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Wang Y, Fan J, Ahmad N, Xin W, Wei Z, Xing S. Successful production of human epidermal growth factor in tobacco chloroplasts in a biologically active conformation. Growth Factors 2023; 41:20-31. [PMID: 36454601 DOI: 10.1080/08977194.2022.2150187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) is an important therapeutic compound with multiple applications particularly in pharmaceutical industry. Human EGF has already been expressed in different expression systems, however, the production of hEGF with bioactivity in chloroplasts has not been successful so far. In this study, we expressed a 6 × His-tagged hEGF in tobacco chloroplasts in its native conformation for the potential of large-scale production of hEGF for industrial applications. Several transplastomic plant lines were obtained, which were screened by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) using primers specific to selectable gene aadA, hEGF- and GFP-coding sequences that were included in the chloroplast expression vector. The selected lines were confirmed to be homoplasmic by PCR verification and Southern blot analysis. Immunoblotting assays of homoplasmic lines using antibodies raised against hEGF confirmed the accumulation of hEGF in transplastomic plants and the ELISA results demonstrated the expression levels of hEGF were between 0.124% and 0.165% of the total soluble proteins (TSP), namely, 23.16-25.77 ng/g of the fresh weight. In terms of activity, the data from cell proliferation and elongation assays showed that the tobacco-derived recombinant hEGF was as bioactive as its commercial counterpart. To our knowledge, this is the first report of recombinant production of hEGF with native bioactivity form in the chloroplast stroma. Overall, our results demonstrate the potential of higher plant chloroplasts for the production of a human therapeutic, hEGF, in an active conformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunpeng Wang
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Jieying Fan
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Niaz Ahmad
- Agricultural Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Department of Biotechnology, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Wen Xin
- Beijing TransGen Biotech Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Zhengyi Wei
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
- Maize Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning, China
| | - Shaochen Xing
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, China
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Ortega-Berlanga B, Pniewski T. Plant-Based Vaccines in Combat against Coronavirus Diseases. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:138. [PMID: 35214597 PMCID: PMC8876659 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10020138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus (CoV) diseases, including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) have gained in importance worldwide, especially with the current COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. Due to the huge global demand, various types of vaccines have been developed, such as more traditional attenuated or inactivated viruses, subunit and VLP-based vaccines, as well as novel DNA and RNA vaccines. Nonetheless, emerging new COVID-19 variants are necessitating continuous research on vaccines, including these produced in plants, either via stable expression in transgenic or transplastomic plants or transient expression using viral vectors or agroinfection. Plant systems provide low cost, high scalability, safety and capacity to produce multimeric or glycosylated proteins. To date, from among CoVs antigens, spike and capsid proteins have been produced in plants, mostly using transient expression systems, at the additional advantage of rapid production. Immunogenicity of plant-produced CoVs proteins was positively evaluated after injection of purified antigens. However, this review indicates that plant-produced CoVs proteins or their carrier-fused immunodominant epitopes can be potentially applied also as mucosal vaccines, either after purification to be administered to particular membranes (nasal, bronchus mucosa) associated with the respiratory system, or as oral vaccines obtained from partly processed plant tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benita Ortega-Berlanga
- Institute of Plant Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Strzeszyńska 34, 60-479 Poznań, Poland;
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3
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Monreal-Escalante E, Ramos-Vega A, Angulo C, Bañuelos-Hernández B. Plant-Based Vaccines: Antigen Design, Diversity, and Strategies for High Level Production. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:100. [PMID: 35062761 PMCID: PMC8782010 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10010100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 12/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Vaccines for human use have conventionally been developed by the production of (1) microbial pathogens in eggs or mammalian cells that are then inactivated, or (2) by the production of pathogen proteins in mammalian and insect cells that are purified for vaccine formulation, as well as, more recently, (3) by using RNA or DNA fragments from pathogens. Another approach for recombinant antigen production in the last three decades has been the use of plants as biofactories. Only have few plant-produced vaccines been evaluated in clinical trials to fight against diseases, of which COVID-19 vaccines are the most recent to be FDA approved. In silico tools have accelerated vaccine design, which, combined with transitory antigen expression in plants, has led to the testing of promising prototypes in pre-clinical and clinical trials. Therefore, this review deals with a description of immunoinformatic tools and plant genetic engineering technologies used for antigen design (virus-like particles (VLP), subunit vaccines, VLP chimeras) and the main strategies for high antigen production levels. These key topics for plant-made vaccine development are discussed and perspectives are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Monreal-Escalante
- Immunology and Vaccinology Group, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, Instituto PoliItécnico Nacional 195, Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz 23096, BCS, Mexico; (A.R.-V.); (C.A.)
