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Ranawaka B, An J, Lorenc MT, Jung H, Sulli M, Aprea G, Roden S, Llaca V, Hayashi S, Asadyar L, LeBlanc Z, Ahmed Z, Naim F, de Campos SB, Cooper T, de Felippes FF, Dong P, Zhong S, Garcia-Carpintero V, Orzaez D, Dudley KJ, Bombarely A, Bally J, Winefield C, Giuliano G, Waterhouse PM. A multi-omic Nicotiana benthamiana resource for fundamental research and biotechnology. NATURE PLANTS 2023; 9:1558-1571. [PMID: 37563457 PMCID: PMC10505560 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01489-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Nicotiana benthamiana is an invaluable model plant and biotechnology platform with a ~3 Gb allotetraploid genome. To further improve its usefulness and versatility, we have produced high-quality chromosome-level genome assemblies, coupled with transcriptome, epigenome, microRNA and transposable element datasets, for the ubiquitously used LAB strain and a related wild accession, QLD. In addition, single nucleotide polymorphism maps have been produced for a further two laboratory strains and four wild accessions. Despite the loss of five chromosomes from the ancestral tetraploid, expansion of intergenic regions, widespread segmental allopolyploidy, advanced diploidization and evidence of recent bursts of Copia pseudovirus (Copia) mobility not seen in other Nicotiana genomes, the two subgenomes of N. benthamiana show large regions of synteny across the Solanaceae. LAB and QLD have many genetic, metabolic and phenotypic differences, including disparate RNA interference responses, but are highly interfertile and amenable to genome editing and both transient and stable transformation. The LAB/QLD combination has the potential to be as useful as the Columbia-0/Landsberg errecta partnership, utilized from the early pioneering days of Arabidopsis genomics to today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Buddhini Ranawaka
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature & Agriculture, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jiyuan An
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature & Agriculture, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Michał T Lorenc
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Hyungtaek Jung
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Animal Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Maria Sulli
- Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Casaccia Research Centre, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Aprea
- Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Casaccia Research Centre, Rome, Italy
| | - Sally Roden
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature & Agriculture, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Victor Llaca
- Genomics Technologies, Corteva Agriscience, Johnston, IA, USA
| | - Satomi Hayashi
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature & Agriculture, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Leila Asadyar
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature & Agriculture, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Zacharie LeBlanc
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Zuba Ahmed
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature & Agriculture, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Fatima Naim
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Crop and Disease Management, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Samanta Bolzan de Campos
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Tal Cooper
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Felipe F de Felippes
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Pengfei Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Silin Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Victor Garcia-Carpintero
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Politècnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Diego Orzaez
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Politècnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Kevin J Dudley
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- QUT Central Analytical Research Facility, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Aureliano Bombarely
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Politècnica de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
- Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Julia Bally
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature & Agriculture, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Christopher Winefield
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature & Agriculture, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- Department of Wine Food and Molecular Biosciences, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand.
| | - Giovanni Giuliano
- Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Casaccia Research Centre, Rome, Italy
| | - Peter M Waterhouse
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature & Agriculture, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
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2
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Chattopadhyay A, Jailani AAK, Mandal B. Exigency of Plant-Based Vaccine against COVID-19 Emergence as Pandemic Preparedness. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1347. [PMID: 37631915 PMCID: PMC10458178 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11081347] [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: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
After two years since the declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), more than six million deaths have occurred due to SARS-CoV-2, leading to an unprecedented disruption of the global economy. Fortunately, within a year, a wide range of vaccines, including pathogen-based inactivated and live-attenuated vaccines, replicating and non-replicating vector-based vaccines, nucleic acid (DNA and mRNA)-based vaccines, and protein-based subunit and virus-like particle (VLP)-based vaccines, have been developed to mitigate the severe impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These vaccines have proven highly effective in reducing the severity of illness and preventing deaths. However, the availability and supply of COVID-19 vaccines have become an issue due to the prioritization of vaccine distribution in most countries. Additionally, as the virus continues to mutate and spread, questions have arisen regarding the effectiveness of vaccines against new strains of SARS-CoV-2 that can evade host immunity. The urgent need for booster doses to enhance immunity has been recognized. The scarcity of "safe and effective" vaccines has exacerbated global inequalities in terms of vaccine coverage. The development of COVID-19 vaccines has fallen short of the expectations set forth in 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, the equitable distribution of vaccines at the global and national levels remains a challenge, particularly in developing countries. In such circumstances, the exigency of plant virus-based vaccines has become apparent as a means to overcome supply shortages through fast manufacturing processes and to enable quick and convenient distribution to millions of people without the reliance on a cold chain system. Moreover, plant virus-based vaccines have demonstrated both safety and efficacy in eliciting robust cellular immunogenicity against COVID-19 pathogens. This review aims to shed light on the advantages and disadvantages of different types of vaccines developed against SARS-CoV-2 and provide an update on the current status of plant-based vaccines in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anirudha Chattopadhyay
