the use of the enzyme producing prebiotic xylooligosdaccharides from xylan is here reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Talens-Perales
- Department of Food Biotechnology, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, Spanish National Research Council (IATA-CSIC), Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - María Nicolau-Sanus
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universitat Politècnica de València), 46022, Valencia, Spain
| | - Julio Polaina
- Department of Food Biotechnology, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, Spanish National Research Council (IATA-CSIC), Paterna, Valencia, Spain.
| | - José-Antonio Daròs
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universitat Politècnica de València), 46022, Valencia, Spain.
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16
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Frigerio R, Marusic C, Villani ME, Lico C, Capodicasa C, Andreano E, Paciello I, Rappuoli R, Salzano AM, Scaloni A, Baschieri S, Donini M. Production of two SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies with different potencies in Nicotiana benthamiana. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:956741. [PMID: 36131799 PMCID: PMC9484322 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.956741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies are considered to be highly effective therapeutic tools for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 patients. In the present work, we describe the production of two SARS-CoV-2 human IgG1 monoclonal antibodies recognizing the spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) and endowed with neutralizing activity (nAbs) in plants. The first one, mAbJ08-MUT, was previously isolated from a COVID-19 convalescent patient and Fc-engineered to prolong the half-life and reduce the risk of antibody-dependent enhancement. This nAb produced in mammalian cells, delivered in a single intramuscular administration during a Phase I clinical study, was shown to (i) be safe and effectively protect against major variants of concern, and (ii) have some neutralizing activity against the recently emerged omicron variant in a cytopathic-effect-based microneutralization assay (100% inhibitory concentration, IC100 of 15 μg/mL). The second antibody, mAb675, previously isolated from a vaccinated individual, showed an intermediate neutralization activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Different accumulation levels of mAbJ08-MUT and mAb675 were observed after transient agroinfiltration in Nicotiana benthamiana plants knocked-out for xylosil and fucosil transferases, leading to yields of ~35 and 150 mg/kg of fresh leaf mass, respectively. After purification, as a result of the proteolytic events affecting the hinge-CH2 region, a higher degradation of mAb675 was observed, compared to mAbJ08-MUT (~18% vs. ~1%, respectively). Both nAbs showed a human-like glycosylation profile, and were able to specifically bind to RBD and compete with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 binding in vitro. SARS-CoV-2 neutralization assay against the original virus isolated in Wuhan demonstrated the high neutralization potency of the plant-produced mAbJ08-MUT, with levels (IC100 < 17 ng/mL) comparable to those of the cognate antibody produced in a Chinese hamster ovary cell line; conversely, mAb675 exhibited a medium neutralization potency (IC100 ~ 200 ng/mL). All these data confirm that plant expression platforms may represent a convenient and rapid production system of potent nAbs to be used both in therapy and diagnostics in pandemic emergencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachele Frigerio
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, ENEA Research Center Casaccia, Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Marusic
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, ENEA Research Center Casaccia, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Chiara Lico
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, ENEA Research Center Casaccia, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Emanuele Andreano
- Monoclonal Antibody Discovery (MAD) Lab, Fondazione Toscana Life Sciences, Siena, Italy
| | - Ida Paciello
- Monoclonal Antibody Discovery (MAD) Lab, Fondazione Toscana Life Sciences, Siena, Italy
| | - Rino Rappuoli
- Monoclonal Antibody Discovery (MAD) Lab, Fondazione Toscana Life Sciences, Siena, Italy
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Salzano
- Proteomics, Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, ISPAAM, National Research Council, Portici, Italy
| | - Andrea Scaloni
- Proteomics, Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, ISPAAM, National Research Council, Portici, Italy
| | - Selene Baschieri
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, ENEA Research Center Casaccia, Rome, Italy
| | - Marcello Donini
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, ENEA Research Center Casaccia, Rome, Italy
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17
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Investigation of the N-Glycosylation of the SARS-CoV-2 S Protein Contained in VLPs Produced in Nicotiana benthamiana. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27165119. [PMID: 36014368 PMCID: PMC9412417 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27165119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic in China in late 2019 led to the fast development of efficient therapeutics. Of the major structural proteins encoded by the SARS-CoV-2 genome, the SPIKE (S) protein has attracted considerable research interest because of the central role it plays in virus entry into host cells. Therefore, to date, most immunization strategies aim at inducing neutralizing antibodies against the surface viral S protein. The SARS-CoV-2 S protein is heavily glycosylated with 22 predicted N-glycosylation consensus sites as well as numerous mucin-type O-glycosylation sites. As a consequence, O- and N-glycosylations of this viral protein have received particular attention. Glycans N-linked to the S protein are mainly exposed at the surface and form a shield-masking specific epitope to escape the virus antigenic recognition. In this work, the N-glycosylation status of the S protein within virus-like particles (VLPs) produced in Nicotiana benthamiana (N. benthamiana) was investigated using a glycoproteomic approach. We show that 20 among the 22 predicted N-glycosylation sites are dominated by complex plant N-glycans and one carries oligomannoses. This suggests that the SARS-CoV-2 S protein produced in N. benthamiana adopts an overall 3D structure similar to that of recombinant homologues produced in mammalian cells.