- CONACYT—Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR), Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz 23096, BCS, Mexico
| | - Abel Ramos-Vega
- Immunology and Vaccinology Group, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, Instituto PoliItécnico Nacional 195, Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz 23096, BCS, Mexico; (A.R.-V.); (C.A.)
| | - Carlos Angulo
- Immunology and Vaccinology Group, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, Instituto PoliItécnico Nacional 195, Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz 23096, BCS, Mexico; (A.R.-V.); (C.A.)
| | - Bernardo Bañuelos-Hernández
- Escuela de Veterinaria, Universidad De La Salle Bajío, Avenida Universidad 602, Lomas del Campestre, Leon 37150, GTO, Mexico
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4
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Abstract
Geminiviruses are plant DNA viruses that infect a wide range of plant species and cause significant losses to economically important food and fiber crops. The single-stranded geminiviral genome encodes a small number of proteins which act in an orchestrated manner to infect the host. The fewer proteins encoded by the virus are multifunctional, a mechanism uniquely evolved by the viruses to balance the genome-constraint. The host-mediated resistance against incoming virus includes post-transcriptional gene silencing, transcriptional gene silencing, and expression of defense responsive genes and other cellular regulatory genes. The pathogenicity property of a geminiviral protein is linked to its ability to suppress the host-mediated defense mechanism. This review discusses what is currently known about the targets and mechanism of the viral suppressor AC2/AL2/transcriptional activator protein (TrAP) and explore the biotechnological applications of AC2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karuppannan Veluthambi
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, School of Biotechnology, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India
| | - Sukumaran Sunitha
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
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Abstract
Severe virus outbreaks are occurring more often and spreading faster and further than ever. Preparedness plans based on lessons learned from past epidemics can guide behavioral and pharmacological interventions to contain and treat emergent diseases. Although conventional biologics production systems can meet the pharmaceutical needs of a community at homeostasis, the COVID-19 pandemic has created an abrupt rise in demand for vaccines and therapeutics that highlight the gaps in this supply chain's ability to quickly develop and produce biologics in emergency situations given a short lead time. Considering the projected requirements for COVID-19 vaccines and the necessity for expedited large scale manufacture the capabilities of current biologics production systems should be surveyed to determine their applicability to pandemic preparedness. Plant-based biologics production systems have progressed to a state of commercial viability in the past 30 years with the capacity for production of complex, glycosylated, "mammalian compatible" molecules in a system with comparatively low production costs, high scalability, and production flexibility. Continued research drives the expansion of plant virus-based tools for harnessing the full production capacity from the plant biomass in transient systems. Here, we present an overview of vaccine production systems with a focus on plant-based production systems and their potential role as "first responders" in emergency pandemic situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zacharie LeBlanc
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia;
| | - Peter Waterhouse
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia;
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
| | - Julia Bally
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia;
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Pietersen I, van Zyl A, Rybicki E, Hitzeroth I. Novel Production of Bovine Papillomavirus Pseudovirions in Tobacco Plants. Pathogens 2020; 9:E996. [PMID: 33260725 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9120996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Vaccine efficacy requires the production of neutralising antibodies which offer protection against the native virus. The current gold standard for determining the presence of neutralising antibodies is the pseudovirion-based neutralisation assay (PBNA). PBNAs utilise pseudovirions (PsVs), structures which mimic native virus capsids, but contain non-viral nucleic material. PsVs are currently produced in expensive cell culture systems, which limits their production, yet plant expression systems may offer cheaper, safer alternatives. Our aim was to determine whether plants could be used for the production of functional PsVs of bovine papillomavirus 1 (BPV1), an important causative agent of economically damaging bovine papillomas in cattle and equine sarcoids in horses and wild equids. BPV1 capsid proteins, L1 and L2, and a self-replicating reporter plasmid were transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana to produce virus-like particles (VLPs) and PsVs. Strategies to enhance particle yields were investigated and optimised protocols were established. The PsVs' ability to infect mammalian cells and express their encapsidated reporter genes in vitro was confirmed, and their functionality as reagents in PBNAs was demonstrated through their neutralisation by several different antibodies. This is the first report of BPV PsVs expressed in plants and demonstrates the potential for the development of therapeutic veterinary vaccines in planta.