- Pulses Research Station, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar 385506, India;
| | - A. Abdul Kader Jailani
- Department of Plant Pathology, North Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Quincy, FL 32351, USA
| | - Bikash Mandal
- Advanced Centre for Plant Virology, Division of Plant Pathology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India
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Kanakala S, Xavier CAD, Martin KM, Tran HH, Redinbaugh MG, Whitfield AE. Rescue of the first alphanucleorhabdovirus entirely from cloned complementary DNA: An efficient vector for systemic expression of foreign genes in maize and insect vectors. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2023; 24:788-800. [PMID: 36239302 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.13273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Recent reverse genetics technologies have enabled genetic manipulation of plant negative-strand RNA virus (NSR) genomes. Here, we report construction of an infectious clone for the maize-infecting Alphanucleorhabdovirus maydis, the first efficient NSR vector for maize. The full-length infectious clone was established using agrobacterium-mediated delivery of full-length maize mosaic virus (MMV) antigenomic RNA and the viral core proteins (nucleoprotein N, phosphoprotein P, and RNA-directed RNA polymerase L) required for viral transcription and replication into Nicotiana benthamiana. Insertion of intron 2 ST-LS1 into the viral L gene increased stability of the infectious clone in Escherichia coli and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. To monitor virus infection in vivo, a green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene was inserted in between the N and P gene junctions to generate recombinant MMV-GFP. Complementary DNA (cDNA) clones of MMV-wild type (WT) and MMV-GFP replicated in single cells of agroinfiltrated N. benthamiana. Uniform systemic infection and high GFP expression were observed in maize inoculated with extracts of the infiltrated N. benthamiana leaves. Insect vectors supported virus infection when inoculated via feeding on infected maize or microinjection. Both MMV-WT and MMV-GFP were efficiently transmitted to maize by planthopper vectors. The GFP reporter gene was stable in the virus genome and expression remained high over three cycles of transmission in plants and insects. The MMV infectious clone will be a versatile tool for expression of proteins of interest in maize and cross-kingdom studies of virus replication in plant and insect hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surapathrudu Kanakala
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - César A D Xavier
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kathleen M Martin
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hong Hanh Tran
- Department of Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Wooster, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Anna E Whitfield
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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4
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Su H, van Eerde A, Rimstad E, Bock R, Branza-Nichita N, Yakovlev IA, Clarke JL. Plant-made vaccines against viral diseases in humans and farm animals. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1170815. [PMID: 37056490 PMCID: PMC10086147 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1170815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Plants provide not only food and feed, but also herbal medicines and various raw materials for industry. Moreover, plants can be green factories producing high value bioproducts such as biopharmaceuticals and vaccines. Advantages of plant-based production platforms include easy scale-up, cost effectiveness, and high safety as plants are not hosts for human and animal pathogens. Plant cells perform many post-translational modifications that are present in humans and animals and can be essential for biological activity of produced recombinant proteins. Stimulated by progress in plant transformation technologies, substantial efforts have been made in both the public and the private sectors to develop plant-based vaccine production platforms. Recent promising examples include plant-made vaccines against COVID-19 and Ebola. The COVIFENZ® COVID-19 vaccine produced in Nicotiana benthamiana has been approved in Canada, and several plant-made influenza vaccines have undergone clinical trials. In this review, we discuss the status of vaccine production in plants and the state of the art in downstream processing according to good manufacturing practice (GMP). We discuss different production approaches, including stable transgenic plants and transient expression technologies, and review selected applications in the area of human and veterinary vaccines. We also highlight specific challenges associated with viral vaccine production for different target organisms, including lower vertebrates (e.g., farmed fish), and discuss future perspectives for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Su
- Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway
| | - André van Eerde
- Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway
| | - Espen Rimstad
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ralph Bock
- Department III, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Norica Branza-Nichita
- Department of Viral Glycoproteins, Institute of Biochemistry of the Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Igor A. Yakovlev
- Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway
| | - Jihong Liu Clarke
- Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway
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5
