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Krämer C, Boehm CR, Liu J, Ting MKY, Hertle AP, Forner J, Ruf S, Schöttler MA, Zoschke R, Bock R. Removal of the large inverted repeat from the plastid genome reveals gene dosage effects and leads to increased genome copy number. NATURE PLANTS 2024:10.1038/s41477-024-01709-9. [PMID: 38802561 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-024-01709-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
The chloroplast genomes of most plants and algae contain a large inverted repeat (IR) region that separates two single-copy regions and harbours the ribosomal RNA operon. We have addressed the functional importance of the IR region by removing an entire copy of the 25.3-kb IR from the tobacco plastid genome. Using plastid transformation and subsequent selectable marker gene elimination, we precisely excised the IR, thus generating plants with a substantially reduced plastid genome size. We show that the lack of the IR results in a mildly reduced plastid ribosome number, suggesting a gene dosage benefit from the duplicated presence of the ribosomal RNA operon. Moreover, the IR deletion plants contain an increased number of plastid genomes, suggesting that genome copy number is regulated by measuring total plastid DNA content rather than by counting genomes. Together, our findings (1) demonstrate that the IR can enhance the translation capacity of the plastid, (2) reveal the relationship between genome size and genome copy number, and (3) provide a simplified plastid genome structure that will facilitate future synthetic biology applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Krämer
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Christian R Boehm
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Jinghan Liu
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | | | - Alexander P Hertle
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Joachim Forner
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Stephanie Ruf
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Mark A Schöttler
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Reimo Zoschke
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Ralph Bock
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
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2
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Chung KP, Loiacono FV, Neupert J, Wu M, Bock R. An RNA thermometer in the chloroplast genome of Chlamydomonas facilitates temperature-controlled gene expression. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:11386-11400. [PMID: 37855670 PMCID: PMC10639063 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Riboregulators such as riboswitches and RNA thermometers provide simple, protein-independent tools to control gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. In bacteria, RNA thermometers regulate protein synthesis in response to temperature shifts. Thermometers outside of the bacterial world are rare, and in organellar genomes, no RNA thermometers have been identified to date. Here we report the discovery of an RNA thermometer in a chloroplast gene of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The thermometer, residing in the 5' untranslated region of the psaA messenger RNA forms a hairpin-type secondary structure that masks the Shine-Dalgarno sequence at 25°C. At 40°C, melting of the secondary structure increases accessibility of the Shine-Dalgarno sequence to initiating ribosomes, thus enhancing protein synthesis. By targeted nucleotide substitutions and transfer of the thermometer into Escherichia coli, we show that the secondary structure is necessary and sufficient to confer the thermometer properties. We also demonstrate that the thermometer provides a valuable tool for inducible transgene expression from the Chlamydomonas plastid genome, in that a simple temperature shift of the algal culture can greatly increase recombinant protein yields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kin Pan Chung
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Department Organelle Biology, Biotechnology and Molecular Ecophysiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - F Vanessa Loiacono
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Department Organelle Biology, Biotechnology and Molecular Ecophysiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Juliane Neupert
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Department Organelle Biology, Biotechnology and Molecular Ecophysiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Mengting Wu
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Department Organelle Biology, Biotechnology and Molecular Ecophysiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Ralph Bock
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Department Organelle Biology, Biotechnology and Molecular Ecophysiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
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3
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Wang Y, Xu N, Fan J, Wei Z, Xin W, Xing S. Stable and efficient expression of human brain-derived neurotrophic factor in tobacco chloroplasts. Mol Biol Rep 2023; 50:409-416. [PMID: 36335524 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-08053-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is an intensively studied neurotrophin that promotes various physiological processes, such as acceleration of cell proliferation and differentiation, and is, therefore widely used in clinical applications. METHODS AND RESULTS In this study, an expression vector with a codon-optimized hBDNF gene was constructed and transferred into chloroplasts of tobacco by gene-gun. After three or four rounds of selection with optimal spectinomycin concentration, hBDNF was integrated into the chloroplast genome of homoplastomic plants, as confirmed by PCR and Southern hybridization. ELISA indicated that hBDNF fused with GFP represented approximately 15.72% ± 0.33% of total soluble protein in the leaves of transplastomic plants. Moreover, the chloroplast-derived hBDNF displayed biological activity similar to the commercial product. CONCLUSIONS This is the first case report of hBDNF expression by chloroplast transformation in the plant model, providing an additional pathway for the production of chloroplast-expressed therapeutic proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunpeng Wang
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, Jilin Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Nuo Xu
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Jieying Fan
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, Jilin Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhengyi Wei
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, Jilin Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Wen Xin
- Beijing TransGen Biotech Co., Ltd., Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Shaochen Xing
- Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, Jilin Province, People's Republic of China.
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4
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Ehsasatvatan M, Kohnehrouz BB, Gholizadeh A, Ofoghi H, Shanehbandi D. The production of the first functional antibody mimetic in higher plants: the chloroplast makes the DARPin G3 for HER2 imaging in oncology. Biol Res 2022; 55:32. [PMID: 36274167 PMCID: PMC9590205 DOI: 10.1186/s40659-022-00400-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Designed mimetic molecules are attractive tools in biopharmaceuticals and synthetic biology. They require mass and functional production for the assessment of upcoming challenges in the near future. The DARPin family is considered a mimetic pharmaceutical peptide group with high affinity binding to specific targets. DARPin G3 is designed to bind to the HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) tyrosine kinase receptor. Overexpression of HER2 is common in some cancers, including breast cancer, and can be used as a prognostic and predictive tool for cancer. The chloroplasts are cost-effective alternatives, equal to, and sometimes better than, bacterial, yeast, or mammalian expression systems. This research examined the possibility of the production of the first antibody mimetic, DARPin G3, in tobacco chloroplasts for HER2 imaging in oncology. Results The chloroplast specific DARPin G3 expression cassette was constructed and transformed into N. tabacum chloroplasts. PCR and Southern blot analysis confirmed integration of transgenes as well as chloroplastic and cellular homoplasmy. The Western blot analysis and ELISA confirmed the production of DARPin G3 at the commercial scale and high dose with the rate of 20.2% in leaf TSP and 33.7% in chloroplast TSP. The functional analysis by ELISA confirmed the binding of IMAC purified chloroplast-made DARPin G3 to the extracellular domain of the HER2 receptor with highly effective picomolar affinities. The carcinoma cellular studies by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence microscopy confirmed the correct functioning by the specific binding of the chloroplast-made DARPin G3 to the HER2 receptor on the surface of HER2-positive cancer cell lines. Conclusion The efficient functional bioactive production of DARPin G3 in chloroplasts led us to introduce plant chloroplasts as the site of efficient production of the first antibody mimetic molecules. This report, as the first case of the cost-effective production of mimetic molecules, enables researchers in pharmaceuticals, synthetic biology, and bio-molecular engineering to develop tool boxes by producing new molecular substitutes for diverse purposes.
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5
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Ren K, Xu W, Ren B, Fu J, Jiang C, Zhang J. A simple technology for plastid transformation with fragmented DNA. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:6078-6088. [PMID: 35689813 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Plastid engineering has several unique advantages such as high expression of transgenes due to high polyploidy of plastid genomes and environmental biosafety because of maternal inheritance of transgenes, and has become a promising tool for molecular farming, metabolic engineering, and genetic improvement. However, there are no standard vectors available for plastid transformation. Moreover, the construction of plastid transformation vectors containing long operons or genes encoding proteins that are toxic to Escherichia coli was tedious or difficult. Here, we developed a simple plastid transformation technology without the need for in vitro vector construction by using multiple linear DNA fragments which share homologous sequences (HSs) at their ends. The strategy is based on homologous recombination between HSs of DNA fragments via endogenous recombination machinery in plastids, which subsequently are integrated into the plastid genome. We found that HSs of 200 bp or longer were sufficient for mediating the integration into the plastid genome with at least similar efficiency to that of plasmid DNA-based plastid transformation. Furthermore, we successfully used this method to introduce a phage lysin-encoding gene and a long operon into a tobacco plastid genome. The establishment of this technology simplifies the plastid transformation procedure and provides a novel solution for expressing proteins, which are either toxic to the cloning host or large operons in plastids, without need of vector cloning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wenbo Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Bailing Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jinqiu Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Chunmei Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
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6
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Expression strategies for the efficient synthesis of antimicrobial peptides in plastids. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5856. [PMID: 36195597 PMCID: PMC9532397 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33516-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) kill microbes or inhibit their growth and are promising next-generation antibiotics. Harnessing their full potential as antimicrobial agents will require methods for cost-effective large-scale production and purification. Here, we explore the possibility to exploit the high protein synthesis capacity of the chloroplast to produce AMPs in plants. Generating a large series of 29 sets of transplastomic tobacco plants expressing nine different AMPs as fusion proteins, we show that high-level constitutive AMP expression results in deleterious plant phenotypes. However, by utilizing inducible expression and fusions to the cleavable carrier protein SUMO, the cytotoxic effects of AMPs and fused AMPs are alleviated and plants with wild-type-like phenotypes are obtained. Importantly, purified AMP fusion proteins display antimicrobial activity independently of proteolytic removal of the carrier. Our work provides expression strategies for the synthesis of toxic polypeptides in chloroplasts, and establishes transplastomic plants as efficient production platform for antimicrobial peptides.