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18
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Selma S, Sanmartín N, Espinosa‐Ruiz A, Gianoglio S, Lopez‐Gresa MP, Vázquez‐Vilar M, Flors V, Granell A, Orzaez D. Custom-made design of metabolite composition in N. benthamiana leaves using CRISPR activators. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2022; 20:1578-1590. [PMID: 35514036 PMCID: PMC9342607 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional regulators based on CRISPR architecture expand our ability to reprogramme endogenous gene expression in plants. One of their potential applications is the customization of plant metabolome through the activation of selected enzymes in a given metabolic pathway. Using the previously described multiplexable CRISPR activator dCasEV2.1, we assayed the selective enrichment in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves of four different flavonoids, namely, naringenin, eriodictyol, kaempferol, and quercetin. After careful selection of target genes and guide RNAs combinations, we created successful activation programmes for each of the four metabolites, each programme activating between three and seven genes, and with individual gene activation levels ranging from 4- to 1500-fold. Metabolic analysis of the flavonoid profiles of each multigene activation programme showed a sharp and selective enrichment of the intended metabolites and their glycosylated derivatives. Remarkably, principal component analysis of untargeted metabolic profiles clearly separated samples according to their activation treatment, and hierarchical clustering separated the samples into five groups, corresponding to the expected four highly enriched metabolite groups, plus an un-activated control. These results demonstrate that dCasEV2.1 is a powerful tool for re-routing metabolic fluxes towards the accumulation of metabolites of interest, opening the door for the custom-made design of metabolic contents in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Selma
- Instituto Biologia Molecular de PlantasCSIC‐UPVValenciaSpain
| | - Neus Sanmartín
- Escuela Superior de Tecnología y Ciencias ExperimentalesUniversidad Jaume ICastellón de la PlanaSpain
| | | | | | | | | | - Victor Flors
- Escuela Superior de Tecnología y Ciencias ExperimentalesUniversidad Jaume ICastellón de la PlanaSpain
| | - Antonio Granell
- Instituto Biologia Molecular de PlantasCSIC‐UPVValenciaSpain
| | - Diego Orzaez
- Instituto Biologia Molecular de PlantasCSIC‐UPVValenciaSpain
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19
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Shanmugaraj B, Khorattanakulchai N, Panapitakkul C, Malla A, Im-Erbsin R, Inthawong M, Sunyakumthorn P, Hunsawong T, Klungthong C, Reed MC, Kemthong T, Suttisan N, Malaivijitnond S, Srimangkornkaew P, Klinkhamhom A, Manopwisedjaroen S, Thitithanyanont A, Taychakhoonavudh S, Phoolcharoen W. Preclinical evaluation of a plant-derived SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccine: Protective efficacy, immunogenicity, safety, and toxicity. Vaccine 2022; 40:4440-4452. [PMID: 35697573 PMCID: PMC9167921 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.05.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The prevention of SARS-CoV-2 transmission has become a global priority. Previously, we showed that a protein subunit vaccine that was developed based on the fusion of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) to the Fc portion of human IgG1 (RBD-Fc), produced in Nicotiana benthamiana, and adjuvanted with alum, namely, Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 1, induced potent immunological responses in both mice and cynomolgus monkeys. Hence, this study evaluated the protective efficacy, safety, and toxicity of Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 1 in K18-hACE2 mice, monkeys and Wistar rats. Two doses of vaccine were administered three weeks apart on Days 0 and 21. The administration of the vaccine to K18-hACE2 mice reduced viral loads in the lungs and brains of the vaccinated animals and protected the mice against challenge with SARS-CoV-2. In monkeys, the results of safety pharmacology tests, general clinical observations, and a core battery of studies of three vital systems, namely, the central nervous, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems, did not reveal any safety concerns. The toxicology study of the vaccine in rats showed no vaccine-related pathological changes, and all the animals remained healthy under the conditions of this study. Furthermore, the vaccine did not cause any abnormal toxicity in rats and was clinically tolerated even at the highest tested concentration. In addition, general health status, body temperature, local toxicity at the administration site, hematology, and blood chemistry parameters were also monitored. Overall, this work presents the results of the first systematic study of the safety profile of a plant-derived vaccine, Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 1; this approach can be considered a viable strategy for the development of vaccines against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Narach Khorattanakulchai
- 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
| | - Chalisa Panapitakkul
- 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
| | | | - Rawiwan Im-Erbsin
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, U.S. Army Medical Directorate-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Manutsanun Inthawong
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, U.S. Army Medical Directorate-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Piyanate Sunyakumthorn
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, U.S. Army Medical Directorate-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Taweewun Hunsawong
- Department of Virology, U.S. Army Medical Directorate-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Chonticha Klungthong
- Department of Virology, U.S. Army Medical Directorate-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Matthew C Reed
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, U.S. Army Medical Directorate-Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Taratorn Kemthong
- National Primate Research Center of Thailand-Chulalongkorn University, Saraburi 18110, Thailand
| | - Nutchanat Suttisan
- National Primate Research Center of Thailand-Chulalongkorn University, Saraburi 18110, Thailand
| | - Suchinda Malaivijitnond
- National Primate Research Center of Thailand-Chulalongkorn University, Saraburi 18110, Thailand
| | | | - Aekkarin Klinkhamhom
- National Laboratory Animal Center, Mahidol University, Nakorn Pathom 73170, Thailand
| | | | - Arunee Thitithanyanont
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Suthira Taychakhoonavudh
- Department of Social and Administrative Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - 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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20
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Ceballo Y, López A, González CE, Ramos O, Andújar I, Martínez RU, Hernández A. Transient production of receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 in Nicotiana benthamiana plants induces specific antibodies in immunized mice. Mol Biol Rep 2022; 49:6113-6123. [PMID: 35526244 PMCID: PMC9079970 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-07402-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has currently affected millions of people around the world. To combat the rapid spread of COVID-19 there is an urgent need to implement technological platforms for the production of vaccines, drugs and diagnostic systems by the scientific community and pharmaceutical companies. The SARS-CoV-2 virus enters the cells by the interaction between the receptor-binding domain (RBD) present in the viral surface spike protein and its human receptor ACE2. The RBD protein is therefore considered as the target for potential subunit-based vaccines. METHODS AND RESULTS We evaluate the use of Nicotiana benthamiana plants as the host to transiently-producing recombinant RBD (RBDr) protein. The identity of the plant-produced RBDr was confirmed by immune assays and mass spectrometry. Immunogenicity was confirmed through the specific antibodies generated in all of the immunized mice compared to the PBS treated group. CONCLUSIONS In conclusions, the immunogenicity of the RBDr produced in N. benthamiana was confirmed. These findings support the use of plants as an antigen expression system for the rapid development of vaccine candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanaysi Ceballo
- Bioreactors Laboratory, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana, Cuba.