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Khvatkov P, Firsov A, Shvedova A, Shaloiko L, Kozlov O, Chernobrovkina M, Pushin A, Tarasenko I, Chaban I, Dolgov S. Development of Wolffia arrhiza as a Producer for Recombinant Human Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor. Front Chem 2018; 6:304. [PMID: 30140670 PMCID: PMC6094986 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2018.00304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
To date, the expression of recombinant proteins in transgenic plants is becoming a powerful alternative to classical expression methods. Special efforts are directed to the development of contained cultivation systems based on cell culture or rhyzosecretion, which reliably prevents the heterologous DNA releasing into the environment. A promising object for the development of such systems is the tiny aquatic plant of Wolffia arrhiza, which can be used as a dipped culture in bioreactors. Herein we have expressed the human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (hG-CSF) in nuclear-transformed Wolffia. The nucleotide sequence of hG-CSF was optimized for expression in Wolffia and cloned into the vector pCamGCSF downstream of double CaMV 35S promoter. Wolffia plants were successfully transformed and 34 independent transgenic lines with hG-CSF gene were obtained, PCR and Southern blot analysis confirmed the transgenic origin of these lines. Western blot analysis revealed accumulation of the target protein in 33 transgenic lines. Quantitative ELISA of protein extracts from these lines showed hG-CSF accumulation up to 35.5 mg/kg of Wolffia fresh weight (0.194% of total soluble protein). This relatively high yield holds promise for the development of Wolffia-based expression system in strictly controlled format to produce various recombinant proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Khvatkov
- Laboratory of Plant Gene Engineering, All-Russia Research Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Sector of Plant Bioengineering, Nikita Botanical Gardens - National Scientific Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yalta, Russia
| | - Alexsey Firsov
- Laboratory of Plant Gene Engineering, All-Russia Research Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Laboratory of Expression Systems and Modification of the Plant Genome "BIOTRON", Branch of Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Puschino, Russia
| | - Anastasiya Shvedova
- Laboratory of Plant Gene Engineering, All-Russia Research Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Lyubov Shaloiko
- Laboratory of Expression Systems and Modification of the Plant Genome "BIOTRON", Branch of Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Puschino, Russia
| | - Oleg Kozlov
- Laboratory of Expression Systems and Modification of the Plant Genome "BIOTRON", Branch of Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Puschino, Russia
| | - Mariya Chernobrovkina
- Laboratory of Plant Gene Engineering, All-Russia Research Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander Pushin
- Laboratory of Plant Gene Engineering, All-Russia Research Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Sector of Plant Bioengineering, Nikita Botanical Gardens - National Scientific Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yalta, Russia.,Laboratory of Expression Systems and Modification of the Plant Genome "BIOTRON", Branch of Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Puschino, Russia
| | - Irina Tarasenko
- Laboratory of Expression Systems and Modification of the Plant Genome "BIOTRON", Branch of Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Puschino, Russia
| | - Inna Chaban
- Laboratory of Plant Gene Engineering, All-Russia Research Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey Dolgov
- Laboratory of Plant Gene Engineering, All-Russia Research Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Sector of Plant Bioengineering, Nikita Botanical Gardens - National Scientific Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yalta, Russia.,Laboratory of Expression Systems and Modification of the Plant Genome "BIOTRON", Branch of Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Puschino, Russia
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Margolin E, Chapman R, Williamson A, Rybicki EP, Meyers AE. Production of complex viral glycoproteins in plants as vaccine immunogens. Plant Biotechnol J 2018; 16:1531-1545. [PMID: 29890031 PMCID: PMC6097131 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Plant molecular farming offers a cost-effective and scalable approach to the expression of recombinant proteins which has been proposed as an alternative to conventional production platforms for developing countries. In recent years, numerous proofs of concept have established that plants can produce biologically active recombinant proteins and immunologically relevant vaccine antigens that are comparable to those made in conventional expression systems. Driving many of these advances is the remarkable plasticity of the plant proteome which enables extensive engineering of the host cell, as well as the development of improved expression vectors facilitating higher levels of protein production. To date, the only plant-derived viral glycoprotein to be tested in humans is the influenza haemagglutinin which expresses at ~50 mg/kg. However, many other viral glycoproteins that have potential as vaccine immunogens only accumulate at low levels in planta. A critical consideration for the production of many of these proteins in heterologous expression systems is the complexity of post-translational modifications, such as control of folding, glycosylation and disulphide bridging, which is required to reproduce the native glycoprotein structure. In this review, we will address potential shortcomings of plant expression systems and discuss strategies to optimally exploit the technology for the production of immunologically relevant and structurally authentic glycoproteins for use as vaccine immunogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Margolin