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Bravo-Vázquez LA, Mora-Hernández EO, Rodríguez AL, Sahare P, Bandyopadhyay A, Duttaroy AK, Paul S. Current Advances of Plant-Based Vaccines for Neurodegenerative Diseases. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15020711. [PMID: 36840033 PMCID: PMC9963606 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15020711] [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: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are characterized by the progressive degeneration and/or loss of neurons belonging to the central nervous system, and represent one of the major global health issues. Therefore, a number of immunotherapeutic approaches targeting the non-functional or toxic proteins that induce neurodegeneration in NDDs have been designed in the last decades. In this context, due to unprecedented advances in genetic engineering techniques and molecular farming technology, pioneering plant-based immunogenic antigen expression systems have been developed aiming to offer reliable alternatives to deal with important NDDs, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis. Diverse reports have evidenced that plant-made vaccines trigger significant immune responses in model animals, supported by the production of antibodies against the aberrant proteins expressed in the aforementioned NDDs. Moreover, these immunogenic tools have various advantages that make them a viable alternative for preventing and treating NDDs, such as high scalability, no risk of contamination with human pathogens, cold chain free production, and lower production costs. Hence, this article presents an overview of the current progress on plant-manufactured vaccines for NDDs and discusses its future prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Alberto Bravo-Vázquez
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Campus Querétaro, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Av. Epigmenio González, No. 500 Fracc. San Pablo, Querétaro 76130, Mexico
| | - Erick Octavio Mora-Hernández
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Campus Mexico City, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Calle del Puente, No. 222 Col. Ejidos de Huipulco, Tlalpan, Mexico City 14380, Mexico
| | - Alma L. Rodríguez
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Campus Querétaro, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Av. Epigmenio González, No. 500 Fracc. San Pablo, Querétaro 76130, Mexico
| | - Padmavati Sahare
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus UNAM 3001, Juriquilla, Querétaro 76230, Mexico
| | - Anindya Bandyopadhyay
- International Rice Research Institute, Manila 4031, Philippines
- Reliance Industries Ltd., Navi Mumbai 400701, India
| | - Asim K. Duttaroy
- Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1046 Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway
| | - Sujay Paul
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Campus Querétaro, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Av. Epigmenio González, No. 500 Fracc. San Pablo, Querétaro 76130, Mexico
- Correspondence:
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6
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Wang Y, Fan J, Wei Z, Xing S. Efficient expression of fusion human epidermal growth factor in tobacco chloroplasts. BMC Biotechnol 2023; 23:1. [PMID: 36611158 PMCID: PMC9824920 DOI: 10.1186/s12896-022-00771-5] [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: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chloroplast transformation is a robust technology for the expression of recombinant proteins. Various types of pharmaceutical proteins including growth factors have been reported in chloroplasts via chloroplast transformation approach at high expression levels. However, high expression of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in chloroplasts with the technology is still unavailable. RESULTS The present work explored the high-level expression of recombinant EGF, a protein widely applied in many clinical therapies, in tobacco chloroplasts. In this work, homoplastic transgenic plants expressing fusion protein GFP-EGF, which was composed of GFP and EGF via a linker, were generated. The expression of GFP-EGF was confirmed by the combination of green fluorescent observation and Western blotting. The achieved accumulation of the recombinant fusion GFP-EGF was 10.21 ± 0.27% of total soluble proteins (1.57 ± 0.05 g kg- 1 of fresh leaf). The chloroplast-derived GFP-EGF was capable of increasing the cell viability of the NSLC cell line A549 and enhancing the phosphorylation level of the EGF receptor in the A549 cells. CONCLUSION The expression of recombinant EGF in tobacco chloroplasts via chloroplast transformation method was achieved at considerable accumulation level. The attempt gives a good example for the application of chloroplast transformation technology in recombinant pharmaceutical protein production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunpeng Wang
- grid.464388.50000 0004 1756 0215Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, 130033 China
| | - Jieying Fan
- grid.464388.50000 0004 1756 0215Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, 130033 China
| | - Zhengyi Wei
- grid.464388.50000 0004 1756 0215Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, 130033 China ,grid.452720.60000 0004 0415 7259Maize Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning, 530007 China
| | - Shaochen Xing
- grid.464388.50000 0004 1756 0215Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, 130033 China
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7
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Mathew M, Thomas J. Tobacco-Based Vaccines, Hopes, and Concerns: A Systematic Review. Mol Biotechnol 2022:10.1007/s12033-022-00627-5. [PMID: 36528727 PMCID: PMC9759281 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-022-00627-5] [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: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Emerging infectious diseases have vigorously devastated the global economy and health sector; cost-effective plant-based vaccines (PBV) can be the potential solution to withstand the current health economic crisis. The prominent role of tobacco as an efficient expression system for PBV has been well-established for decades, through this review we highlight the importance of tobacco-based vaccines (TBV) against evolving infectious diseases in humans. Studies focusing on the use of TBV for human infectious diseases were searched in PubMed, Google Scholar, and science direct from 1995 to 2021 using the keywords Tobacco-based vaccines OR transgenic tobacco OR Nicotiana benthamiana vaccines AND Infectious diseases or communicable diseases. We carried out a critical review of the articles and studies that fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. Of 976 studies identified, only 63 studies fulfilling the eligibility criteria were included, which focused on either the in vitro, in vivo, or clinical studies on TBV for human infectious diseases. Around 43 in vitro studies of 23 different infectious pathogens expressed in tobacco-based systems were identified and 23 in vivo analysis studies were recognized to check the immunogenicity of vaccine candidates while only 10 of these were subjected to clinical trials. Viral infectious pathogens were studied more than bacterial pathogens. From our review, it was evident that TBV can be an effective health strategy to combat the emerging viral infectious diseases which are very difficult to manage with the current health facilities. The timely administration of cost-effective TBV can prevent the outburst of viral infections, thereby can protect the global healthcare system to a greater extent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mintu Mathew