- Plant Biotechnology Department, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, PO Box 6162, 10600, Havana, Cuba.
| | - Alina López
- Bioreactors Laboratory, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana, Cuba
| | - Carlos E González
- Bioreactors Laboratory, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana, Cuba
| | - Osmany Ramos
- Bioreactors Laboratory, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana, Cuba
| | - Iván Andújar
- Proteomic Laboratory, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana, Cuba
| | - Ricardo U Martínez
- Diagnostic Laboratory, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana, Cuba
| | - Abel Hernández
- Bioreactors Laboratory, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana, Cuba
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21
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Tian C, Zhang Y, Li J, Wang Y. Benchmarking Intrinsic Promoters and Terminators for Plant Synthetic Biology Research. BIODESIGN RESEARCH 2022; 2022:9834989. [PMID: 37850139 PMCID: PMC10521690 DOI: 10.34133/2022/9834989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The emerging plant synthetic metabolic engineering has been exhibiting great promise to produce either value-added metabolites or therapeutic proteins. However, promoters for plant pathway engineering are generally selected empirically. The quantitative characterization of plant-based promoters is essential for optimal control of gene expression in plant chassis. Here, we used N. benthamiana leaves and BY2 suspension cells to quantitatively characterize a library of plant promoters by transient expression of firefly/Renilla luciferase. We validated the dual-luciferase reporter system by examining the correlation between reporter protein and mRNA levels. In addition, we investigated the effects of terminator-promoter combinations on gene expression and found that the combinations of promoters and terminators resulted in a 326-fold difference between the strongest and weakest performance, as reflected in reporter gene expression. As a proof of concept, we used the quantitatively characterized promoters to engineer the betalain pathway in N. benthamiana. Seven selected plant promoters with different expression strengths were used orthogonally to express CYP76AD1 and DODA, resulting in a final betalain production range of 6.0-362.4 μg/g fresh weight. Our systematic approach not only demonstrates the various intensities of multiple promoter sequences in N. benthamiana and BY2 cells but also adds to the toolbox of plant promoters for plant engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenfei Tian
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Yixin Zhang
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Jianhua Li
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yong Wang
- CAS-Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
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22
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Potential for a Plant-Made SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibody as a Synergetic Cocktail Component. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10050772. [PMID: 35632528 PMCID: PMC9145534 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10050772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2022] [Revised: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a public health crisis over the last two years. Monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based therapeutics against the spike (S) protein have been shown to be effective treatments for SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially the original viral strain. However, the current mAbs produced in mammalian cells are expensive and might be unaffordable for many. Furthermore, the emergence of variants of concern demands the development of strategies to prevent mutant escape from mAb treatment. Using a cocktail of mAbs that bind to complementary neutralizing epitopes is one such strategy. In this study, we use Nicotiana benthamiana plants in an effort to expedite the development of efficacious and affordable antibody cocktails against SARS-CoV-2. We show that two mAbs can be highly expressed in plants and are correctly assembled into IgG molecules. Moreover, they retain target epitope recognition and, more importantly, neutralize multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants. We also show that one plant-made mAb has neutralizing synergy with other mAbs that we developed in hybridomas. This is the first report of a plant-made mAb to be assessed as a potential component of a SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing cocktail. This work may offer a strategy for using plants to quickly develop mAb cocktail-based therapeutics against emerging viral diseases with high efficacy and low costs.
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23
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Ruocco V, Strasser R. Transient Expression of Glycosylated SARS-CoV-2 Antigens in Nicotiana benthamiana. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:1093. [PMID: 35448821 PMCID: PMC9033091 DOI: 10.3390/plants11081093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The current COVID-19 pandemic very dramatically shows that the world lacks preparedness for novel viral diseases. In addition to newly emerging viruses, many known pathogenic viruses such as influenza are constantly evolving, leading to frequent outbreaks with severe diseases and deaths. Hence, infectious viruses are a recurrent burden to our daily life, and powerful strategies to stop the spread of human pathogens and disease progression are of utmost importance. Transient plant-based protein expression is a technology that allows fast and highly flexible manufacturing of recombinant viral proteins and, thus, can contribute to infectious disease detection and prevention. This review highlights recent progress in the transient production of viral glycoproteins in N. benthamiana with a focus on SARS-CoV-2-derived viral antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, A-1190 Vienna, Austria;
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24
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Multi-approach LC-MS methods for the characterization of species-specific attributes of monoclonal antibodies from plants. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2022; 216:114796. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2022.114796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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25
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Compendium on Food Crop Plants as a Platform for Pharmaceutical Protein Production. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23063236. [PMID: 35328657 PMCID: PMC8951019 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Tremendous advances in crop biotechnology related to the availability of molecular tools and methods developed for transformation and regeneration of specific plant species have been observed. As a consequence, the interest in plant molecular farming aimed at producing the desired therapeutic proteins has significantly increased. Since the middle of the 1980s, recombinant pharmaceuticals have transformed the treatment of many serious diseases and nowadays are used in all branches of medicine. The available systems of the synthesis include wild-type or modified mammalian cells, plants or plant cell cultures, insects, yeast, fungi, or bacteria. Undeniable benefits such as well-characterised breeding conditions, safety, and relatively low costs of production make plants an attractive yet competitive platform for biopharmaceutical production. Some of the vegetable plants that have edible tubers, fruits, leaves, or seeds may be desirable as inexpensive bioreactors because these organs can provide edible vaccines and thus omit the purification step of the final product. Some crucial facts in the development of plant-made pharmaceuticals are presented here in brief. Although crop systems do not require more strictly dedicated optimization of methodologies at any stages of the of biopharmaceutical production process, here we recall the complete framework of such a project, along with theoretical background. Thus, a brief review of the advantages and disadvantages of different systems, the principles for the selection of cis elements for the expression cassettes, and available methods of plant transformation, through to the protein recovery and purification stage, are all presented here. We also outline the achievements in the production of biopharmaceuticals in economically important crop plants and provide examples of their clinical trials and commercialization.