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7
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Sørensen M, Andersen-Ranberg J, Hankamer B, Møller BL. Circular biomanufacturing through harvesting solar energy and CO 2. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 27:655-673. [PMID: 35396170 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2022.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Using synthetic biology, it is now time to expand the biosynthetic repertoire of plants and microalgae by utilizing the chloroplast to augment the production of desired high-value compounds and of oil-, carbohydrate-, or protein-enriched biomass based on direct harvesting of solar energy and the consumption of CO2. Multistream product lines based on separate commercialization of the isolated high-value compounds and of the improved bulk products increase the economic potential of the light-driven production system and accelerate commercial scale up. Here we outline the scientific basis for the establishment of such green circular biomanufacturing systems and highlight recent results that make this a realistic option based on cross-disciplinary basic and applied research to advance long-term solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mette Sørensen
- Plant Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Johan Andersen-Ranberg
- Plant Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ben Hankamer
- Institute of Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Birger Lindberg Møller
- Plant Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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8
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Rahman MU, Wang W, Sun Q, Shah JA, Li C, Sun Y, Li Y, Zhang B, Chen W, Wang S. Endolysin, a Promising Solution against Antimicrobial Resistance. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:1277. [PMID: 34827215 PMCID: PMC8614784 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10111277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global crisis for human public health which threatens the effective prevention and control of ever-increasing infectious diseases. The advent of pandrug-resistant bacteria makes most, if not all, available antibiotics invalid. Meanwhile, the pipeline of novel antibiotics development stagnates, which prompts scientists and pharmacists to develop unconventional antimicrobials. Bacteriophage-derived endolysins are cell wall hydrolases which could hydrolyze the peptidoglycan layer from within and outside of bacterial pathogens. With high specificity, rapid action, high efficiency, and low risk of resistance development, endolysins are believed to be among the best alternative therapeutic agents to treat multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria. As of now, endolysins have been applied to diverse aspects. In this review, we comprehensively introduce the structures and activities of endolysins and summarize the latest application progress of recombinant endolysins in the fields of medical treatment, pathogen diagnosis, food safety, and agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mujeeb ur Rahman
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China; (M.u.R.); (Q.S.); (C.L.); (Y.S.); (Y.L.)
| | - Weixiao Wang
- Clinical Research Center, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210003, China;
| | - Qingqing Sun
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China; (M.u.R.); (Q.S.); (C.L.); (Y.S.); (Y.L.)
| | - Junaid Ali Shah
- College of Life Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China;
| | - Chao Li
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China; (M.u.R.); (Q.S.); (C.L.); (Y.S.); (Y.L.)
| | - Yanmei Sun
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China; (M.u.R.); (Q.S.); (C.L.); (Y.S.); (Y.L.)
| | - Yuanrui Li
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China; (M.u.R.); (Q.S.); (C.L.); (Y.S.); (Y.L.)
| | - Bailing Zhang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China;
| | - Wei Chen
- Clinical Research Center, The Second Hospital of Nanjing, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210003, China;
| | - Shiwei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Resources Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China; (M.u.R.); (Q.S.); (C.L.); (Y.S.); (Y.L.)
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9
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Opdensteinen P, Dietz SJ, Gengenbach BB, Buyel JF. Expression of Biofilm-Degrading Enzymes in Plants and Automated High-Throughput Activity Screening Using Experimental Bacillus subtilis Biofilms. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:708150. [PMID: 34621728 PMCID: PMC8490750 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.708150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Biofilm-forming bacteria are sources of infections because they are often resistant to antibiotics and chemical removal. Recombinant biofilm-degrading enzymes have the potential to remove biofilms gently, but they can be toxic toward microbial hosts and are therefore difficult to produce in bacteria. Here, we investigated Nicotiana species for the production of such enzymes using the dispersin B-like enzyme Lysobacter gummosus glyco 2 (Lg2) as a model. We first optimized transient Lg2 expression in plant cell packs using different subcellular targeting methods. We found that expression levels were transferable to differentiated plants, facilitating the scale-up of production. Our process yielded 20 mg kg−1 Lg2 in extracts but 0.3 mg kg−1 after purification, limited by losses during depth filtration. Next, we established an experimental biofilm assay to screen enzymes for degrading activity using different Bacillus subtilis strains. We then tested complex and chemically defined growth media for reproducible biofilm formation before converting the assay to an automated high-throughput screening format. Finally, we quantified the biofilm-degrading activity of Lg2 in comparison with commercial enzymes against our experimental biofilms, indicating that crude extracts can be screened directly. This ability will allow us to combine high-throughput expression in plant cell packs with automated activity screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Opdensteinen
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen, Germany.,Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - S J Dietz
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen, Germany
| | - B B Gengenbach
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen, Germany.,Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - J F Buyel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen, Germany.,Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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10
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He W, Baysal C, Lobato Gómez M, Huang X, Alvarez D, Zhu C, Armario‐Najera V, Blanco Perera A, Cerda Bennaser P, Saba‐Mayoral A, Sobrino‐Mengual G, Vargheese A, Abranches R, Alexandra Abreu I, Balamurugan S, Bock R, Buyel JF, da Cunha NB, Daniell H, Faller R, Folgado A, Gowtham I, Häkkinen ST, Kumar S, Sathish Kumar R, Lacorte C, Lomonossoff GP, Luís IM, K.‐C. Ma J, McDonald KA, Murad A, Nandi S, O’Keef B, Parthiban S, Paul MJ, Ponndorf D, Rech E, Rodrigues JC, Ruf S, Schillberg S, Schwestka J, Shah PS, Singh R, Stoger E, Twyman RM, Varghese IP, Vianna GR, Webster G, Wilbers RHP, Christou P, Oksman‐Caldentey K, Capell T. Contributions of the international plant science community to the fight against infectious diseases in humans-part 2: Affordable drugs in edible plants for endemic and re-emerging diseases. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2021; 19:1921-1936. [PMID: 34181810 PMCID: PMC8486237 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The fight against infectious diseases often focuses on epidemics and pandemics, which demand urgent resources and command attention from the health authorities and media. However, the vast majority of deaths caused by infectious diseases occur in endemic zones, particularly in developing countries, placing a disproportionate burden on underfunded health systems and often requiring international interventions. The provision of vaccines and other biologics is hampered not only by the high cost and limited scalability of traditional manufacturing platforms based on microbial and animal cells, but also by challenges caused by distribution and storage, particularly in regions without a complete cold chain. In this review article, we consider the potential of molecular farming to address the challenges of endemic and re-emerging diseases, focusing on edible plants for the development of oral drugs. Key recent developments in this field include successful clinical trials based on orally delivered dried leaves of Artemisia annua against malarial parasite strains resistant to artemisinin combination therapy, the ability to produce clinical-grade protein drugs in leaves to treat infectious diseases and the long-term storage of protein drugs in dried leaves at ambient temperatures. Recent FDA approval of the first orally delivered protein drug encapsulated in plant cells to treat peanut allergy has opened the door for the development of affordable oral drugs that can be manufactured and distributed in remote areas without cold storage infrastructure and that eliminate the need for expensive purification steps and sterile delivery by injection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenshu He
- Department of Crop and Forest SciencesUniversity of Lleida‐Agrotecnio CERCA CenterLleidaSpain
| | - Can Baysal
- Department of Crop and Forest SciencesUniversity of Lleida‐Agrotecnio CERCA CenterLleidaSpain
| | - Maria Lobato Gómez
- Department of Crop and Forest SciencesUniversity of Lleida‐Agrotecnio CERCA CenterLleidaSpain
| | - Xin Huang
- Department of Crop and Forest SciencesUniversity of Lleida‐Agrotecnio CERCA CenterLleidaSpain
| | - Derry Alvarez
- Department of Crop and Forest SciencesUniversity of Lleida‐Agrotecnio CERCA CenterLleidaSpain
| | - Changfu Zhu
- Department of Crop and Forest SciencesUniversity of Lleida‐Agrotecnio CERCA CenterLleidaSpain
| | - Victoria Armario‐Najera
- Department of Crop and Forest SciencesUniversity of Lleida‐Agrotecnio CERCA CenterLleidaSpain
| | - Aamaya Blanco Perera
- Department of Crop and Forest SciencesUniversity of Lleida‐Agrotecnio CERCA CenterLleidaSpain
| | - Pedro Cerda Bennaser
- Department of Crop and Forest SciencesUniversity of Lleida‐Agrotecnio CERCA CenterLleidaSpain
| | - Andrea Saba‐Mayoral
- Department of Crop and Forest SciencesUniversity of Lleida‐Agrotecnio CERCA CenterLleidaSpain
| | | | - Ashwin Vargheese
- Department of Crop and Forest SciencesUniversity of Lleida‐Agrotecnio CERCA CenterLleidaSpain
| | - Rita Abranches
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António XavierUniversidade Nova de LisboaOeirasPortugal
| | - Isabel Alexandra Abreu
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António XavierUniversidade Nova de LisboaOeirasPortugal
| | - Shanmugaraj Balamurugan
- Plant Genetic Engineering LaboratoryDepartment of BiotechnologyBharathiar UniversityTamil NaduIndia
| | - Ralph Bock
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant PhysiologyPotsdam‐GolmGermany
| | - Johannes F. Buyel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IMEAachenGermany
- Institute for Molecular BiotechnologyRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany
| | - Nicolau B. da Cunha
- Centro de Análise Proteômicas e Bioquímicas de BrasíliaUniversidade Católica de BrasíliaBrasíliaBrazil
| | - Henry Daniell
- School of Dental MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPAUSA
| | - Roland Faller
- Department of Chemical EngineeringUniversity of California, DavisDavisCAUSA
| | - André Folgado
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António XavierUniversidade Nova de LisboaOeirasPortugal
| | - Iyappan Gowtham
- Plant Genetic Engineering LaboratoryDepartment of BiotechnologyBharathiar UniversityTamil NaduIndia
| | - Suvi T. Häkkinen
- Industrial Biotechnology and Food SolutionsVTT Technical Research Centre of Finland LtdEspooFinland
| | - Shashi Kumar
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and BiotechnologyNew DelhiIndia
| | - Ramalingam Sathish Kumar
- Plant Genetic Engineering LaboratoryDepartment of BiotechnologyBharathiar UniversityTamil NaduIndia
| | - Cristiano Lacorte
- Brazilian Agriculture Research CorporationEmbrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology and National Institute of Science and Technology Synthetic in Biology, Parque Estação BiológicaBrasiliaBrazil
| | | | - Ines M. Luís
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António XavierUniversidade Nova de LisboaOeirasPortugal
| | - Julian K.‐C. Ma
- Institute for Infection and ImmunitySt. George’s University of LondonLondonUK
| | - Karen A. McDonald
- Department of Chemical EngineeringUniversity of California, DavisDavisCAUSA
- Global HealthShare InitiativeUniversity of California, DavisDavisCAUSA
| | - Andre Murad
- Brazilian Agriculture Research CorporationEmbrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology and National Institute of Science and Technology Synthetic in Biology, Parque Estação BiológicaBrasiliaBrazil
| | - Somen Nandi
- Department of Chemical EngineeringUniversity of California, DavisDavisCAUSA
- Global HealthShare InitiativeUniversity of California, DavisDavisCAUSA
| | - Barry O’Keef
- Division of Cancer Treatment and DiagnosisMolecular Targets ProgramCenter for Cancer ResearchNational Cancer Institute, and Natural Products Branch, Developmental Therapeutics ProgramNational Cancer Institute, NIHFrederickMDUSA
| | - Subramanian Parthiban
- Plant Genetic Engineering LaboratoryDepartment of BiotechnologyBharathiar UniversityTamil NaduIndia
| | - Mathew J. Paul
- Institute for Infection and ImmunitySt. George’s University of LondonLondonUK
| | - Daniel Ponndorf
- Department of Biological ChemistryJohn Innes CentreNorwich Research Park, NorwichUK
| | - Elibio Rech
- Brazilian Agriculture Research CorporationEmbrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology and National Institute of Science and Technology Synthetic in Biology, Parque Estação BiológicaBrasiliaBrazil
| | - Julio C.M. Rodrigues
- Brazilian Agriculture Research CorporationEmbrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology and National Institute of Science and Technology Synthetic in Biology, Parque Estação BiológicaBrasiliaBrazil
| | - Stephanie Ruf
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant PhysiologyPotsdam‐GolmGermany
| | - Stefan Schillberg
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IMEAachenGermany
- Institute for PhytopathologyJustus‐Liebig‐University GiessenGiessenGermany
| | - Jennifer Schwestka
- Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Priya S. Shah
- Department of Chemical EngineeringUniversity of California, DavisDavisCAUSA
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of California, DavisDavisCAUSA
| | - Rahul Singh
- School of Dental MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPAUSA
| | - Eva Stoger
- Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | | | - Inchakalody P. Varghese
- Plant Genetic Engineering LaboratoryDepartment of BiotechnologyBharathiar UniversityTamil NaduIndia
| | - Giovanni R. Vianna
- Brazilian Agriculture Research CorporationEmbrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology and National Institute of Science and Technology Synthetic in Biology, Parque Estação BiológicaBrasiliaBrazil
| | - Gina Webster
- Institute for Infection and ImmunitySt. George’s University of LondonLondonUK
| | - Ruud H. P. Wilbers
- Laboratory of NematologyPlant Sciences GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Paul Christou
- Department of Crop and Forest SciencesUniversity of Lleida‐Agrotecnio CERCA CenterLleidaSpain
- ICREACatalan Institute for Research and Advanced StudiesBarcelonaSpain
| | | | - Teresa Capell
- Department of Crop and Forest SciencesUniversity of Lleida‐Agrotecnio CERCA CenterLleidaSpain
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11
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Plastid Transformation in Tomato: A Vegetable Crop and Model Species. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2317:217-228. [PMID: 34028771 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1472-3_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), a member of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), is one of the most important vegetable crops and has long been an important model species in plant biology. Plastid biology in tomato is especially interesting due to the chloroplast-to-chromoplast conversion occurring during fruit ripening. Moreover, as tomato represents a major food crop with a fleshy fruit that can be eaten raw, the development of a plastid transformation protocol for tomato was of particular interest to plant biotechnologists. Recent methodological improvements have made tomato plastid transformation more efficient, and facilitated applications in metabolic engineering and molecular farming. This chapter describes the basic methods involved in the generation and analysis of tomato plants with transgenic chloroplast genomes and summarizes recent applications of tomato plastid transformation in plant biotechnology.