- Department of Pharmacology, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Kochi, Kerala India
| | - Jaya Thomas
- Department of Pharmacology, Amrita School of Pharmacy, Kochi, Kerala India
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8
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Vasilev N. Medicinal Plants: Guests and Hosts in the Heterologous Expression of High-Value Products. PLANTA MEDICA 2022; 88:1175-1189. [PMID: 34521134 DOI: 10.1055/a-1576-4148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Medicinal plants play an important dual role in the context of the heterologous expression of high-value pharmaceutical products. On the one hand, the classical biochemical and modern omics approaches allowed for the discovery of various genes encoding biosynthetic pathways in medicinal plants. Recombinant DNA technology enabled introducing these genes and regulatory elements into host organisms and enhancing the heterologous production of the corresponding secondary metabolites. On the other hand, the transient expression of foreign DNA in plants facilitated the production of numerous proteins of pharmaceutical importance. This review summarizes several success stories of the engineering of plant metabolic pathways in heterologous hosts. Likewise, a few examples of recombinant protein expression in plants for therapeutic purposes are also highlighted. Therefore, the importance of medicinal plants has grown immensely as sources for valuable products of low and high molecular weight. The next step ahead for bioengineering is to achieve more success stories of industrial-scale production of secondary plant metabolites in microbial systems and to fully exploit plant cell factories' commercial potential for recombinant proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay Vasilev
- TU Dortmund University, Biochemical and Chemical Engineering, Technical Biochemistry, Dortmund, Germany
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9
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Khorattanakulchai N, Srisutthisamphan K, Shanmugaraj B, Manopwisedjaroen S, Rattanapisit K, Panapitakkul C, Kemthong T, Suttisan N, Malaivijitnond S, Thitithanyanont A, Jongkaewwattana A, Phoolcharoen W. A recombinant subunit vaccine candidate produced in plants elicits neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants in macaques. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:901978. [PMID: 36247553 PMCID: PMC9555276 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.901978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID) pandemic in 2019, the development of effective vaccines to combat the infection has been accelerated. With the recent emergence of highly transmissible severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOC), there are concerns regarding the immune escape from vaccine-induced immunity. Hence an effective vaccine against VOC with a potent immune response is required. Our previous study confirmed that the two doses of the plant-produced receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 fused with the Fc region of human IgG1, namely Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 1, showed high immunogenicity in mice and monkeys. Here, we aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity of a three-dose intramuscular injection of Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 1 on days 0, 21, and 133 in cynomolgus monkeys. At 14 days after immunization, blood samples were collected to determine RBD-specific antibody titer, neutralizing antibody, and pseudovirus neutralizing antibody titers. Immunized monkeys developed significantly high levels of antigen-specific antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 compared to the control group. Interestingly, the sera collected from immunized monkeys also showed a neutralizing antibody response against the SARS-CoV-2 VOCs; Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron. These findings demonstrate that a three-dose regimen of Baiya SARS-CoV-2 Vax 1 vaccine elicits neutralizing immune response against SARS-CoV-2 variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narach Khorattanakulchai
- Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Kanjana Srisutthisamphan
- Virology and Cell Technology Laboratory, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | | | | | | | - Chalisa Panapitakkul
- Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Taratorn Kemthong
- National Primate Research Center of Thailand-Chulalongkorn University, Saraburi, Thailand
| | - Nutchanat Suttisan
- National Primate Research Center of Thailand-Chulalongkorn University, Saraburi, Thailand
| | | | | | - Anan Jongkaewwattana
- Virology and Cell Technology Laboratory, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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10
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Khorattanakulchai N, Manopwisedjaroen S, Rattanapisit K, Panapitakkul C, Kemthong T, Suttisan N, Srisutthisamphan K, Malaivijitnond S, Thitithanyanont A, Jongkaewwattana A, Shanmugaraj B, Phoolcharoen W. Receptor binding domain proteins of SARS-CoV-2 variants produced in Nicotiana benthamiana elicit neutralizing antibodies against variants of concern. J Med Virol 2022; 94:4265-4276. [PMID: 35615895 PMCID: PMC9348024 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.27881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The constantly emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concerns (VOCs) with mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) spread rapidly and has become a severe public health problem worldwide. Effective vaccines and optimized booster vaccination strategies are thus highly required. Here, the gene encoding six different RBD (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Kappa, Delta, and Epsilon variants) along with the Fc fragment of human IgG1 (RBD-Fc) was cloned into plant expression vector and produced in Nicotiana benthamiana by transient