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26
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Khan WH, Khan N, Mishra A, Gupta S, Bansode V, Mehta D, Bhambure R, Ansari MA, Das S, Rathore AS. Dimerization of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein affects sensitivity of ELISA based diagnostics of COVID-19. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 200:428-437. [PMID: 35051498 PMCID: PMC8762837 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.01.094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Nucleocapsid protein (N protein) is the primary antigen of the virus for development of sensitive diagnostic assays of COVID-19. In this paper, we demonstrate the significant impact of dimerization of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) N-protein on sensitivity of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based diagnostics. The expressed purified protein from E. coli is composed of dimeric and monomeric forms, which have been further characterized using biophysical and immunological techniques. Indirect ELISA indicated elevated susceptibility of the dimeric form of the nucleocapsid protein for identification of protein-specific monoclonal antibody as compared to the monomeric form. This finding also confirmed with the modelled structure of monomeric and dimeric nucleocapsid protein via HHPred software and its solvent accessible surface area, which indicates higher stability and antigenicity of the dimeric type as compared to the monomeric form. The sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA at 95% CI are 99.0% (94.5-99.9) and 95.0% (83.0-99.4), respectively, for the highest purified dimeric form of the N protein. As a result, using the highest purified dimeric form will improve the sensitivity of the current nucleocapsid-dependent ELISA for COVID-19 diagnosis, and manufacturers should monitor and maintain the monomer-dimer composition for accurate and robust diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wajihul Hasan Khan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Nida Khan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Avinash Mishra
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Surbhi Gupta
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Vikrant Bansode
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Deepa Mehta
- Chemical Engineering and Process Development Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr Homi Bhabha Rd, Pune, Maharashtra 411008, India
| | - Rahul Bhambure
- Chemical Engineering and Process Development Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr Homi Bhabha Rd, Pune, Maharashtra 411008, India
| | - M. Ahmad Ansari
- Department of Microbiology, The University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS) and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital (GTB), Dilshad Garden, Delhi 110095, India
| | - Shukla Das
- Department of Microbiology, The University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS) and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital (GTB), Dilshad Garden, Delhi 110095, India
| | - Anurag S. Rathore
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India,Corresponding author at: DBT Centre of Excellence for Biopharmaceutical Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
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27
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Chen Q. Development of plant-made monoclonal antibodies against viral infections. Curr Opin Virol 2022; 52:148-160. [PMID: 34933212 PMCID: PMC8844144 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2021.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Current plant-based systems offer multiple advantages for monoclonal antibody (mAb) development and production beyond the traditional benefits of low cost and high scalability. Novel expression vectors have allowed the production of mAbs at high levels with unprecedented speed to combat current and future pandemics. Host glycoengineering has enabled plants to produce mAbs that have unique mammalian glycoforms with a high degree of homogeneity. These mAb glycovariants exhibit differential binding to various Fc receptors, providing a new way to optimize antibody effector function for improving mAb potency or safety. This review will summarize the status of anti-viral mAb development with plant-based systems. The preclinical and clinical development of leading plant-made mAb candidates will be highlighted. In addition, the remaining challenges and potential applications of this technology will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Chen
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
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28
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Plant-Derived Recombinant Vaccines against Zoonotic Viruses. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12020156. [PMID: 35207444 PMCID: PMC8878793 DOI: 10.3390/life12020156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases cause serious illness with billions of cases, and millions of deaths. The most effective way to restrict the spread of zoonotic viruses among humans and animals and prevent disease is vaccination. Recombinant proteins produced in plants offer an alternative approach for the development of safe, effective, inexpensive candidate vaccines. Current strategies are focused on the production of highly immunogenic structural proteins, which mimic the organizations of the native virion but lack the viral genetic material. These include chimeric viral peptides, subunit virus proteins, and virus-like particles (VLPs). The latter, with their ability to self-assemble and thus resemble the form of virus particles, are gaining traction among plant-based candidate vaccines against many infectious diseases. In this review, we summarized the main zoonotic diseases and followed the progress in using plant expression systems for the production of recombinant proteins and VLPs used in the development of plant-based vaccines against zoonotic viruses.