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12
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Sørensen M, Møller BL. Metabolic Engineering of Photosynthetic Cells – in Collaboration with Nature. Metab Eng 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/9783527823468.ch21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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13
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Schmidt JA, Richter LV, Condoluci LA, Ahner BA. Mitigation of deleterious phenotypes in chloroplast-engineered plants accumulating high levels of foreign proteins. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2021; 14:42. [PMID: 33568217 PMCID: PMC7877051 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-021-01893-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The global demand for functional proteins is extensive, diverse, and constantly increasing. Medicine, agriculture, and industrial manufacturing all rely on high-quality proteins as major active components or process additives. Historically, these demands have been met by microbial bioreactors that are expensive to operate and maintain, prone to contamination, and relatively inflexible to changing market demands. Well-established crop cultivation techniques coupled with new advancements in genetic engineering may offer a cheaper and more versatile protein production platform. Chloroplast-engineered plants, like tobacco, have the potential to produce large quantities of high-value proteins, but often result in engineered plants with mutant phenotypes. This technology needs to be fine-tuned for commercial applications to maximize target protein yield while maintaining robust plant growth. RESULTS Here, we show that a previously developed Nicotiana tabacum line, TetC-cel6A, can produce an industrial cellulase at levels of up to 28% of total soluble protein (TSP) with a slight dwarf phenotype but no loss in biomass. In seedlings, the dwarf phenotype is recovered by exogenous application of gibberellic acid. We also demonstrate that accumulating foreign protein represents an added burden to the plants' metabolism that can make them more sensitive to limiting growth conditions such as low nitrogen. The biomass of nitrogen-limited TetC-cel6A plants was found to be as much as 40% lower than wildtype (WT) tobacco, although heterologous cellulase production was not greatly reduced compared to well-fertilized TetC-cel6A plants. Furthermore, cultivation at elevated carbon dioxide (1600 ppm CO2) restored biomass accumulation in TetC-cel6A plants to that of WT, while also increasing total heterologous protein yield (mg Cel6A plant-1) by 50-70%. CONCLUSIONS The work reported here demonstrates that well-fertilized tobacco plants have a substantial degree of flexibility in protein metabolism and can accommodate considerable levels of some recombinant proteins without exhibiting deleterious mutant phenotypes. Furthermore, we show that the alterations to protein expression triggered by growth at elevated CO2 can help rebalance endogenous protein expression and/or increase foreign protein production in chloroplast-engineered tobacco.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Schmidt
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Lubna V Richter
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Lisa A Condoluci
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Beth A Ahner
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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14
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Abstract
Expression of transgenes from the plastid genome offers a number of attractions to biotechnologists, with the potential to attain very high protein accumulation levels arguably being the most attractive one. High-level transgene expression is of particular importance in resistance engineering (e.g., for expression of insecticidal proteins) and molecular farming (e.g., for expression of pharmaceutical proteins and industrial enzymes). Over the past decades, the production of many commercially valuable proteins in chloroplast-transgenic (transplastomic) plants has been attempted, including pharmaceutical proteins (e.g., subunit vaccines and protein antibiotics) and industrial enzymes. Although in some cases, spectacularly high foreign protein accumulation levels have been obtained, expression levels were disappointingly poor in other cases. In this review, I summarize our current knowledge about the factors influencing the efficiency of plastid transgene expression, and highlight possible optimization strategies to alleviate problems with poor expression levels. I also discuss available techniques for inducible expression of chloroplast transgenes.
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15
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Arévalo-Gallegos S, Varela-Rodríguez H, Lugo-Aguilar H, Siqueiros-Cendón TS, Iglesias-Figueroa BF, Espinoza-Sánchez EA, Aguado-Santacruz GA, Rascón-Cruz Q. Transient expression of a green fluorescent protein in tobacco and maize chloroplast. ELECTRON J BIOTECHN 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejbt.2020.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
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16
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Armarego-Marriott T. Ralph Bock. THE PLANT CELL 2020; 32:4-6. [PMID: 31748332 PMCID: PMC6961626 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.19.00894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
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17
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Islam MR, Son N, Lee J, Lee DW, Sohn EJ, Hwang I. Production of bacteriophage-encoded endolysin, LysP11, in Nicotiana benthamiana and its activity as a potent antimicrobial agent against Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2019; 38:1485-1499. [PMID: 31432212 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-019-02459-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
KEY MESSAGE We produced a biologically active phage-encoded endolysin, LysP11, in N. benthamiana. Plant-produced LysP11 exhibited robust antimicrobial activity against E. rhusiopathiae, and C-terminal domain of LysP11 bound specifically to E. rhusiopathiae. Bacterial resistance to antibiotics, a serious issue in terms of global public health, is one of the leading causes of death today. Thus, new antimicrobial agents are needed to combat pathogens. Recent research suggests that bacteriophages and endolysins derived from bacteriophages are potential alternatives to traditional antibiotics. Here, we examined the antimicrobial activity of LysP11, which is encoded by Propionibacterium phage P1.1 and comprises an N-terminal amidase-2 domain and a C-terminal domain with no homology to other bacteriophage endolysins. LysP11 was produced in Nicotiana benthamiana (N. benthamiana) using an Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression strategy. LysP11 was purified on microcrystalline cellulose-binding resin after attachment of the Clostridium thermocellum-derived family 3 cellulose-binding domain as an affinity tag. The affinity tag was removed using the small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) domain and SUMO-specific protease. Plant-produced LysP11 showed strong antimicrobial activity toward Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae (E. rhusiopathiae), mediated via lysis of the cell wall. Lytic activity was optimal at pH 8.0-9.0 (37 °C) and increased at higher concentrations of NaCl up to 400 mM. Furthermore, the C-terminal domain of LysP11 bound specifically to the E. rhusiopathiae cell wall. Based on these results, we propose that LysP11 is a potential candidate antimicrobial agent against E. rhusiopathiae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Reyazul Islam
- Division of Integrative Biosciences and Biotechnology, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 37673, South Korea
| | - Namil Son
- Division of Integrative Biosciences and Biotechnology, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 37673, South Korea
| | - Junho Lee
- Division of Integrative Biosciences and Biotechnology, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 37673, South Korea
| | - Dong Wook Lee
- Division of Integrative Biosciences and Biotechnology, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 37673, South Korea
| | - Eun-Ju Sohn
- BioApplications Inc., Pohang, 37668, South Korea
| | - Inhwan Hwang
- Division of Integrative Biosciences and Biotechnology, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 37673, South Korea.
- Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 37673, South Korea.