expression. Further, the immunogenicity of plant-produced variant RBD-Fc fusion proteins were tested in cynomolgus monkeys. Each group of cynomolgus monkeys was immunized three times intramuscularly with variant RBD-Fc vaccines at Day 0, 21, 42, and neutralizing antibody responses were evaluated against ancestral (Wuhan), Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants. The results showed that three doses of the RBD-Fc vaccine significantly enhanced the immune response against all tested SARS-CoV-2 variants. In particular, the vaccines based on Delta and Epsilon mutant RBD elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies against ancestral (Wuhan), Alpha, and Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants whereas Beta and Gamma RBD-Fc vaccines elicit neutralizing antibodies against their respective SARS-CoV-2 strains. The Delta and Epsilon RBD-Fc based vaccines displayed cross-reactive immunogenicity and might be applied as a booster vaccine to induce broadly neutralizing antibodies. These proof-of-concept results will be helpful for the development of plant-derived RBD-Fc-based vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narach Khorattanakulchai
- Center of Excellence in Plant‐produced PharmaceuticalsChulalongkorn UniversityBangkokThailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical SciencesChulalongkorn UniversityBangkokThailand
| | | | | | - Chalisa Panapitakkul
- Center of Excellence in Plant‐produced PharmaceuticalsChulalongkorn UniversityBangkokThailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical SciencesChulalongkorn UniversityBangkokThailand
| | - Taratorn Kemthong
- National Primate Research Center of ThailandChulalongkorn UniversitySaraburiThailand
| | - Nutchanat Suttisan
- National Primate Research Center of ThailandChulalongkorn UniversitySaraburiThailand
| | - Kanjana Srisutthisamphan
- Virology and Cell Technology Laboratory, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC)National Science and Technology Development AgencyPathumthaniThailand
| | | | | | - Anan Jongkaewwattana
- Virology and Cell Technology Laboratory, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC)National Science and Technology Development AgencyPathumthaniThailand
| | | | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Center of Excellence in Plant‐produced PharmaceuticalsChulalongkorn UniversityBangkokThailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical SciencesChulalongkorn UniversityBangkokThailand
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11
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Improving Protein Quantity and Quality—The Next Level of Plant Molecular Farming. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031326. [PMID: 35163249 PMCID: PMC8836236 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants offer several unique advantages in the production of recombinant pharmaceuticals for humans and animals. Although numerous recombinant proteins have been expressed in plants, only a small fraction have been successfully put into use. The hugely distinct expression systems between plant and animal cells frequently cause insufficient yield of the recombinant proteins with poor or undesired activity. To overcome the issues that greatly constrain the development of plant-produced pharmaceuticals, great efforts have been made to improve expression systems and develop alternative strategies to increase both the quantity and quality of the recombinant proteins. Recent technological revolutions, such as targeted genome editing, deconstructed vectors, virus-like particles, and humanized glycosylation, have led to great advances in plant molecular farming to meet the industrial manufacturing and clinical application standards. In this review, we discuss the technological advances made in various plant expression platforms, with special focus on the upstream designs and milestone achievements in improving the yield and glycosylation of the plant-produced pharmaceutical proteins.
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12
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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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13
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In Silico Screening of Potential Phytocompounds from Several Herbs against SARS-CoV-2 Indian Delta Variant B.1.617.2 to Inhibit the Spike Glycoprotein Trimer. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/app12020665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
In October 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 lineage was discovered in India. It has since become a prominent variant in several Indian regions and 156 countries, including the United States of America. The lineage B.1.617.2 is termed the delta variant, harboring diverse spike mutations in the N-terminal domain (NTD) and the receptor-binding domain (RBD), which may heighten its immune evasion potentiality and cause it to be more transmissible than other variants. As a result, it has sparked substantial scientific investigation into the development of effective vaccinations and anti-viral drugs. Several efforts have been made to examine ancient medicinal herbs known for their health benefits and immune-boosting action against SARS-CoV-2, including repurposing existing FDA-approved anti-viral drugs. No efficient anti-viral drugs are available against the SARS-CoV-2 Indian delta variant B.1.617.2. In this study, efforts were made to shed light on the potential of 603 phytocompounds from 22 plant species to inhibit the Indian delta variant B.1.617.2. We also compared these compounds with the standard drug ceftriaxone, which was already suggested as a beneficial drug in COVID-19 treatment; these compounds were compared with other FDA-approved drugs: remdesivir, chloroquine, hydroxy-chloroquine, lopinavir, and ritonavir. From the analysis, the identified phytocompounds acteoside (−7.3 kcal/mol) and verbascoside (−7.1 kcal/mol), from the plants Clerodendrum serratum and Houttuynia cordata, evidenced a strong inhibitory effect against the mutated NTD (MT-NTD). In addition, the phytocompounds kanzonol V (−6.8 kcal/mol), progeldanamycin (−6.4 kcal/mol), and rhodoxanthin (−7.5 kcal/mol), from the plant Houttuynia cordata, manifested significant prohibition against RBD. Nevertheless, the standard drug, ceftriaxone, signals less inhibitory effect against MT-NTD and RBD with binding affinities of −6.3 kcal/mol and −6.5 kcal/mol, respectively. In this study, we also emphasized the pharmacological properties of the plants, which contain the screened phytocompounds. Our research could be used as a lead for future drug design to develop anti-viral drugs, as well as for preening the Siddha formulation to control the Indian delta variant B.1.617.2 and other future SARS-CoV-2 variants.