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29
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Spiegel H, Schillberg S, Nölke G. Production of Recombinant Proteins by Agrobacterium-Mediated Transient Expression. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2480:89-102. [PMID: 35616859 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2241-4_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The agroinfiltration of plant tissue is a robust method that allows the rapid and transient expression of recombinant proteins. Using wild-type plants as biomass, agroinfiltration exploits the ability of plants to synthesize even complex multimeric proteins that require oxidative folding and/or post-translational modifications, while avoiding the expensive and time-consuming creation of stably transformed plant lines. Here we describe a generic method for the transient expression of recombinant proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana at the small to medium laboratory scale, including appropriate binary vectors, the design and cloning of expression constructs, the transformation, selection, and cultivation of recombinant Agrobacterium tumefaciens, the infiltration of plants using a syringe or vacuum device, and finally the extraction of recombinant proteins from plant tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holger Spiegel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Stefan Schillberg
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Phytopathology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Greta Nölke
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen, Germany
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30
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Murugan C, Ramamoorthy S, Kuppuswamy G, Murugan RK, Sivalingam Y, Sundaramurthy A. COVID-19: A review of newly formed viral clades, pathophysiology, therapeutic strategies and current vaccination tasks. Int J Biol Macromol 2021; 193:1165-1200. [PMID: 34710479 PMCID: PMC8545698 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.10.144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Today, the world population is facing an existential threat by an invisible enemy known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) or COVID-19. It is highly contagious and has infected a larger fraction of human population across the globe on various routes of transmission. The detailed knowledge of the SARS-CoV-2 structure and clinical aspects offers an important insight into the evolution of infection, disease progression and helps in executing the different therapies effectively. Herein, we have discussed in detail about the genome structure of SARS-CoV-2 and its role in the proteomic rational spread of different muted species and pathogenesis in infecting the host cells. The mechanisms behind the viral outbreak and its immune response, the availability of existing diagnostics techniques, the treatment efficacy of repurposed drugs and the emerging vaccine trials for the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak also have been highlighted. Furthermore, the possible antiviral effects of various herbal products and their extracted molecules in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 replication and cellular entry are also reported. Finally, we conclude our opinion on current challenges involved in the drug development, bulk production of drug/vaccines and their storage requirements, logistical procedures and limitations related to dosage trials for larger population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandran Murugan
- SRM Research Institute, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chengalpattu 603203, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Sharmiladevi Ramamoorthy
- Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chengalpattu 603203, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Guruprasad Kuppuswamy
- Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chengalpattu 603203, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Rajesh Kumar Murugan
- Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chengalpattu 603203, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Yuvaraj Sivalingam
- Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chengalpattu 603203, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Anandhakumar Sundaramurthy
- SRM Research Institute, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chengalpattu 603203, Tamil Nadu, India; Department of Chemical Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chengalpattu 603203, Tamil Nadu, India.
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31
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Drapal M, Enfissi EMA, Fraser PD. Metabolic changes in leaves of N. tabacum and N. benthamiana during plant development. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 265:153486. [PMID: 34388688 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2021.153486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Dwindling fossil fuel reserves and poor environmental credentials of chemical synthesis means, new renewable sources for the production and manufacture of valuable chemicals and pharmaceuticals are required. Presently, tobacco is an underutilised non-food crop with the potential to act as a biofactory. In this study, metabolite profiling across vegetative development has been carried out to provide a quantitative baseline of metabolites, their formation and interaction. Two tobacco platforms have been used, Nicotiana benthamiana and Nicotiana tabacum. Our data generated has provided the quantitative and qualitative baseline levels for exploitable pathways and metabolites, across two complementary Nicotiana species. N. benthamiana is the chassis of choice for transient expression. The metabolite data obtained for N. benthamiana highlighted that before flower emergence, the increased central carbon metabolism and high amino acid levels are available for the biosynthesis of endogenous or heterologous metabolites. In the future, engineering pathways or biocatalysts into N. benthamiana could add value to the process presently used to produce low volume, high cost pharmaceuticals. Similar outputs were obtained for N. tabacum, which has the advantage of providing a large biomass and hence, high product yield. These data provide an insight into the metabolite pools available in tobacco for future exploitation by emerging New Plant Breeding Techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margit Drapal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
| | - Eugenia M A Enfissi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
| | - Paul D Fraser
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, United Kingdom.
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32
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Schwestka J, König-Beihammer J, Shin YJ, Vavra U, Kienzl NF, Grünwald-Gruber C, Maresch D, Klausberger M, Laurent E, Stadler M, Manhart G, Huber J, Hofner M, Vierlinger K, Weinhäusel A, Swoboda I, Binder CJ, Gerner W, Grebien F, Altmann F, Mach L, Stöger E, Strasser R. Impact of Specific N-Glycan Modifications on the Use of Plant-Produced SARS-CoV-2 Antigens in Serological Assays. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:747500. [PMID: 34646292 PMCID: PMC8503525 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.747500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein plays a key role in the virus-host cell interaction, and viral infection. The RBD is a major target for neutralizing antibodies, whilst recombinant RBD is commonly used as an antigen in serological assays. Such assays are essential tools to gain control over the pandemic and detect the extent and durability of an immune response in infected or vaccinated populations. Transient expression in plants can contribute to the fast production of viral antigens, which are required by industry in high amounts. Whilst plant-produced RBDs are glycosylated, N-glycan modifications in plants differ from humans. This can give rise to the formation of carbohydrate epitopes that can be recognized by anti-carbohydrate antibodies present in human sera. For the performance of serological tests using plant-produced recombinant viral antigens, such cross-reactive carbohydrate determinants (CCDs) could result in false positives. Here, we transiently expressed an RBD variant in wild-type and glycoengineered Nicotiana benthamiana leaves and characterized the impact of different plant-specific N-glycans on RBD reactivity in serological assays. While the overall performance of the different RBD glycoforms was comparable to each other and to a human cell line produced RBD, there was a higher tendency toward false positive results with sera containing allergy-related CCD-antibodies when an RBD carrying β1,2-xylose and core α1,3-fucose was used. These rare events could be further minimized by pre-incubating sera from allergic individuals with a CCD-inhibitor. Thereby, false positive signals obtained from anti-CCD antibodies, could be reduced by 90%, on average.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Schwestka