- Division of Medical VirologyDepartment of PathologyFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular MedicineFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- Biopharming Research UnitDepartment of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Ros Chapman
- Division of Medical VirologyDepartment of PathologyFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular MedicineFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Anna‐Lise Williamson
- Division of Medical VirologyDepartment of PathologyFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular MedicineFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Edward P. Rybicki
- Division of Medical VirologyDepartment of PathologyFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular MedicineFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- Biopharming Research UnitDepartment of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Ann E. Meyers
- Biopharming Research UnitDepartment of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
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Dugdale B, Kato M, Deo P, Plan M, Harrison M, Lloyd R, Walsh T, Harding R, Dale J. Production of human vitronectin in Nicotiana benthamiana using the INPACT hyperexpression platform. Plant Biotechnol J 2018; 16:394-403. [PMID: 28640945 PMCID: PMC5787849 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Revised: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/16/2017] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Human vitronectin (hVN) is a glycoprotein that functions as a cell adhesion molecule and a regulator of coagulation in blood plasma and the extracellular matrix. In vitro, hVN is added to serum-free media in order to promote the adhesion of animal cells to tissue culture surfaces and the proliferation of undifferentiated stem cells. Here, we report the production of hVN in Nicotiana benthamiana using the inducible In Plant ACTivation (INPACT) hyperexpression platform. N. benthamiana plants were transformed with an INPACT expression cassette encoding hVN, and both the Tobacco yellow dwarf virus Rep/RepA activator and Tomato bushy stunt virus p19 gene under the transcriptional control of the ethanol-inducible AlcR:alcA gene switch. hVN expression was maximal 4-5 days postactivation of the INPACT platform with a dilute ethanol solution, and crude yields of the recombinant protein reached a maximum of 643 ± 78 mg/kg fresh weight. A three-stage purification protocol was developed using heparin and polyhistidine tag affinity binding and size exclusion filtration, resulting in a plant-made hVN product of >90% purity. Storage conditions for plant-made hVN were identified that maximized the capacity of the recombinant protein to promote cell adhesion. Critically, plant-made hVN was shown to be functionally equivalent to commercial, plasma-derived hVN at promoting one-half maximal attachment of murine fibroblast cells (BALB-C/3T3) in serum-free medium at <0.1 μg/cm2 to tissue culture plasticware. The INPACT platform represents an attractive means of producing large quantities of functional, animal-free hVN for in vitro applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Dugdale
- Centre for Tropical Crops and BiocommoditiesQueensland University of Technology (QUT)BrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - Maiko Kato
- Centre for Tropical Crops and BiocommoditiesQueensland University of Technology (QUT)BrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - Pradeep Deo
- Centre for Tropical Crops and BiocommoditiesQueensland University of Technology (QUT)BrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - Manuel Plan
- Centre for Tropical Crops and BiocommoditiesQueensland University of Technology (QUT)BrisbaneQLDAustralia
- Present address:
Metabolomics Australia (UQ Node)Australian Institute for Bioengineering and NanotechnologyThe University of QueenslandSt LuciaQLD4072Australia
| | - Mark Harrison
- Centre for Tropical Crops and BiocommoditiesQueensland University of Technology (QUT)BrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - Robyn Lloyd
- Centre for Tropical Crops and BiocommoditiesQueensland University of Technology (QUT)BrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - Terry Walsh
- Centre for Tropical Crops and BiocommoditiesQueensland University of Technology (QUT)BrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - Robert Harding
- Centre for Tropical Crops and BiocommoditiesQueensland University of Technology (QUT)BrisbaneQLDAustralia
| | - James Dale
- Centre for Tropical Crops and BiocommoditiesQueensland University of Technology (QUT)BrisbaneQLDAustralia
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Dennis SJ, Meyers AE, Guthrie AJ, Hitzeroth II, Rybicki EP. Immunogenicity of plant-produced African horse sickness virus-like particles: implications for a novel vaccine. Plant Biotechnol J 2018; 16:442-450. [PMID: 28650085 PMCID: PMC5787833 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2017] [Revised: 05/26/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2017] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
African horse sickness (AHS) is a debilitating and often fatal viral disease affecting horses in much of Africa, caused by the dsRNA orbivirus African horse sickness virus (AHSV). Vaccination remains the single most effective weapon in combatting AHS, as there is no treatment for the disease apart from good animal husbandry. However, the only commercially available vaccine is a live-attenuated version of the virus (LAV). The threat of outbreaks of the disease outside its endemic region and the fact that the LAV is not licensed for use elsewhere in the world, have spurred attempts to develop an alternative safer, yet cost-effective recombinant vaccine. Here, we report the plant-based production of a virus-like particle (VLP) AHSV serotype five candidate vaccine by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transient expression of all four capsid proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana using the cowpea mosaic virus-based HyperTrans (CPMV-HT) and associated pEAQ plant expression vector system. The production process is fast and simple, scalable, economically viable, and most importantly, guinea pig antiserum raised against the vaccine was shown to neutralize live virus in cell-based assays. To our knowledge, this is the first report of AHSV VLPs produced in plants, which has important implications for the containment of, and fight against the spread of, this deadly disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan J. Dennis