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14
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Boccia M, Grzech D, Lopes AA, O’Connor SE, Caputi L. Directed Biosynthesis of New to Nature Alkaloids in a Heterologous Nicotiana benthamiana Expression Host. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:919443. [PMID: 35812900 PMCID: PMC9257203 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.919443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Plants produce a wide variety of pharmacologically active molecules classified as natural products. Derivatization of these natural products can modulate or improve the bioactivity of the parent compound. Unfortunately, chemical derivatization of natural products is often difficult or impractical. Here we use the newly discovered biosynthetic genes for two monoterpene indole alkaloids, alstonine and stemmadenine acetate, to generate analogs of these compounds. We reconstitute these biosynthetic genes in the heterologous host Nicotiana benthamiana along with an unnatural starting substrate to produce the corresponding new-to-nature alkaloid product.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Boccia
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Dagny Grzech
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
| | - Adriana A. Lopes
- Biotechnology Unit, Universidade de Ribeirão Preto (UNAERP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Sarah E. O’Connor
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
- *Correspondence: Sarah E. O’Connor,
| | - Lorenzo Caputi
- Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
- Lorenzo Caputi,
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15
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Frisio DG, Ventura V. Global Innovation Trends for Plant-Based Vaccines Production: A Patent Analysis. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:2558. [PMID: 34961028 PMCID: PMC8709171 DOI: 10.3390/plants10122558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The use of plants as biofactories for the production of medical products and vaccines has a long history, but the recent COVID-19 pandemic has caused this set of technologies, for their potential to contribute to the development of innovative solutions for tackling pandemic spread worldwide, to rise in prominence. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the global innovation scenario of plant-based vaccine production. METHODS Patent search using a specific set of technical classification codes and keywords was performed using the Questel-Orbit database, with a final output of 180 patent families, corresponding to 1397 single patents. RESULTS Plant-based vaccines production is an innovation sector with positive development especially in the last five-year period (30% growth). Fifty percent of the patents were registered in the United States, standing out as the most attractive patent system worldwide. The inventive activity was led by private firms owning the 49% of the patent families, and the key-players group includes the companies that successfully developed plant-based COVID-19 vaccine candidates, indicating a strong connection between the expertise in innovation production and the capacity to adapt inventions to the current pandemic vaccine demand. Virus-like particles technology has increased in importance over the past few years. CONCLUSION Patent data confirm their relevant role as indicators of innovation and technological evolution. Plant-based vaccines are expected to acquire an increasing role over the next few years as the current pandemic acts as an innovation catalyst.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario G. Frisio
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy;
| | - Vera Ventura
- Department of Civil, Environmental, Architectural Engineering and Mathematics, University of Brescia, 25133 Brescia, Italy
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16
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Nosaki S, Hoshikawa K, Ezura H, Miura K. Transient protein expression systems in plants and their applications. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY (TOKYO, JAPAN) 2021; 38:297-304. [PMID: 34782815 PMCID: PMC8562577 DOI: 10.5511/plantbiotechnology.21.0610a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The production of recombinant proteins is important in academic research to identify protein functions. Moreover, recombinant enzymes are used in the food and chemical industries, and high-quality proteins are required for diagnostic, therapeutic, and pharmaceutical applications. Though many recombinant proteins are produced by microbial or mammalian cell-based expression systems, plants have been promoted as alternative, cost-effective, scalable, safe, and sustainable expression systems. The development and improvement of transient expression systems have significantly reduced the period of protein production and increased the yield of recombinant proteins in plants. In this review, we consider the importance of plant-based expression systems for recombinant protein production and as genetic engineering tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohei Nosaki
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
- Tsukuba-Plant Innovation Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
| | - Ken Hoshikawa
- Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8686, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Ezura
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
- Tsukuba-Plant Innovation Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
| | - Kenji Miura
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
- Tsukuba-Plant Innovation Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan
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17