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18
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Occhialini A, Piatek AA, Pfotenhauer AC, Frazier TP, Stewart CN, Lenaghan SC. MoChlo: A Versatile, Modular Cloning Toolbox for Chloroplast Biotechnology. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 179:943-957. [PMID: 30679266 PMCID: PMC6393787 DOI: 10.1104/pp.18.01220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Plant synthetic biology is a rapidly evolving field with new tools constantly emerging to drive innovation. Of particular interest is the application of synthetic biology to chloroplast biotechnology to generate plants capable of producing new metabolites, vaccines, biofuels, and high-value chemicals. Progress made in the assembly of large DNA molecules, composing multiple transcriptional units, has significantly aided in the ability to rapidly construct novel vectors for genetic engineering. In particular, Golden Gate assembly has provided a facile molecular tool for standardized assembly of synthetic genetic elements into larger DNA constructs. In this work, a complete modular chloroplast cloning system, MoChlo, was developed and validated for fast and flexible chloroplast engineering in plants. A library of 128 standardized chloroplast-specific parts (47 promoters, 38 5' untranslated regions [5'UTRs], nine promoter:5'UTR fusions, 10 3'UTRs, 14 genes of interest, and 10 chloroplast-specific destination vectors) were mined from the literature and modified for use in MoChlo assembly, along with chloroplast-specific destination vectors. The strategy was validated by assembling synthetic operons of various sizes and determining the efficiency of assembly. This method was successfully used to generate chloroplast transformation vectors containing up to seven transcriptional units in a single vector (∼10.6-kb synthetic operon). To enable researchers with limited resources to engage in chloroplast biotechnology, and to accelerate progress in the field, the entire kit, as described, is available through Addgene at minimal cost. Thus, the MoChlo kit represents a valuable tool for fast and flexible design of heterologous metabolic pathways for plastid metabolic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Occhialini
- Department of Food Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
- Center for Agricultural Synthetic Biology, Institute of Agriculture, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
| | - Agnieszka A Piatek
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
| | - Alexander C Pfotenhauer
- Department of Food Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
- Center for Agricultural Synthetic Biology, Institute of Agriculture, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
| | - Taylor P Frazier
- Center for Agricultural Synthetic Biology, Institute of Agriculture, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
- Elo Life Systems, Durham, North Carolina 27709
| | - C Neal Stewart
- Center for Agricultural Synthetic Biology, Institute of Agriculture, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
| | - Scott C Lenaghan
- Department of Food Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
- Center for Agricultural Synthetic Biology, Institute of Agriculture, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
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19
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Piatek AA, Lenaghan SC, Neal Stewart C. Advanced editing of the nuclear and plastid genomes in plants. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2018; 273:42-49. [PMID: 29907308 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2017] [Revised: 02/24/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Genome editing is a powerful suite of technologies utilized in basic and applied plant research. Both nuclear and plastid genomes have been genetically engineered to alter traits in plants. While the most frequent molecular outcome of gene editing has been knockouts resulting in a simple deletion of an endogenous protein of interest from the host's proteome, new genes have been added to plant genomes and, in several instances, the sequence of endogenous genes have been targeted for a few coding changes. Targeted plant characteristics for genome editing range from single gene targets for agronomic input traits to metabolic pathways to endow novel plant function. In this paper, we review the fundamental approaches to editing nuclear and plastid genomes in plants with an emphasis on those utilizing synthetic biology. The differences between the eukaryotic-type nuclear genome and the prokaryotic-type plastid genome (plastome) in plants has profound consequences in the approaches employed to transform, edit, select transformants, and indeed, nearly all aspects of genetic engineering procedures. Thus, we will discuss the two genomes targeted for editing in plants, the toolbox used to make edits, along with strategies for future editing approaches to transform crop production and sustainability. While CRISPR/Cas9 is the current method of choice in editing nuclear genomes, the plastome is typically edited using homologous recombination approaches. A particularly promising synthetic biology approach is to replace the endogenous plastome with a 'synplastome' that is computationally designed, and synthesized and assembled in the lab, then installed into chloroplasts. The editing strategies, transformation methods, characteristics of the novel plant also affect how the genetically engineered plant may be governed and regulated. Each of these components and final products of gene editing affect the future of biotechnology and farming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka A Piatek
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Scott C Lenaghan
- Department of Food Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA; Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - C Neal Stewart
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
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20
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Hoelscher M, Tiller N, Teh AYH, Wu GZ, Ma JKC, Bock R. High-level expression of the HIV entry inhibitor griffithsin from the plastid genome and retention of biological activity in dried tobacco leaves. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 97:357-370. [PMID: 29948657 PMCID: PMC6061503 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-018-0744-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
KEY MESSAGE The potent anti-HIV microbicide griffithsin was expressed to high levels in tobacco chloroplasts, enabling efficient purification from both fresh and dried biomass, thus providing storable material for inexpensive production and scale-up on demand. The global HIV epidemic continues to grow, with 1.8 million new infections occurring per year. In the absence of a cure and an AIDS vaccine, there is a pressing need to prevent new infections in order to curb the disease. Topical microbicides that block viral entry into human cells can potentially prevent HIV infection. The antiviral lectin griffithsin has been identified as a highly potent inhibitor of HIV entry into human cells. Here we have explored the possibility to use transplastomic plants as an inexpensive production platform for griffithsin. We show that griffithsin accumulates in stably transformed tobacco chloroplasts to up to 5% of the total soluble protein of the plant. Griffithsin can be easily purified from leaf material and shows similarly high virus neutralization activity as griffithsin protein recombinantly expressed in bacteria. We also show that dried tobacco provides a storable source material for griffithsin purification, thus enabling quick scale-up of production on demand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthijs Hoelscher
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Nadine Tiller
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
- Leibniz Universität Hannover, Herrenhäuser Straße 2, 30419, Hannover, Germany
| | - Audrey Y-H Teh
- Institute for Infection and Immunity, St. George's, University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE, UK
| | - Guo-Zhang Wu
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Julian K-C Ma
- Institute for Infection and Immunity, St. George's, University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE, UK
| | - Ralph Bock
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
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21
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Plant-made Salmonella bacteriocins salmocins for control of Salmonella pathovars. Sci Rep 2018; 8:4078. [PMID: 29511259 PMCID: PMC5840360 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22465-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Salmonella enterica causes an estimated 1 million illnesses in the United States each year, resulting in 19,000 hospitalizations and 380 deaths, and is one of the four major global causes of diarrhoeal diseases. No effective treatments are available to the food industry. Much attention has been given to colicins, natural non-antibiotic proteins of the bacteriocin class, to control the related pathogen Escherichia coli. We searched Salmonella genomic databases for colicin analogues and cloned and expressed in plants five such proteins, which we call salmocins. Among those, SalE1a and SalE1b were found to possess broad antimicrobial activity against all 99 major Salmonella pathovars. Each of the two salmocins also showed remarkably high potency (>106 AU/µg recombinant protein, or >103 higher than colicins) against major pathogenic target strains. Treatment of poultry meat matrices contaminated with seven key pathogenic serovars confirmed salmocin efficacy as a food safety intervention against Salmonella.
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22
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Singh A, Kaur G, Singh S, Singh N, Saxena G, Verma PC. Recombinant Plant Engineering for Immunotherapeutic Production. CURRENT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY REPORTS 2017; 3:306-316. [PMID: 32226727 PMCID: PMC7099902 DOI: 10.1007/s40610-017-0078-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The requirement for large quantities of therapeutic proteins has fueled a great interest in the production of recombinant proteins in plant bioreactors. The vaccines and bio-therapeutic protein production in plants hold the promise of significantly lowering the cost of manufacturing life-saving drugs. This review will reflect the current status and challenges that the molecular farming platform faces becoming a strategic solution for the development of low-cost bio-therapeutics for developing countries. RECENT FINDINGS Different plant parts have been successfully identified as suitable expression systems for the commercial production of therapeutic proteins for some human and animal diseases ranging from common cold to AIDS. The processed therapeutics from such sources are devoid of any toxic components. The large-scale cultivation of these transgenic plants would be possible anywhere in the world including developing countries, which lack sophisticated drug manufacturing units. A couple of such commercially generated products have already hit the market with success. Newer methods using suitable plant viruses and recombinant gene expression systems have already been devised for producing therapeutic proteins and peptides. SUMMARY Plants are promising bio-factories for therapeutic protein production because of their several advantages over the other expression systems especially the advanced mechanisms for protein synthesis and post-translational modification which are very much similar to animal cells. Plant biotechnologists are much attracted to the bio-farming because of its flexibility, scalability, low manufacturing cost, as well as the lack of risk of toxic or pathogenic contamination. A number of projects on bio-farming are designed and are at various developmental stages but have not yet become available to the pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, we need further advancement in the optimization of lab protocols for up-scaling the production of such therapeutics at commercial level with a promise to offer their best clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankit Singh
- Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, 110025 India
| | - Gurminder Kaur
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Sector 125, Noida, 201303 India
| | - Sanchita Singh
- Genetics and Plant Molecular Biology Division, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, U.P 226001 India
| | - Neetu Singh
- Instrumentation Research Facility, Jawahar Lal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067 India
| | - Gauri Saxena
- Department of Botany, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, 226001 India
| | - Praveen C. Verma
- Genetics and Plant Molecular Biology Division, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, U.P 226001 India
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23
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Plant-expressed pyocins for control of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0185782. [PMID: 28973027 PMCID: PMC5626474 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2017] [Accepted: 09/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence, persistence and spread of antibiotic-resistant human pathogenic bacteria heralds a growing global health crisis. Drug-resistant strains of gram-negative bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are especially dangerous and the medical and economic burden they impose underscore the critical need for finding new antimicrobials. Recent studies have demonstrated that plant-expressed bacteriocins of the colicins family can be efficient antibacterials against all major enteropathogenic strains of E. coli. We extended our studies of colicin-like bacteriocins to pyocins, which are produced by strains of P. aeruginosa for ecological advantage against other strains of the same species. Using a plant-based transient expression system, we expressed six different pyocins, namely S5, PaeM, L1, L2, L3 and one new pyocin, PaeM4, and purified them to homogeneity. Among these pyocins, PaeM4 demonstrated the broadest spectrum of activity by controlling 53 of 100 tested clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa. The activity of plant-made pyocins was confirmed in the agar drop, liquid culture susceptibility and biofilm assays, and in the Galleria mellonella animal infection model.