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julia König-Beihammer
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Yun-Ji Shin
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrike Vavra
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nikolaus F. Kienzl
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Clemens Grünwald-Gruber
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniel Maresch
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Miriam Klausberger
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Laurent
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Core Facility Biomolecular & Cellular Analysis, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maria Stadler
- Institute of Immunology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gabriele Manhart
- Institute for Medical Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jasmin Huber
- Competence Unit Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Manuela Hofner
- Competence Unit Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Klemens Vierlinger
- Competence Unit Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Weinhäusel
- Competence Unit Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ines Swoboda
- Biotechnology Section, FH Campus Wien, University of Applied Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christoph J. Binder
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wilhelm Gerner
- Institute of Immunology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Florian Grebien
- Institute for Medical Biochemistry, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Friedrich Altmann
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Mach
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Stöger
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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33
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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: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [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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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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Mamedov T, Yuksel D, Ilgın M, Gurbuzaslan I, Gulec B, Yetiskin H, Uygut MA, Islam Pavel ST, Ozdarendeli A, Mammadova G, Say D, Hasanova G. Plant-Produced Glycosylated and In Vivo Deglycosylated Receptor Binding Domain Proteins of SARS-CoV-2 Induce Potent Neutralizing Responses in Mice. Viruses 2021; 13:1595. [PMID: 34452461 PMCID: PMC8402646 DOI: 10.3390/v13081595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has rapidly spread to more than 222 countries and has put global public health at high risk. The world urgently needs cost-effective and safe SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, antiviral, and therapeutic drugs to control it. In this study, we engineered the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein and produced it in the plant Nicotiana benthamiana in a glycosylated and deglycosylated form. Expression levels of both glycosylated (gRBD) and deglycosylated (dRBD) RBD were greater than 45 mg/kg fresh weight. The purification yields were 22 mg of pure protein/kg of plant biomass for gRBD and 20 mg for dRBD, which would be sufficient for commercialization of these vaccine candidates. The purified plant-produced RBD protein was recognized by an S protein-specific monoclonal antibody, demonstrating specific reactivity of the antibody to the plant-produced RBD proteins. The SARS-CoV-2 RBD showed specific binding to angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the SARS-CoV-2 receptor. In mice, the plant-produced RBD antigens elicited high titers of antibodies with a potent virus-neutralizing activity. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating that mice immunized with plant-produced deglycosylated RBD form elicited high titer of RBD-specific antibodies with potent neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Thus, obtained data support that plant-produced glycosylated and in vivo deglycosylated RBD antigens, developed in this study, are promising vaccine candidates for the prevention of COVID-19.
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MESH Headings
- Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/metabolism
- Animals
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/blood
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology
- Antibodies, Viral/blood
- Antibodies, Viral/immunology
- Chlorocebus aethiops
- Glycosylation
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Neutralization Tests
- Plants, Genetically Modified
- Protein Binding
- Protein Domains
- Protein Engineering
- Protein Stability
- Receptors, Coronavirus/metabolism
- Recombinant Proteins/chemistry
- Recombinant Proteins/metabolism
- SARS-CoV-2/immunology
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/chemistry
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/genetics
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology
- Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/metabolism
- Nicotiana/genetics
- Nicotiana/metabolism
- Vero Cells
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarlan Mamedov
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, 07058 Antalya, Turkey; (D.Y.); (M.I.); (I.G.); (B.G.); (G.M.); (D.S.); (G.H.)
| | - Damla Yuksel
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, 07058 Antalya, Turkey; (D.Y.); (M.I.); (I.G.); (B.G.); (G.M.); (D.S.); (G.H.)
| | - Merve Ilgın
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, 07058 Antalya, Turkey; (D.Y.); (M.I.); (I.G.); (B.G.); (G.M.); (D.S.); (G.H.)
| | - Irem Gurbuzaslan
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, 07058 Antalya, Turkey; (D.Y.); (M.I.); (I.G.); (B.G.); (G.M.); (D.S.); (G.H.)
| | - Burcu Gulec
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, 07058 Antalya, Turkey; (D.Y.); (M.I.); (I.G.); (B.G.); (G.M.); (D.S.); (G.H.)
| | - Hazel Yetiskin
- Department of Microbiology, Medical Faculty, Erciyes University, 38280 Kayseri, Turkey; (H.Y.); (M.A.U.); (S.T.I.P.); (A.O.)
- Vaccine Research, Development and Application Center, Erciyes University, 38280 Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Muhammet Ali Uygut
- Department of Microbiology, Medical Faculty, Erciyes University, 38280 Kayseri, Turkey; (H.Y.); (M.A.U.); (S.T.I.P.); (A.O.)
| | - Shaikh Terkis Islam Pavel
- Department of Microbiology, Medical Faculty, Erciyes University, 38280 Kayseri, Turkey; (H.Y.); (M.A.U.); (S.T.I.P.); (A.O.)
- Vaccine Research, Development and Application Center, Erciyes University, 38280 Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Aykut Ozdarendeli
- Department of Microbiology, Medical Faculty, Erciyes University, 38280 Kayseri, Turkey; (H.Y.); (M.A.U.); (S.T.I.P.); (A.O.)
- Vaccine Research, Development and Application Center, Erciyes University, 38280 Kayseri, Turkey
| | - Gulshan Mammadova
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, 07058 Antalya, Turkey; (D.Y.); (M.I.); (I.G.); (B.G.); (G.M.); (D.S.); (G.H.)
| | - Deniz Say
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, 07058 Antalya, Turkey; (D.Y.); (M.I.); (I.G.); (B.G.); (G.M.); (D.S.); (G.H.)
| | - Gulnara Hasanova
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, 07058 Antalya, Turkey; (D.Y.); (M.I.); (I.G.); (B.G.); (G.M.); (D.S.); (G.H.)