- Biopharming Research UnitDepartment of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Ann E. Meyers
- Biopharming Research UnitDepartment of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Alan J. Guthrie
- Equine Research CentreUniversity of PretoriaOnderstepoortSouth Africa
| | - Inga I. Hitzeroth
- Biopharming Research UnitDepartment of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Edward P. Rybicki
- Biopharming Research UnitDepartment of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular MedicineFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
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Khan MO, Mehmood MA, Mukhtar Z, Ahmad N. Chloroplasts as Cellular Factories for the Cost-effective Production of Cellulases. Protein Pept Lett 2018; 25:129-135. [PMID: 29359655 DOI: 10.2174/0929866525666180122115210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Revised: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Chloroplasts are vital photosynthetic organelles in plant cells that carry out several important cellular functions including synthesis of amino acids, fatty acids, and lipids and metabolism of nitrogen, starch, and Sulphur to sustain the homeostasis in plants. These organelles have got their own genome, and related genetic machinery to synthesize required proteins for various plant functions. Genetic manipulations of the chloroplast genome for different biotech applications has been of great interest due to desired features including the availability of operonal mode of gene expression, high copy number, and maternal mode of inheritance (in the most field crops). Their capacity to often express transgenes at high levels make it a cost-effective platform for the production of foreign proteins, particularly high-value targets of industrial importance, at large scale. This article reviews briefly the research work carried out to produce cellulolytic enzymes in higher plant chloroplasts. The challenges and future opportunities for the same are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Omar Khan
- Agricultural Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Jhang Road, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Aamer Mehmood
- Bioenergy Research Centre, Department of Bioinformatics & Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan.,State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism & School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Zahid Mukhtar
- Agricultural Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Jhang Road, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Niaz Ahmad
- Agricultural Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Jhang Road, Faisalabad, Pakistan
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Ahmad N, Burgess SJ, Nielsen BL. Editorial: Advances in Plastid Biology and Its Applications. Front Plant Sci 2016; 7:1396. [PMID: 27695471 PMCID: PMC5023683 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Niaz Ahmad
- Agricultural Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic EngineeringFaisalabad, Pakistan
| | | | - Brent L. Nielsen
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young UniversityProvo, UT, USA
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13
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Hebelstrup KH, Sagnelli D, Blennow A. The future of starch bioengineering: GM microorganisms or GM plants? Front Plant Sci 2015; 6:247. [PMID: 25954284 PMCID: PMC4407504 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2015.00247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2014] [Accepted: 03/27/2015] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Plant starches regularly require extensive modification to permit subsequent applications. Such processing is usually done by the use of chemical and/or physical treatments. The use of recombinant enzymes produced by large-scale fermentation of GM microorganisms is increasingly used in starch processing and modification, sometimes as an alternative to chemical or physical treatments. However, as a means to impart the modifications as early as possible in the starch production chain, similar recombinant enzymes may also be expressed in planta in the developing starch storage organ such as in roots, tubers and cereal grains to provide a GM crop as an alternative to the use of enzymes from GM microorganisms. We here discuss these techniques in relation to important structural features and modifications of starches such as: starch phosphorylation, starch hydrolysis, chain transfer/branching and novel concepts of hybrid starch-based polysaccharides. In planta starch bioengineering is generally challenged by yield penalties and inefficient production of the desired product. However, in some situations, GM crops for starch bioengineering without deleterious effects have been achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim H. Hebelstrup
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Slagelse, Denmark
- *Correspondence: Kim H. Hebelstrup, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Forsøgsvej 1, DK-4200 Slagelse, Denmark
| | - Domenico Sagnelli
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Slagelse, Denmark
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Andreas Blennow
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
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