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24
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Hidalgo D, Abdoli-Nasab M, Jalali-Javaran M, Bru-Martínez R, Cusidó RM, Corchete P, Palazon J. Biotechnological production of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator protein (reteplase) from transplastomic tobacco cell cultures. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2017; 118:130-137. [PMID: 28633085 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2017.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2017] [Revised: 06/09/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2017] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Transplastomic plants are a system of choice for the mass production of biopharmaceuticals due to the polyploidy of the plastid genome and the low risk of pollen-mediated outcrossing because of maternal inheritance. However, as field-grown plants, they can suffer contamination by agrochemicals and fertilizers, as well as fluctuations in yield due to climatic changes and infections. Tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), a protein used to treat heart attacks, converts plasminogen into plasmine, which digests fibrin and induces the dissolution of fibrin clots. Recently, we obtained transplastomic tobacco plants carrying the K2S gene encoding truncated human tPA (reteplase) with improved biological activity, and confirmed the presence of the target protein in the transgenic plant leaves. Considering the advantages of plant cell cultures for biopharmaceutical production, we established a cell line derived from the K2S tobacco plants. The active form of reteplase was quantified in cultures grown in light or darkness, with production 3-fold higher in light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Hidalgo
- Laboratori de Fisiologia Vegetal, Facultat de Farmacia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII sn, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maryam Abdoli-Nasab
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Science, High Technology and Environmental Science, Graduate University of Advanced Tecnology, P.O. Box 76315-117, Kerman, Iran
| | - Mokhtar Jalali-Javaran
- Department of Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 14115-336, Tehran, Iran
| | - Roque Bru-Martínez
- Plant Proteomics and Functional Genomics Group, Department of Agrochemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Rosa M Cusidó
- Laboratori de Fisiologia Vegetal, Facultat de Farmacia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII sn, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Purificación Corchete
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, University of Salamanca, E-37007, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Javier Palazon
- Laboratori de Fisiologia Vegetal, Facultat de Farmacia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII sn, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
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Stoffels L, Taunt HN, Charalambous B, Purton S. Synthesis of bacteriophage lytic proteins against Streptococcus pneumoniae in the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2017; 15:1130-1140. [PMID: 28160380 PMCID: PMC5552482 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Revised: 01/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2017] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
There is a pressing need to develop novel antibacterial agents given the widespread antibiotic resistance among pathogenic bacteria and the low specificity of the drugs available. Endolysins are antibacterial proteins that are produced by bacteriophage-infected cells to digest the bacterial cell wall for phage progeny release at the end of the lytic cycle. These highly efficient enzymes show a considerable degree of specificity for the target bacterium of the phage. Furthermore, the emergence of resistance against endolysins appears to be rare as the enzymes have evolved to target molecules in the cell wall that are essential for bacterial viability. Taken together, these factors make recombinant endolysins promising novel antibacterial agents. The chloroplast of the green unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii represents an attractive platform for production of therapeutic proteins in general, not least due to the availability of established techniques for foreign gene expression, a lack of endotoxins or potentially infectious agents in the algal host, and low cost of cultivation. The chloroplast is particularly well suited to the production of endolysins as it mimics the native bacterial expression environment of these proteins while being devoid of their cell wall target. In this study, the endolysins Cpl-1 and Pal, specific to the major human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae, were produced in the C. reinhardtii chloroplast. The antibacterial activity of cell lysates and the isolated endolysins was demonstrated against different serotypes of S. pneumoniae, including clinical isolates and total recombinant protein yield was quantified at ~1.3 mg/g algal dry weight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Stoffels
- Algal Biotechnology GroupInstitute of Structural and Molecular BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Henry N. Taunt
- Algal Biotechnology GroupInstitute of Structural and Molecular BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Present address:
AlgenuityEden LaboratoryBroadmead RoadStewartbyUK
| | - Bambos Charalambous
- Research Department of InfectionUniversity College London Medical SchoolLondonUK
| | - Saul Purton
- Algal Biotechnology GroupInstitute of Structural and Molecular BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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Adem M, Beyene D, Feyissa T. Recent achievements obtained by chloroplast transformation. PLANT METHODS 2017; 13:30. [PMID: 28428810 PMCID: PMC5395794 DOI: 10.1186/s13007-017-0179-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 04/09/2017] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Chloroplasts play a great role for sustained wellbeing of life on the planet. They have the power and raw materials that can be used as sophisticated biological factories. They are rich in energy as they have lots of pigment-protein complexes capable of collecting sunlight, in sugar produced by photosynthesis and in minerals imported from the plant cell. Chloroplast genome transformation offers multiple advantages over nuclear genome which among others, include: integration of the transgene via homologus recombination that enables to eliminate gene silencing and position effect, higher level of transgene expression resulting into higher accumulations of foreign proteins, and significant reduction in environmental dispersion of the transgene due to maternal inheritance which helps to minimize the major critic of plant genetic engineering. Chloroplast genetic engineering has made fruit full progresses in the development of plants resistance to various stresses, phytoremediation of toxic metals, and production of vaccine antigens, biopharmaceuticals, biofuels, biomaterials and industrial enzymes. Although successful results have been achieved, there are still difficulties impeding full potential exploitation and expansion of chloroplast transformation technology to economical plants. These include, lack of species specific regulatory sequences, problem of selection and shoot regeneration, and massive expression of foreign genes resulting in phenotypic alterations of transplastomic plants. The aim of this review is to critically recapitulate the latest development of chloroplast transformation with special focus on the different traits of economic interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhamed Adem
- Department of Microbial, Cellular and Molecular Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box. 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Department of Forestry, School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Madawalabu University, P.O. Box 247, Bale Robe, Oromiya Ethiopia
| | - Dereje Beyene
- Department of Microbial, Cellular and Molecular Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box. 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Tileye Feyissa
- Department of Microbial, Cellular and Molecular Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box. 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Institute of Biotechnology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Tabatabaei I, Ruf S, Bock R. A bifunctional aminoglycoside acetyltransferase/phosphotransferase conferring tobramycin resistance provides an efficient selectable marker for plastid transformation. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2017; 93:269-281. [PMID: 27858324 PMCID: PMC5306187 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-016-0560-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
KEY MESSAGE A new selectable marker gene for stable transformation of the plastid genome was developed that is similarly efficient as the aadA, and produces no background of spontaneous resistance mutants. More than 25 years after its development for Chlamydomonas and tobacco, the transformation of the chloroplast genome still represents a challenging technology that is available only in a handful of species. The vast majority of chloroplast transformation experiments conducted thus far have relied on a single selectable marker gene, the spectinomycin resistance gene aadA. Although a few alternative markers have been reported, the aadA has remained unrivalled in efficiency and is, therefore, nearly exclusively used. The development of new marker genes for plastid transformation is of crucial importance to all efforts towards extending the species range of the technology as well as to those applications in basic research, biotechnology and synthetic biology that involve the multistep engineering of plastid genomes. Here, we have tested a bifunctional resistance gene for its suitability as a selectable marker for chloroplast transformation. The bacterial enzyme aminoglycoside acetyltransferase(6')-Ie/aminoglycoside phosphotransferase(2″)-Ia possesses an N-terminal acetyltransferase domain and a C-terminal phosphotransferase domain that can act synergistically and detoxify aminoglycoside antibiotics highly efficiently. We report that, in combination with selection for resistance to the aminoglycoside tobramycin, the aac(6')-Ie/aph(2″)-Ia gene represents an efficient marker for plastid transformation in that it produces similar numbers of transplastomic lines as the spectinomycin resistance gene aadA. Importantly, no spontaneous antibiotic resistance mutants appear under tobramycin selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iman Tabatabaei
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Stephanie Ruf
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Ralph Bock
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
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Gerasymenko IM, Sheludko YV, Klebanovych AA, Rudas VA, Shakhovsky AM, Klein TM, Kuchuk NV. Comparison of effectiveness of 5'-regulatory sequences in transplastomic tobacco chloroplasts. Transgenic Res 2017; 26:65-75. [PMID: 27565642 DOI: 10.1007/s11248-016-9980-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2016] [Accepted: 08/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The development of tools which ensure the desired level of transgene expression in plastids is a prerequisite for the effective utilization of these plant organelles for the deployment of bioactive proteins. High-level accumulation of target proteins is considered as a positive feature of transplastomic plants, but excessive accumulation of foreign proteins may have deleterious effects on host plants. On the other hand, expression at low levels can result in ineffective phenotypes. We compared the effectiveness of different 5'-regulatory sequences in driving the expression of a reporter gene, β-glucuronidase (uidA), in tobacco chloroplasts. To achieve varying expression levels, we have chosen heterologous 5'-regulatory sequences which either differ significantly from their homologous counterparts or depend on specific nuclear encoded factors. The Medicago truncatula psbA promoter/5'-UTR supported the highest levels of protein accumulation, surpassing the other tested sequences by two to three orders of magnitude. The heterologous regulatory sequence of Phaseolus vulgaris rbcL gene was as efficient in tobacco chloroplasts as the corresponding homologous promoter/5'-UTR. The Arabidopsis thaliana ndhF promoter/5'-UTR supported as high reporter activity levels as the rbcL 5'-sequences, whereas the effectiveness of A. thaliana psbN promoter/5'-UTR was three fold lower. The characterized regulatory sequences can be utilized to establish transplastomic lines with desirable levels of target protein accumulation. The ability to control transgene expression should be useful for achieving appropriate levels of protein accumulation and thereby avoid their negative impacts on host plant physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- I M Gerasymenko
- Institute of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Zabolotnoho Str. 148, 03143, Kiev, Ukraine.