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Maharjan PM, Choe S. Plant-Based COVID-19 Vaccines: Current Status, Design, and Development Strategies of Candidate Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:992. [PMID: 34579229 PMCID: PMC8473425 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9090992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in its second year has led to massive global human and economic losses. The high transmission rate and the emergence of diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants demand rapid and effective approaches to preventing the spread, diagnosing on time, and treating affected people. Several COVID-19 vaccines are being developed using different production systems, including plants, which promises the production of cheap, safe, stable, and effective vaccines. The potential of a plant-based system for rapid production at a commercial scale and for a quick response to an infectious disease outbreak has been demonstrated by the marketing of carrot-cell-produced taliglucerase alfa (Elelyso) for Gaucher disease and tobacco-produced monoclonal antibodies (ZMapp) for the 2014 Ebola outbreak. Currently, two plant-based COVID-19 vaccine candidates, coronavirus virus-like particle (CoVLP) and Kentucky Bioprocessing (KBP)-201, are in clinical trials, and many more are in the preclinical stage. Interim phase 2 clinical trial results have revealed the high safety and efficacy of the CoVLP vaccine, with 10 times more neutralizing antibody responses compared to those present in a convalescent patient's plasma. The clinical trial of the CoVLP vaccine could be concluded by the end of 2021, and the vaccine could be available for public immunization thereafter. This review encapsulates the efforts made in plant-based COVID-19 vaccine development, the strategies and technologies implemented, and the progress accomplished in clinical trials and preclinical studies so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puna Maya Maharjan
- G+FLAS Life Sciences, 123 Uiryodanji-gil, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si 28161, Korea;
| | - Sunghwa Choe
- G+FLAS Life Sciences, 38 Nakseongdae-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08790, Korea
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea
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18
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Citiulo F, Crosatti C, Cattivelli L, Biselli C. Frontiers in the Standardization of the Plant Platform for High Scale Production of Vaccines. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:1828. [PMID: 34579360 PMCID: PMC8467261 DOI: 10.3390/plants10091828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the value of technologies that allow a fast setup and production of biopharmaceuticals in emergency situations. The plant factory system can provide a fast response to epidemics/pandemics. Thanks to their scalability and genome plasticity, plants represent advantageous platforms to produce vaccines. Plant systems imply less complicated production processes and quality controls with respect to mammalian and bacterial cells. The expression of vaccines in plants is based on transient or stable transformation systems and the recent progresses in genome editing techniques, based on the CRISPR/Cas method, allow the manipulation of DNA in an efficient, fast, and easy way by introducing specific modifications in specific sites of a genome. Nonetheless, CRISPR/Cas is far away from being fully exploited for vaccine expression in plants. In this review, an overview of the potential conjugation of the renewed vaccine technologies (i.e., virus-like particles-VLPs, and industrialization of the production process) with genome editing to produce vaccines in plants is reported, illustrating the potential advantages in the standardization of the plant platforms, with the overtaking of constancy of large-scale production challenges, facilitating regulatory requirements and expediting the release and commercialization of the vaccine products of genome edited plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Citiulo
- GSK Vaccines Institute for Global Health, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy;
| | - Cristina Crosatti
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Via San Protaso 302, 29017 Fiorenzuola d’Arda, Italy; (C.C.); (L.C.)
| | - Luigi Cattivelli
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Via San Protaso 302, 29017 Fiorenzuola d’Arda, Italy; (C.C.); (L.C.)
| | - Chiara Biselli
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology, Viale Santa Margherita 80, 52100 Arezzo, Italy
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19
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Maharjan PM, Cheon J, Jung J, Kim H, Lee J, Song M, Jeong GU, Kwon Y, Shim B, Choe S. Plant-Expressed Receptor Binding Domain of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Elicits Humoral Immunity in Mice. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:978. [PMID: 34579215 PMCID: PMC8472882 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9090978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The current 15-month coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has accounted for 3.77 million deaths and enormous worldwide social and economic losses. A high volume of vaccine production is urgently required to eliminate COVID-19. Inexpensive and robust production platforms will improve the distribution of vaccines to resource-limited countries. Plant species offer such platforms, particularly through the production of recombinant proteins to serve as immunogens. To achieve this goal, here we expressed the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein in the glycoengineered-tobacco plant Nicotiana benthamiana to provide a candidate subunit vaccine. This recombinant RBD elicited humoral immunity in mice via induction of highly neutralizing antibodies. These findings provide a strong foundation to further advance the development of plant-expressed RBD antigens for use as an effective, safe, and inexpensive SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Moreover, our study further highlights the utility of plant species for vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puna Maya Maharjan
- G+FLAS Life Sciences, 123 Uiryodanji-gil, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si 28161, Korea; (P.M.M.); (J.L.); (M.S.)