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Rattanapisit K, Bulaon CJI, Khorattanakulchai N, Shanmugaraj B, Wangkanont K, Phoolcharoen W. Plant-produced SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) variants showed differential binding efficiency with anti-spike specific monoclonal antibodies. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0253574. [PMID: 34379620 PMCID: PMC8357147 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic which is characterized by respiratory illness and severe pneumonia, and currently accounts for > 2.5 million deaths worldwide. Recently, diverse mutations in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 were reported in United Kingdom (Alpha) and South Africa (Beta) strains which raise concerns over the potential increase in binding affinity towards the host cell receptor and diminished host neutralization capabilities. In order to study the effect of mutation in the binding efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) with anti-SARS-CoV/CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), we have produced SARS-CoV-2 RBD and two variants SARS-CoV-2 RBD (Alpha RBD and Beta RBD) in Nicotiana benthamiana by transient expression. Plant-produced SARS-CoV-2 RBD-Fc, Alpha RBD-Fc and Beta RBD-Fc exhibited specific binding to human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor determined by ELISA. Intriguingly, the binding of plant-produced SARS-CoV-2 RBD proteins to plant-produced mAbs CR3022, B38, and H4 was found to be different depending on the variant mutation. In contrary to the plant-produced SARS-CoV-2 RBD-Fc and Alpha RBD-Fc, Beta RBD-Fc variant showed weak binding affinity towards the mAbs. The result suggested that the Beta RBD variant might have acquired partial resistance to neutralizing antibodies compared to other variants. However, further studies with sera from convalescent or vaccinated individuals are required to confirm this finding.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christine Joy I. Bulaon
- Research Unit for Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Narach Khorattanakulchai
- Research Unit for Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Kittikhun Wangkanont
- Center of Excellence for Molecular Biology and Genomics of Shrimp (GCE 6302823006-1), Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Molecular Crop Research Unit (GRU 6407023008-1), Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, 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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37
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Williams L, Jurado S, Llorente F, Romualdo A, González S, Saconne A, Bronchalo I, Martínez-Cortes M, Pérez-Gómez B, Ponz F, Jiménez-Clavero MÁ, Lunello P. The C-Terminal Half of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Protein, Industrially Produced in Plants, Is Valid as Antigen in COVID-19 Serological Tests. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:699665. [PMID: 34386028 PMCID: PMC8354202 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.699665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The fight against the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created a huge demand of biotechnological, pharmaceutical, research and sanitary materials at unprecedented scales. One of the most urgent demands affects the diagnostic tests. The growing need for rapid and accurate laboratory diagnostic tests requires the development of biotechnological processes aimed at producing reagents able to cope with this demand in a scalable, cost-effective manner, with rapid turnaround times. This is particularly applicable to the antigens employed in serological tests. Recombinant protein expression using plants as biofactories is particularly suitable for mass production of protein antigens useful in serological diagnosis, with a neat advantage in economic terms. METHODS We expressed a large portion of the nucleoprotein (N) derived from SARS-CoV-2 in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. After purification, the recombinant N protein obtained was used to develop an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in human sera. To validate the ELISA, a panel of 416 sera from exposed personnel at essential services in Madrid City Council were tested, and the results compared to those obtained by another ELISA, already validated, used as reference. Furthermore, a subset of samples for which RT-PCR results were available were used to confirm sensitivity and specificity of the test. RESULTS The performance of the N protein expressed in plants as antigen in serologic test for SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection was shown to be highly satisfactory, with calculated diagnostic sensitivity of 96.41% (95% CI: 93.05-98.44) and diagnostic specificity of 96.37 (95% CI: 93.05-98.44) as compared to the reference ELISA, with a kappa (K) value of 0.928 (95% CI:0.892-0.964). Furthermore, the ELISA developed with plant-derived N antigen detected SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in 84 out of 93 sera from individuals showing RT-PCR positive results (86/93 for the reference ELISA). CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that the N protein part derived from SARS-CoV-2 expressed in plants performs as a perfectly valid antigen for use in COVID-19 diagnosis. Furthermore, our results support the use of this plant platform for expression of recombinant proteins as reagents for COVID-19 diagnosis. This platform stands out as a convenient and advantageous production system, fit-for-purpose to cope with the current demand of this type of biologicals in a cost-effective manner, making diagnostic kits more affordable.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Francisco Llorente
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA), Centro Nacional Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Valdeolmos, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Beatriz Pérez-Gómez
- National Centre for Epidemiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Fernando Ponz
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid-Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (CBGP, UPM-INIA, CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel Ángel Jiménez-Clavero
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA), Centro Nacional Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Valdeolmos, Spain
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
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38
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Siriwattananon K, Manopwisedjaroen S, Shanmugaraj B, Prompetchara E, Ketloy C, Buranapraditkun S, Tharakhet K, Kaewpang P, Ruxrungtham K, Thitithanyanont A, Phoolcharoen W. Immunogenicity Studies of Plant-Produced SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain-Based Subunit Vaccine Candidate with Different Adjuvant Formulations. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9070744. [PMID: 34358160 PMCID: PMC8310282 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9070744] [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: 05/15/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to the rapid transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) causing serious public health problems and economic burden, the development of effective vaccines is a high priority for controlling the virus spread. Our group has previously demonstrated that the plant-produced receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 fused with Fc of human IgG was capable of eliciting potent neutralizing antibody and cellular immune responses in animal studies, and the immunogenicity could be improved by the addition of an alum adjuvant. Here, we performed a head-to-head comparison of different commercially available adjuvants, including aluminum hydroxide gel (alum), AddaVax (MF59), monophosphoryl lipid A from Salmonella minnesota R595 (mPLA-SM), and polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)), in mice by combining them with plant-produced RBD-Fc, and the differences in the immunogenicity of RBD-Fc with different adjuvants were evaluated. The specific antibody responses in terms of total IgG, IgG1, and IgG2a subtypes and neutralizing antibodies, as well as vaccine-specific T-lymphocyte responses, induced by the different tested adjuvants were compared. We observed that all adjuvants tested here induced a high level of total IgG and neutralizing antibodies, but mPLA-SM and poly (I:C) showed the induction of a balanced IgG1 and IgG2a (Th2/Th1) immune response. Further, poly (I:C) significantly increased the frequency of IFN-γ-expressing cells compared with control, whereas no significant difference was observed between the adjuvanted groups. This data revealed the adjuvants' role in enhancing the immune response of RBD-Fc vaccination and the immune profiles elicited by different adjuvants, which could prove helpful for the rational development of next-generation SARS-CoV-2 RBD-Fc subunit vaccines. However, additional research is essential to further investigate the efficacy and safety of this vaccine formulation before clinical trials.