| | - Y V Sheludko
- Institute of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Zabolotnoho Str. 148, 03143, Kiev, Ukraine
| | - A A Klebanovych
- Institute of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Zabolotnoho Str. 148, 03143, Kiev, Ukraine
| | - V A Rudas
- Institute of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Zabolotnoho Str. 148, 03143, Kiev, Ukraine
| | - A M Shakhovsky
- Institute of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Zabolotnoho Str. 148, 03143, Kiev, Ukraine
| | - T M Klein
- DuPont Pioneer AgBiotech, DuPont Experimental Station, Wilmington, DE, USA
| | - N V Kuchuk
- Institute of Cell Biology and Genetic Engineering, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Zabolotnoho Str. 148, 03143, Kiev, Ukraine
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Hackl EV, Khutoryanskiy VV, Ermolina I. Hydrogels based on copolymers of 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate and 2-hydroxyethylacrylate as a delivery system for proteins: Interactions with lysozyme. J Appl Polym Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/app.44768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ellen V. Hackl
- Leicester School of Pharmacy; De Montfort University; Leicester United Kingdom
| | | | - Irina Ermolina
- Leicester School of Pharmacy; De Montfort University; Leicester United Kingdom
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Ahmad N, Michoux F, Lössl AG, Nixon PJ. Challenges and perspectives in commercializing plastid transformation technology. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2016; 67:5945-5960. [PMID: 27697788 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Plastid transformation has emerged as an alternative platform to generate transgenic plants. Attractive features of this technology include specific integration of transgenes-either individually or as operons-into the plastid genome through homologous recombination, the potential for high-level protein expression, and transgene containment because of the maternal inheritance of plastids. Several issues associated with nuclear transformation such as gene silencing, variable gene expression due to the Mendelian laws of inheritance, and epigenetic regulation have not been observed in the plastid genome. Plastid transformation has been successfully used for the production of therapeutics, vaccines, antigens, and commercial enzymes, and for engineering various agronomic traits including resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, these demonstrations have usually focused on model systems such as tobacco, and the technology per se has not yet reached the market. Technical factors limiting this technology include the lack of efficient protocols for the transformation of cereals, poor transgene expression in non-green plastids, a limited number of selection markers, and the lengthy procedures required to recover fully segregated plants. This article discusses the technology of transforming the plastid genome, the positive and negative features compared with nuclear transformation, and the current challenges that need to be addressed for successful commercialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niaz Ahmad
- Agricultural Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Jhang Road, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Franck Michoux
- Alkion Biopharma SAS, 4 rue Pierre Fontaine, 91058 Evry, France
| | - Andreas G Lössl
- Department of Applied Plant Sciences and Plant Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter J Nixon
- Department of Life Sciences, Sir Ernst Chain Building-Wolfson Laboratories, Imperial College, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK
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Niknejad A, Webster D, Bhave M. Production of bioactive wheat puroindoline proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana using a virus-based transient expression system. Protein Expr Purif 2016; 125:43-52. [PMID: 26363114 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2015.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2015] [Revised: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of antibiotic resistant pathogenic strains of bacteria has necessitated the development of novel antimicrobial agents. The puroindoline A and B (PINA and PINB) proteins of wheat, well-known for their roles in determining the important phenotype of grain texture, are also antimicrobial, making them attractive as natural bio-control agents. However, the biochemical basis of PIN functionality remains unclear due to limitations in expressing them at the required yield and purity and lack of accurate tertiary structure. This study focussed on rapid transient expression of PINs targeted to different subcellular compartments (chloroplast, apoplast, endoplasmic reticulum and cytosol) of Nicotiana benthamiana leaf cells using the deconstructed tobacco mosaic virus-based 'magnICON®' system. The expressed recombinant PINs were characterised by Western blot using the Durotest anti-friabilin antibody, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and antimicrobial activity tests. Maximum yield of the His-tagged PINs occurred when targeted to the chloroplast. Both PINs exhibited oligomeric and monomeric forms on gels, but Western blots with the widely used Durotest anti-friabilin antibody identified only oligomeric forms. Only the PINs purified by a hydrophobic interaction method exhibited monomeric forms with the anti-His tag antibody, indicating correct folding. Interestingly, the Durotest antibody did not bind to monomers, suggesting their epitope may be obscured. PINs purified by His-tag affinity purification under native conditions or by the hydrophobic method exhibited antimicrobial activities. The successful in planta expression and optimisation of purification will enable future studies to examine the detailed structure of the PINs and explore novel bio-control applications in health, food and/or agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azadeh Niknejad
- Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Diane Webster
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mrinal Bhave
- Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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Gottschamel J, Lössl A, Ruf S, Wang Y, Skaugen M, Bock R, Clarke JL. Production of dengue virus envelope protein domain III-based antigens in tobacco chloroplasts using inducible and constitutive expression systems. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2016; 91:497-512. [PMID: 27116001 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-016-0484-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2016] [Accepted: 04/17/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Dengue fever is a disease in many parts of the tropics and subtropics and about half the world's population is at risk of infection according to the World Health Organization. Dengue is caused by any of the four related dengue virus serotypes DEN-1, -2, -3 and -4, which are transmitted to people by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Currently there is only one vaccine (Dengvaxia(®)) available (limited to a few countries) on the market since 2015 after half a century's intensive efforts. Affordable and accessible vaccines against dengue are hence still urgently needed. The dengue envelop protein domain III (EDIII), which is capable of eliciting serotype-specific neutralizing antibodies, has become the focus for subunit vaccine development. To contribute to the development of an accessible and affordable dengue vaccine, in the current study we have used plant-based vaccine production systems to generate a dengue subunit vaccine candidate in tobacco. Chloroplast genome engineering was applied to express serotype-specific recombinant EDIII proteins in tobacco chloroplasts using both constitutive and ethanol-inducible expression systems. Expression of a tetravalent antigen fusion construct combining EDIII polypeptides from all four serotypes was also attempted. Transplastomic EDIII-expressing tobacco lines were obtained and homoplasmy was verified by Southern blot analysis. Northern blot analyses showed expression of EDIII antigen-encoding genes. EDIII protein accumulation levels varied for the different recombinant EDIII proteins and the different expression systems, and reached between 0.8 and 1.6 % of total cellular protein. Our study demonstrates the suitability of the chloroplast compartment as a production site for an EDIII-based vaccine candidate against dengue fever and presents a Gateway(®) plastid transformation vector for inducible transgene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Gottschamel
- NIBIO-Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, P.O. Box 115, 1431, Ås, Norway
- BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Lössl
- BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stephanie Ruf
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Yanliang Wang
- NIBIO-Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, P.O. Box 115, 1431, Ås, Norway
| | | | - Ralph Bock
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
| | - Jihong Liu Clarke
- NIBIO-Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, P.O. Box 115, 1431, Ås, Norway.
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Oey M, Sawyer AL, Ross IL, Hankamer B. Challenges and opportunities for hydrogen production from microalgae. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2016; 14:1487-99. [PMID: 26801871 PMCID: PMC5066674 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2015] [Revised: 11/12/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The global population is predicted to increase from ~7.3 billion to over 9 billion people by 2050. Together with rising economic growth, this is forecast to result in a 50% increase in fuel demand, which will have to be met while reducing carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions by 50-80% to maintain social, political, energy and climate security. This tension between rising fuel demand and the requirement for rapid global decarbonization highlights the need to fast-track the coordinated development and deployment of efficient cost-effective renewable technologies for the production of CO2 neutral energy. Currently, only 20% of global energy is provided as electricity, while 80% is provided as fuel. Hydrogen (H2 ) is the most advanced CO2 -free fuel and provides a 'common' energy currency as it can be produced via a range of renewable technologies, including photovoltaic (PV), wind, wave and biological systems such as microalgae, to power the next generation of H2 fuel cells. Microalgae production systems for carbon-based fuel (oil and ethanol) are now at the demonstration scale. This review focuses on evaluating the potential of microalgal technologies for the commercial production of solar-driven H2 from water. It summarizes key global technology drivers, the potential and theoretical limits of microalgal H2 production systems, emerging strategies to engineer next-generation systems and how these fit into an evolving H2 economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Oey
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia
| | | | - Ian Lawrence Ross
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia
| | - Ben Hankamer
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, Australia
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Daniell H, Lin CS, Yu M, Chang WJ. Chloroplast genomes: diversity, evolution, and applications in genetic engineering. Genome Biol 2016; 17:134. [PMID: 27339192 PMCID: PMC4918201 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-016-1004-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 716] [Impact Index Per Article: 89.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Chloroplasts play a crucial role in sustaining life on earth. The availability of over 800 sequenced chloroplast genomes from a variety of land plants has enhanced our understanding of chloroplast biology, intracellular gene transfer, conservation, diversity, and the genetic basis by which chloroplast transgenes can be engineered to enhance plant agronomic traits or to produce high-value agricultural or biomedical products. In this review, we discuss the impact of chloroplast genome sequences on understanding the origins of economically important cultivated species and changes that have taken place during domestication. We also discuss the potential biotechnological applications of chloroplast genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Daniell
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, South 40th St, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6030, USA.
| | - Choun-Sea Lin
- Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ming Yu
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, South 40th St, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6030, USA
| | - Wan-Jung Chang
- Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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Li Y, Wang R, Hu Z, Li H, Lu S, Zhang J, Lin Y, Zhou F. Expression of a Codon-Optimized dsdA Gene in Tobacco Plastids and Rice Nucleus Confers D-Serine Tolerance. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:640. [PMID: 27242842 PMCID: PMC4863892 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
D-serine is toxic to plants. D-serine ammonia lyase, which is encoded by the dsdA gene, can attenuate this toxicity with high specificity. In the present study, we explored the function of codon-optimized dsdA with tobacco plastids and rice nuclear transformation system. It was shown that dsdA gene was site-specifically integrated into the tobacco plastid genome and displayed a high level of expression. Genetic analysis of the progenies showed that dsdA gene is maternally inherited and confers sufficient D-serine resistance in tobacco. The effective screening concentrations of D-serine for seed germination, callus regeneration and foliar spray were 10, 30, and 75 mM, respectively. In addition, calluses from homozygous transgenic rice lines also showed significant tolerance to D-serine (up to 75 mM). Our study proves the feasibility of using dsdA gene as a selectable marker in both plastid and nuclear transformation systems.
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Young REB, Purton S. Codon reassignment to facilitate genetic engineering and biocontainment in the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2016; 14:1251-60. [PMID: 26471875 PMCID: PMC5102678 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Revised: 09/08/2015] [Accepted: 09/13/2015] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
There is a growing interest in the use of microalgae as low-cost hosts for the synthesis of recombinant products such as therapeutic proteins and bioactive metabolites. In particular, the chloroplast, with its small, genetically tractable genome (plastome) and elaborate metabolism, represents an attractive platform for genetic engineering. In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, none of the 69 protein-coding genes in the plastome uses the stop codon UGA, therefore this spare codon can be exploited as a useful synthetic biology tool. Here, we report the assignment of the codon to one for tryptophan and show that this can be used as an effective strategy for addressing a key problem in chloroplast engineering: namely, the assembly of expression cassettes in Escherichia coli when the gene product is toxic to the bacterium. This problem arises because the prokaryotic nature of chloroplast promoters and ribosome-binding sites used in such cassettes often results in transgene expression in E. coli, and is a potential issue when cloning genes for metabolic enzymes, antibacterial proteins and integral membrane proteins. We show that replacement of tryptophan codons with the spare codon (UGG→UGA) within a transgene prevents functional expression in E. coli and in the chloroplast, and that co-introduction of a plastidial trnW gene carrying a modified anticodon restores function only in the latter by allowing UGA readthrough. We demonstrate the utility of this system by expressing two genes known to be highly toxic to E. coli and discuss its value in providing an enhanced level of biocontainment for transplastomic microalgae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosanna E B Young
- Algal Research Group, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Saul Purton
- Algal Research Group, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK
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Wang YP, Wei ZY, Zhong XF, Lin CJ, Cai YH, Ma J, Zhang YY, Liu YZ, Xing SC. Stable Expression of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor in Chloroplasts of Tobacco. Int J Mol Sci 2015; 17:E19. [PMID: 26703590 PMCID: PMC4730266 DOI: 10.3390/ijms17010019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a multifunctional factor in acceleration of cell proliferation, differentiation and transference, and therefore widely used in clinical applications. In this study, expression vector pWX-Nt03 harboring a codon-optimized bFGF gene was constructed and introduced into the tobacco chloroplasts by particle bombardment. After four rounds of selection, bFGF was proved to integrate into the chloroplast genome of regenerated plants and two of four transgenic plants were confirmed to be homoplastomic by PCR and Southern hybridization. ELISA assay indicated that bFGF represented approximately 0.1% of total soluble protein in the leaves of transplastomic tobacco plants. This is the first report of bFGF expression via chloroplast transformation in model plant, providing an additional option for the production of chloroplast-produced therapeutic proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Peng Wang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, Agro-Biotechnology Research Institute, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 1363, Shengtai st., Changchun 130033, China.