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Jinyeong Cheon
- G+FLAS Life Sciences, 38 Nakseongdae-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08790, Korea; (J.C.); (J.J.); (H.K.)
| | - Jiyun Jung
- G+FLAS Life Sciences, 38 Nakseongdae-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08790, Korea; (J.C.); (J.J.); (H.K.)
| | - Haerim Kim
- G+FLAS Life Sciences, 38 Nakseongdae-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08790, Korea; (J.C.); (J.J.); (H.K.)
| | - Jaewon Lee
- G+FLAS Life Sciences, 123 Uiryodanji-gil, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si 28161, Korea; (P.M.M.); (J.L.); (M.S.)
| | - Minjeong Song
- G+FLAS Life Sciences, 123 Uiryodanji-gil, Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si 28161, Korea; (P.M.M.); (J.L.); (M.S.)
| | - Gi Uk Jeong
- Center for Convergent Research for Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea; (G.U.J.); (Y.K.)
| | - Youngchan Kwon
- Center for Convergent Research for Emerging Virus Infection, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Korea; (G.U.J.); (Y.K.)
| | - Byoungshik Shim
- International Vaccine Institute, SNU Research Park, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea;
| | - Sunghwa Choe
- School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea
- G+FLAS Life Sciences, 38 Nakseongdae-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08790, Korea; (J.C.); (J.J.); (H.K.)
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20
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Abdulla ZA, Al-Bashir SM, Al-Salih NS, Aldamen AA, Abdulazeez MZ. A Summary of the SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines and Technologies Available or under Development. Pathogens 2021; 10:788. [PMID: 34206507 PMCID: PMC8308489 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10070788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the beginning of 2020, the world has been in a race to develop vaccines that can control the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 250 projects have been initiated for this purpose, but only 14 of them have been authorized for use, despite being in phase 3 clinical trials. More than 40 other vaccines are also in phase 1/2 clinical trials and show promising outcomes. Regarding the appropriate choice of vaccines for each country or region, we reviewed the currently used vaccines in light of the different influencing parameters. These factors include the mode of action, dosage protocol, age group of the vaccinee, side effects, storage conditions, mounted immune response, and cost. Technically, there are seven types of vaccines developed against SARS-CoV-2: messenger RNA (mRNA), nonreplicating and replicating vectors, inactivated viruses, protein subunits, viral-like particles, DNA vaccines, and live attenuated vaccines. The mRNA type is being used for the first time in humans. Unfortunately, mutated variants of SARS-CoV-2 have started to appear worldwide, and researchers are investigating the effects of the currently used vaccines on them. There are many concerns regarding the long-term protection afforded by these vaccines and their side effects, and whether they require future modifications to be effective against the mutated variants. The development of new vaccines using more advanced technology is paramount for overcoming the difficulties in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic across the world.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sharaf M. Al-Bashir
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan;
| | - Noor S. Al-Salih
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan; (N.S.A.-S.); (A.A.A.)
| | - Ala A. Aldamen
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid 21163, Jordan; (N.S.A.-S.); (A.A.A.)
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21
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Rahimian N, Miraei HR, Amiri A, Ebrahimi MS, Nahand JS, Tarrahimofrad H, Hamblin MR, Khan H, Mirzaei H. Plant-based vaccines and cancer therapy: Where are we now and where are we going? Pharmacol Res 2021; 169:105655. [PMID: 34004270 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2021.105655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Therapeutic vaccines are an effective approach in cancer therapy for treating the disease at later stages. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the first therapeutic cancer vaccine, and further studies are ongoing in clinical trials. These are expected to result in the future development of vaccines with relatively improved efficacy. Several vaccination approaches are being studied in pre-clinical and clinical trials, including the generation of anti-cancer vaccines by plant expression systems.This approach has advantages, such as high safety and low costs, especially for the synthesis of recombinant proteins. Nevertheless, the development of anti-cancer vaccines in plants is faced with some technical obstacles.Herein, we summarize some vaccines that have been used in cancer therapy, with an emphasis on plant-based vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neda Rahimian
- Endocrine Research Center, Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamid Reza Miraei
- Department of Medical Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Atefeh Amiri
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashahd, Iran
| | | | - Javid Sadri Nahand
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hossein Tarrahimofrad
- Department of Animal Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB), Tehran, Iran
| | - Michael R Hamblin
- Laser Research Centre, Faculty of Health Science, University of Johannesburg, Doornfontein 20282028, South Africa
| | - Haroon Khan
- Department of Pharmacy, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, 23200, Pakistan.
| | - Hamed Mirzaei
- Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
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22
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Goodin M, Verchot J. Introduction to Special Issue of Plant Virus Emergence. Viruses 2021; 13:v13010055. [PMID: 33401517 PMCID: PMC7824620 DOI: 10.3390/v13010055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We are pleased to present in this Special Issue a series of reviews and research studies on the topic of "Plant Virus Emergence" [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Goodin
- Plant Pathology Department, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA
- Correspondence: (M.G.); (J.V.); Tel.: +1-979-845-1788 (J.V.)
| | - Jeanmarie Verchot
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77802, USA
- Correspondence: (M.G.); (J.V.); Tel.: +1-979-845-1788 (J.V.)
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