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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
| | - Suwimon Manopwisedjaroen
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand; (S.M.); (A.T.)
| | | | - Eakachai Prompetchara
- Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center, Chula VRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; (E.P.); (C.K.); (S.B.); (K.T.); (P.K.); (K.R.)
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Chutitorn Ketloy
- Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center, Chula VRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; (E.P.); (C.K.); (S.B.); (K.T.); (P.K.); (K.R.)
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Supranee Buranapraditkun
- Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center, Chula VRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; (E.P.); (C.K.); (S.B.); (K.T.); (P.K.); (K.R.)
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Kittipan Tharakhet
- Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center, Chula VRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; (E.P.); (C.K.); (S.B.); (K.T.); (P.K.); (K.R.)
| | - Papatsara Kaewpang
- Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center, Chula VRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; (E.P.); (C.K.); (S.B.); (K.T.); (P.K.); (K.R.)
| | - Kiat Ruxrungtham
- Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center, Chula VRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; (E.P.); (C.K.); (S.B.); (K.T.); (P.K.); (K.R.)
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Arunee Thitithanyanont
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand; (S.M.); (A.T.)
| | - 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.: +662-218-8359; Fax: +662-218-8357
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Shin YJ, König-Beihammer J, Vavra U, Schwestka J, Kienzl NF, Klausberger M, Laurent E, Grünwald-Gruber C, Vierlinger K, Hofner M, Margolin E, Weinhäusel A, Stöger E, Mach L, Strasser R. N-Glycosylation of the SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain Is Important for Functional Expression in Plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:689104. [PMID: 34211491 PMCID: PMC8239413 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.689104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Nicotiana benthamiana is used worldwide as production host for recombinant proteins. Many recombinant proteins such as monoclonal antibodies, growth factors or viral antigens require posttranslational modifications like glycosylation for their function. Here, we transiently expressed different variants of the glycosylated receptor binding domain (RBD) from the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in N. benthamiana. We characterized the impact of variations in RBD-length and posttranslational modifications on protein expression, yield and functionality. We found that a truncated RBD variant (RBD-215) consisting of amino acids Arg319-Leu533 can be efficiently expressed as a secreted soluble protein. Purified RBD-215 was mainly present as a monomer and showed binding to the conformation-dependent antibody CR3022, the cellular receptor angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and to antibodies present in convalescent sera. Expression of RBD-215 in glycoengineered ΔXT/FT plants resulted in the generation of complex N-glycans on both N-glycosylation sites. While site-directed mutagenesis showed that the N-glycans are important for proper RBD folding, differences in N-glycan processing had no effect on protein expression and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Ji Shin
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Julia König-Beihammer
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrike Vavra
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jennifer Schwestka
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nikolaus F. Kienzl
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Miriam Klausberger
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Laurent
- Department of Biotechnology, Core Facility Biomolecular and Cellular Analysis, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Clemens Grünwald-Gruber
- Department of Chemistry, Core Facility Mass Spectrometry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Klemens Vierlinger
- Competence Unit Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Manuela Hofner
- Competence Unit Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Emmanuel Margolin
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Andreas Weinhäusel
- Competence Unit Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Health and Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Stöger
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Mach
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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40
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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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Kopertekh L, Reichardt S. At-CycD2 Enhances Accumulation of Above-Ground Biomass and Recombinant Proteins in Transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana Plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:712438. [PMID: 34567027 PMCID: PMC8460762 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.712438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana holds great potential for recombinant protein manufacturing due to its advantages in terms of speed and yield compared to stably transformed plants. To continue improving the quantity of recombinant proteins the plant host will need to be modified at both plant and cellular levels. In attempt to increase leaf mass fraction, we transformed N. benthamiana with the At-CycD2 gene, a positive regulator of the cell cycle. Phenotypic characterization of the T1 progeny plants revealed their accelerated above-ground biomass accumulation and enhanced rate of leaf initiation. In comparison to non-transgenic control the best performing line At-CycD2-15 provided 143 and 140% higher leaf and stem biomass fractions, respectively. The leaf area enlargement of the At-CycD2-15 genotype was associated with the increase of epidermal cell number compensated by slightly reduced cell size. The production capacity of the At-CycD2-15 transgenic line was superior to that of the non-transgenic N. benthamiana. The accumulation of transiently expressed GFP and scFv-TM43-E10 proteins per unit biomass was increased by 138.5 and 156.7%, respectively, compared to the wild type. With these results we demonstrate the potential of cell cycle regulator gene At-CycD2 to modulate both plant phenotype and intracellular environment of N. benthamiana for enhanced recombinant protein yield.
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