| | - Zheng-Yi Wei
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, Agro-Biotechnology Research Institute, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 1363, Shengtai st., Changchun 130033, China.
| | - Xiao-Fang Zhong
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, Agro-Biotechnology Research Institute, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 1363, Shengtai st., Changchun 130033, China.
| | - Chun-Jing Lin
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, Agro-Biotechnology Research Institute, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 1363, Shengtai st., Changchun 130033, China.
| | - Yu-Hong Cai
- Institute of Agricultural Quality Standard and Testing Technology, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 1363, Shengtai st., Changchun 130033, China.
| | - Jian Ma
- Faculty of Agronomy, Jilin Agricultural University, No. 2888, Xincheng st., Changchun 130118, China.
| | - Yu-Ying Zhang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, Agro-Biotechnology Research Institute, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 1363, Shengtai st., Changchun 130033, China.
- College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, No. 2 West Yuanmingyuan Road, Beijing 100094, China.
| | - Yan-Zhi Liu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, Agro-Biotechnology Research Institute, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 1363, Shengtai st., Changchun 130033, China.
| | - Shao-Chen Xing
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, Agro-Biotechnology Research Institute, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, No. 1363, Shengtai st., Changchun 130033, China.
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Dong H, Zhu C, Chen J, Ye X, Huang YP. Antibacterial Activity of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Endolysin P28 against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative Bacteria. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1299. [PMID: 26635765 PMCID: PMC4656821 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2015] [Accepted: 11/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Maltocin P28 is a phage-tail like bacteriocin produced by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia P28. The ORF8 of maltocin P28 gene cluster is predicted to encode an endolysin and we name it endolysin P28. Sequence analysis revealed that it contains the lysozyme_like superfamily conserved domain. Endolysin P28 has the four consensus motifs as that of Escherichia coli phage lambda gpR. In this study, endolysin P28 was expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) and purified with a C-terminal oligo-histidine tag. The antibacterial activity of endolysin P28 increased as the temperature rose from 25 to 45°C. Thermostability assays showed that endolysin P28 was stable up to 50°C, while its residual activity was reduced by 55% after treatment at 70°C for 30 min. Acidity and high salinity could enhance its antibacterial activity. Endolysin P28 exhibited a broad antibacterial activity against 14 out of 16 tested Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria besides S. maltophilia. Moreover, it could effectively lyse intact Gram-negative bacteria in the absence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid as an outer membrane permeabilizer. Therefore, the characteristics of endolysin P28 make it a potential therapeutic agent against multi-drug-resistant pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongling Dong
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University Wuhan, China
| | - Chaoyang Zhu
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University Wuhan, China
| | - Jingyi Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University Wuhan, China
| | - Xing Ye
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University Wuhan, China
| | - Yu-Ping Huang
- College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University Wuhan, China ; Hubei Provincial Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation Wuhan, China
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Antimicrobial peptide production and plant-based expression systems for medical and agricultural biotechnology. Biotechnol Adv 2015; 33:1005-23. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2015.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2014] [Revised: 02/25/2015] [Accepted: 03/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Schulz S, Stephan A, Hahn S, Bortesi L, Jarczowski F, Bettmann U, Paschke AK, Tusé D, Stahl CH, Giritch A, Gleba Y. Broad and efficient control of major foodborne pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli by mixtures of plant-produced colicins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:E5454-60. [PMID: 26351689 PMCID: PMC4603501 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1513311112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is one of the leading causes of bacterial enteric infections worldwide, causing ∼100,000 illnesses, 3,000 hospitalizations, and 90 deaths annually in the United States alone. These illnesses have been linked to consumption of contaminated animal products and vegetables. Currently, other than thermal inactivation, there are no effective methods to eliminate pathogenic bacteria in food. Colicins are nonantibiotic antimicrobial proteins, produced by E. coli strains that kill or inhibit the growth of other E. coli strains. Several colicins are highly effective against key EHEC strains. Here we demonstrate very high levels of colicin expression (up to 3 g/kg of fresh biomass) in tobacco and edible plants (spinach and leafy beets) at costs that will allow commercialization. Among the colicins examined, plant-expressed colicin M had the broadest antimicrobial activity against EHEC and complemented the potency of other colicins. A mixture of colicin M and colicin E7 showed very high activity against all major EHEC strains, as defined by the US Department of Agriculture/Food and Drug Administration. Treatments with low (less than 10 mg colicins per L) concentrations reduced the pathogenic bacterial load in broth culture by 2 to over 6 logs depending on the strain. In experiments using meats spiked with E. coli O157:H7, colicins efficiently reduced the population of the pathogen by at least 2 logs. Plant-produced colicins could be effectively used for the broad control of pathogenic E. coli in both plant- and animal-based food products and, in the United States, colicins could be approved using the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) regulatory approval pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve Schulz
- Nomad Bioscience GmbH, Biozentrum Halle, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Anett Stephan
- Nomad Bioscience GmbH, Biozentrum Halle, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Simone Hahn
- Nomad Bioscience GmbH, Biozentrum Halle, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Luisa Bortesi
- Nomad Bioscience GmbH, Biozentrum Halle, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | | | - Ulrike Bettmann
- Icon Genetics GmbH, Biozentrum Halle, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | | | | | - Chad H Stahl
- Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
| | - Anatoli Giritch
- Nomad Bioscience GmbH, Biozentrum Halle, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany;
| | - Yuri Gleba
- Nomad Bioscience GmbH, Biozentrum Halle, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
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Jin S, Daniell H. The Engineered Chloroplast Genome Just Got Smarter. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2015; 20:622-640. [PMID: 26440432 PMCID: PMC4606472 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2015.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2015] [Revised: 06/18/2015] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Chloroplasts are known to sustain life on earth by providing food, fuel, and oxygen through the process of photosynthesis. However, the chloroplast genome has also been smartly engineered to confer valuable agronomic traits and/or serve as bioreactors for the production of industrial enzymes, biopharmaceuticals, bioproducts, or vaccines. The recent breakthrough in hyperexpression of biopharmaceuticals in edible leaves has facilitated progression to clinical studies by major pharmaceutical companies. This review critically evaluates progress in developing new tools to enhance or simplify expression of targeted genes in chloroplasts. These tools hold the promise to further the development of novel fuels and products, enhance the photosynthetic process, and increase our understanding of retrograde signaling and cellular processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuangxia Jin
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, PR China
| | - Henry Daniell
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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Nakonieczna A, Cooper CJ, Gryko R. Bacteriophages and bacteriophage-derived endolysins as potential therapeutics to combat Gram-positive spore forming bacteria. J Appl Microbiol 2015; 119:620-31. [PMID: 26109320 DOI: 10.1111/jam.12881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2015] [Revised: 05/28/2015] [Accepted: 06/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Since their discovery in 1915, bacteriophages have been routinely used within Eastern Europe to treat a variety of bacterial infections. Although initially ignored by the West due to the success of antibiotics, increasing levels and diversity of antibiotic resistance is driving a renaissance for bacteriophage-derived therapy, which is in part due to the highly specific nature of bacteriophages as well as their relative abundance. This review focuses on the bacteriophages and derived lysins of relevant Gram-positive spore formers within the Bacillus cereus group and Clostridium genus that could have applications within the medical, food and environmental sectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Nakonieczna
- Biological Threats Identification and Countermeasure Center of the Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Pulawy, Poland
| | - C J Cooper
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - R Gryko
- Biological Threats Identification and Countermeasure Center of the Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Pulawy, Poland
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Emadpour M, Karcher D, Bock R. Boosting riboswitch efficiency by RNA amplification. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:e66. [PMID: 25824954 PMCID: PMC4446413 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2014] [Revised: 02/17/2015] [Accepted: 02/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Riboswitches are RNA sensors that regulate gene expression in response to binding of small molecules. Although they conceptually represent simple on/off switches and, therefore, hold great promise for biotechnology and future synthetic biology applications, the induction of gene expression by natural riboswitches after ligand addition or removal is often only moderate and, consequently, the achievable expression levels are not very high. Here, we have designed an RNA amplification-based system that strongly improves the efficiency of riboswitches. We have successfully implemented the method in a biological system for which currently no efficient endogenous tools for inducible (trans)gene expression are available: the chloroplasts of higher plants. We further show that an HIV antigen whose constitutive expression from the chloroplast genome is deleterious to the plant can be inducibly expressed under the control of the RNA amplification-enhanced riboswitch (RAmpER) without causing a mutant phenotype, demonstrating the potential of the method for the production of proteins and metabolites that are toxic to the host cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoumeh Emadpour
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Daniel Karcher
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Ralph Bock
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
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Starkevič U, Bortesi L, Virgailis M, Ružauskas M, Giritch A, Ražanskienė A. High-yield production of a functional bacteriophage lysin with antipneumococcal activity using a plant virus-based expression system. J Biotechnol 2015; 200:10-6. [PMID: 25744664 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2015.02.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2015] [Revised: 02/20/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Streptococcus pneumoniae is the causative agent of several serious infectious diseases. It is becoming increasingly antibiotic resistant worldwide, and thus new antimicrobials are needed. One alternative to antibiotics may be the use of peptidoglycan hydrolases, the bacteriophage lytic enzymes. In this study, we demonstrated high level expression of the S. pneumoniae bacteriophage lysin Pal in Nicotiana benthamiana - TMV (Tobacco Mosaic Virus) transient expression system. The protein was purified to homogeneity and tested for streptococci killing activity in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, Pal was able to lyse three tested S. pneumoniae strains: NCTC12695, NCTC12977 and NCTC11888. The treatment of BALB/c mice with 100 μg, 200 μg and 400 μg of Pal 1h post-challenge with double lethal dose of S. pneumoniae NCTC12695 strain showed a clear dose response and protected from lethal sepsis 30%, 40% and 50% of mice, respectively. The improved mice survival correlated with decreased blood bacterial titers. In conclusion, these results suggest that plant-expressed bacteriophage lysins may have potential use as antimicrobial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urtė Starkevič
- Nomads UAB, Graičiūno 8, LT-02241 Vilnius, Lithuania; Institute of Biotechnology of Vilnius University, Graičiūno 8, LT-02241 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Luisa Bortesi
- Nomad Bioscience GmbH, Biozentrum Halle, Weinbergweg 22, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | | | | | - Anatoli Giritch
- Nomad Bioscience GmbH, Biozentrum Halle, Weinbergweg 22, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
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Bock R. Engineering plastid genomes: methods, tools, and applications in basic research and biotechnology. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2015; 66:211-41. [PMID: 25494465 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-050213-040212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 213] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The small bacterial-type genome of the plastid (chloroplast) can be engineered by genetic transformation, generating cells and plants with transgenic plastid genomes, also referred to as transplastomic plants. The transformation process relies on homologous recombination, thereby facilitating the site-specific alteration of endogenous plastid genes as well as the precisely targeted insertion of foreign genes into the plastid DNA. The technology has been used extensively to analyze chloroplast gene functions and study plastid gene expression at all levels in vivo. Over the years, a large toolbox has been assembled that is now nearly comparable to the techniques available for plant nuclear transformation and that has enabled new applications of transplastomic technology in basic and applied research. This review describes the state of the art in engineering the plastid genomes of algae and land plants (Embryophyta). It provides an overview of the existing tools for plastid genome engineering, discusses current technological limitations, and highlights selected applications that demonstrate the immense potential of chloroplast transformation in several key areas of plant biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralph Bock
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany;
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46
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Rogalski M, do Nascimento Vieira L, Fraga HP, Guerra MP. Plastid genomics in horticultural species: importance and applications for plant population genetics, evolution, and biotechnology. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2015; 6:586. [PMID: 26284102 PMCID: PMC4520007 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2015.00586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2015] [Accepted: 07/15/2015] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
During the evolution of the eukaryotic cell, plastids, and mitochondria arose from an endosymbiotic process, which determined the presence of three genetic compartments into the incipient plant cell. After that, these three genetic materials from host and symbiont suffered several rearrangements, bringing on a complex interaction between nuclear and organellar gene products. Nowadays, plastids harbor a small genome with ∼130 genes in a 100-220 kb sequence in higher plants. Plastid genes are mostly highly conserved between plant species, being useful for phylogenetic analysis in higher taxa. However, intergenic spacers have a relatively higher mutation rate and are important markers to phylogeographical and plant population genetics analyses. The predominant uniparental inheritance of plastids is like a highly desirable feature for phylogeny studies. Moreover, the gene content and genome rearrangements are efficient tools to capture and understand evolutionary events between different plant species. Currently, genetic engineering of the plastid genome (plastome) offers a number of attractive advantages as high-level of foreign protein expression, marker gene excision, gene expression in operon and transgene containment because of maternal inheritance of plastid genome in most crops. Therefore, plastid genome can be used for adding new characteristics related to synthesis of metabolic compounds, biopharmaceutical, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Here, we describe the importance and applications of plastid genome as tools for genetic and evolutionary studies, and plastid transformation focusing on increasing the performance of horticultural species in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Rogalski
- Laboratório de Fisiologia Molecular de Plantas, Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de ViçosaViçosa, Brazil
| | - Leila do Nascimento Vieira
- Laboratório de Fisiologia do Desenvolvimento e Genética Vegetal, Programa de Pós-graduação em Recursos Genéticos Vegetais, Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de Santa CatarinaFlorianópolis, Brazil
| | - Hugo P. Fraga
- Laboratório de Fisiologia do Desenvolvimento e Genética Vegetal, Programa de Pós-graduação em Recursos Genéticos Vegetais, Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de Santa CatarinaFlorianópolis, Brazil
| | - Miguel P. Guerra
- Laboratório de Fisiologia do Desenvolvimento e Genética Vegetal, Programa de Pós-graduação em Recursos Genéticos Vegetais, Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de Santa CatarinaFlorianópolis, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Miguel P. Guerra, Laboratório de Fisiologia do Desenvolvimento e Genética Vegetal, Programa de Pós-graduação em Recursos Genéticos Vegetais, Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Rod. Admar Gonzaga, 1346 Florianópolis, SC 88034-000, Brazil,
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47
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Kolotilin I, Topp E, Cox E, Devriendt B, Conrad U, Joensuu J, Stöger E, Warzecha H, McAllister T, Potter A, McLean MD, Hall JC, Menassa R. Plant-based solutions for veterinary immunotherapeutics and prophylactics. Vet Res 2014; 45:117. [PMID: 25559098 PMCID: PMC4280687 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-014-0117-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2014] [Accepted: 10/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
An alarming increase in emergence of antibiotic resistance among pathogens worldwide has become a serious threat to our ability to treat infectious diseases according to the World Health Organization. Extensive use of antibiotics by livestock producers promotes the spread of new resistant strains, some of zoonotic concern, which increases food-borne illness in humans and causes significant economic burden on healthcare systems. Furthermore, consumer preferences for meat/poultry/fish produced without the use of antibiotics shape today's market demand. So, it is viewed as inevitable by the One Health Initiative that humans need to reduce the use of antibiotics and turn to alternative, improved means to control disease: vaccination and prophylactics. Besides the intense research focused on novel therapeutic molecules, both these strategies rely heavily on the availability of cost-effective, efficient and scalable production platforms which will allow large-volume manufacturing for vaccines, antibodies and other biopharmaceuticals. Within this context, plant-based platforms for production of recombinant therapeutic proteins offer significant advantages over conventional expression systems, including lack of animal pathogens, low production costs, fast turnaround and response times and rapid, nearly-unlimited scalability. Also, because dried leaves and seeds can be stored at room temperature for lengthy periods without loss of recombinant proteins, plant expression systems have the potential to offer lucrative benefits from the development of edible vaccines and prophylactics, as these would not require "cold chain" storage and transportation, and could be administered in mass volumes with minimal processing. Several biotechnology companies currently have developed and adopted plant-based platforms for commercial production of recombinant protein therapeutics. In this manuscript, we outline the challenges in the process of livestock immunization as well as the current plant biotechnology developments aimed to address these challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Kolotilin
- />Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, ON Canada
| | - Ed Topp
- />AAFC, Southern Crop Protection and Food Research Centre, 1391 Sandford St, London, ON Canada
| | - Eric Cox
- />Laboratory of Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Bert Devriendt
- />Laboratory of Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Udo Conrad
- />Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Gatersleben, Germany
| | - Jussi Joensuu
- />VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo, Finland
| | - Eva Stöger
- />Department for Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Heribert Warzecha
- />Technische Universität Darmstadt, FB Biologie, Schnittspahnstr. 5, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Tim McAllister
- />AAFC, Lethbridge Research Centre, 5403, 1 Avenue South, Lethbridge, Alberta Canada
| | - Andrew Potter
- />Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), University of Saskatchewan, 120 Veterinary Road, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada
- />Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, 120 Veterinary Road, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada
| | - Michael D McLean
- />PlantForm Corp., c/o Room 2218, E.C. Bovey Bldg, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2 W1 Canada
| | - J Christopher Hall
- />School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2 W1 Canada
| | - Rima Menassa
- />Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St, London, ON Canada
- />AAFC, Southern Crop Protection and Food Research Centre, 1391 Sandford St, London, ON Canada
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Scharff LB, Bock R. Synthetic biology in plastids. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2014; 78:783-98. [PMID: 24147738 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.12356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2013] [Revised: 10/08/2013] [Accepted: 10/16/2013] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Plastids (chloroplasts) harbor a small gene-dense genome that is amenable to genetic manipulation by transformation. During 1 billion years of evolution from the cyanobacterial endosymbiont to present-day chloroplasts, the plastid genome has undergone a dramatic size reduction, mainly as a result of gene losses and the large-scale transfer of genes to the nuclear genome. Thus the plastid genome can be regarded as a naturally evolved miniature genome, the gradual size reduction and compaction of which has provided a blueprint for the design of minimum genomes. Furthermore, because of the largely prokaryotic genome structure and gene expression machinery, the high transgene expression levels attainable in transgenic chloroplasts and the very low production costs in plant systems, the chloroplast lends itself to synthetic biology applications that are directed towards the efficient synthesis of green chemicals, biopharmaceuticals and other metabolites of commercial interest. This review describes recent progress with the engineering of plastid genomes with large constructs of foreign or synthetic DNA, and highlights the potential of the chloroplast as a model system in bottom-up and top-down synthetic biology approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars B Scharff
- Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, D-14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
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Abstract
Expression of transgenes from the plastid genome offers a number of attractions to biotechnologists, with the potential to attain very high protein accumulation levels arguably being the most attractive one. High-level transgene expression is of particular importance in resistance engineering (e.g., via expression of insecticidal proteins) and molecular farming. Over the past years, the production of many commercially valuable proteins in chloroplast-transgenic (transplastomic) plants has been attempted, including pharmaceutical proteins (such as subunit vaccines and protein antibiotics) and industrial enzymes. Although, in some cases, spectacularly high foreign protein accumulation levels have been obtained, expression levels were disappointingly poor in other cases. In this review, I summarize our current knowledge about the factors influencing the efficiency of plastid transgene expression and highlight possible optimization strategies to alleviate problems with poor expression levels.
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50
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Abstract
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most important vegetable crops and has long been an important model species in plant biology. Plastid biology in tomato is especially interesting due to the chloroplast-to-chromoplast conversion occurring during fruit ripening. Moreover, as tomato represents a major food crop with an edible fruit that can be eaten raw, the development of a plastid transformation protocol for tomato was of particular interest to plant biotechnology. Recent methodological improvements have made tomato plastid transformation more efficient and facilitated applications in metabolic engineering and molecular farming. This article describes the basic methods involved in the generation and analysis of tomato plants with transgenic chloroplast genomes and summarizes current applications of tomato plastid transformation.
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