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Kong Z, Xiong X, Wu C, Pan W. [High-level expression of anti FLAG tag antibody in plants]. Sheng Wu Gong Cheng Xue Bao 2024; 40:269-279. [PMID: 38258646 DOI: 10.13345/j.cjb.230186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Plant bioreactor is a new production platform for expression of recombinant protein, which is one of the cores of molecular farming. In this study, the anti DYKDDDDK (FLAG) antibody was recombinantly expressed in tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) and purified. FLAG antibody with high affinity was obtained after immunizing mice for several times and its sequence was determined. Based on this, virus vectors expressing heavy chain (HC) and light chain (LC) inoculated into Nicotiana benthamiana leaves by using Agrobacterium-mediated delivery. Accumulation of the HC and LC was analyzed by SDS/PAGE followed by Western blotting probed with specific antibodies from 2 to 9 days postinfiltration (dpi). Accumulation of the FLAG antibody displayed at 3 dpi, and reached a maximum at 5 dpi. It was estimated that 66 mg of antibody per kilogram of fresh leaves could be obtained. After separation and purification, the antibody was concentrated to 1 mg/mL. The 1:10 000 diluted antibody can probe with 1 ng/mL FLAG fused antigen well, indicating the high affinity of the FLAG antibody produced in plants. In conclusion, the plant bioreactor is able to produce high affinity FLAG antibodies, with the characteristics of simplicity, low cost and highly added value, which contains enormous potential for the rapid and abundant biosynthesis of antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhicheng Kong
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, Hunan, China
- Hunan Engineering Research Center for Cell Mechanics and Functional Analysis, Changsha 410128, Hunan, China
| | - Xiaoran Xiong
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, Hunan, China
- Hunan Engineering Research Center for Cell Mechanics and Functional Analysis, Changsha 410128, Hunan, China
| | - Chuan Wu
- Hunan Novomore Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Changsha 410000, Hunan, China
| | - Weisong Pan
- College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, Hunan, China
- Hunan Engineering Research Center for Cell Mechanics and Functional Analysis, Changsha 410128, Hunan, China
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2
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Alcalde MA, Hidalgo-Martinez D, Bru Martínez R, Sellés-Marchart S, Bonfill M, Palazon J. Insights into enhancing Centella asiatica organ cell biofactories via hairy root protein profiling. Front Plant Sci 2023; 14:1274767. [PMID: 37965024 PMCID: PMC10642384 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1274767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
Recent advancements in plant biotechnology have highlighted the potential of hairy roots as a biotechnological platform, primarily due to their rapid growth and ability to produce specialized metabolites. This study aimed to delve deeper into hairy root development in C. asiatica and explore the optimization of genetic transformation for enhanced bioactive compound production. Previously established hairy root lines of C. asiatica were categorized based on their centelloside production capacity into HIGH, MID, or LOW groups. These lines were then subjected to a meticulous label-free proteomic analysis to identify and quantify proteins. Subsequent multivariate and protein network analyses were conducted to discern proteome differences and commonalities. Additionally, the quantification of rol gene copy numbers was undertaken using qPCR, followed by gene expression measurements. From the proteomic analysis, 213 proteins were identified. Distinct proteome differences, especially between the LOW line and other lines, were observed. Key proteins related to essential processes like photosynthesis and specialized metabolism were identified. Notably, potential biomarkers, such as the Tr-type G domain-containing protein and alcohol dehydrogenase, were found in the HIGH group. The presence of ornithine cyclodeaminase in the hairy roots emerged as a significant biomarker linked with centelloside production capacity lines, indicating successful Rhizobium-mediated genetic transformation. However, qPCR results showed an inconsistency with rol gene expression levels, with the HIGH line displaying notably higher expression, particularly of the rolD gene. The study unveiled the importance of ornithine cyclodeaminase as a traceable biomarker for centelloside production capacity. The strong correlation between this biomarker and the rolD gene emphasizes its potential role in optimizing genetic transformation processes in C. asiatica.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Angel Alcalde
- Biotechnology, Health and Education Research Group, Posgraduate School, Cesar Vallejo University, Trujillo, Peru
- Department of Biology, Healthcare and the Environment, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Diego Hidalgo-Martinez
- Department of Biology, Healthcare and the Environment, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roque Bru Martínez
- Plant Proteomics and Functional Genomics Group, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Susana Sellés-Marchart
- Plant Proteomics and Functional Genomics Group, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Mercedes Bonfill
- Department of Biology, Healthcare and the Environment, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier Palazon
- Department of Biology, Healthcare and the Environment, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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3
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Kaldis A, Uddin MS, Guluarte JO, Martin C, Alexander TW, Menassa R. Development of a plant-based oral vaccine candidate against the bovine respiratory pathogen Mannheimia haemolytica. Front Plant Sci 2023; 14:1251046. [PMID: 37790785 PMCID: PMC10542578 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1251046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) affects feedlot cattle across North America, resulting in economic losses due to animal treatment and reduced performance. In an effort to develop a vaccine candidate targeting a primary bacterial agent contributing to BRD, we produced a tripartite antigen consisting of segments of the virulence factor Leukotoxin A (LktA) and lipoprotein PlpE from Mannheimia haemolytica, fused to a cholera toxin mucosal adjuvant (CTB). This recombinant subunit vaccine candidate was expressed in the leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana plants, with accumulation tested in five subcellular compartments. The recombinant protein was found to accumulate highest in the endoplasmic reticulum, but targeting to the chloroplast was employed for scaling up production due the absence of post-translational modification while still producing feasible levels. Leaves were freeze dried, then orally administered to mice to determine its immunogenicity. Sera from mice immunized with leaf tissue expressing the recombinant antigen contained IgG antibodies, specifically recognizing both LktA and PlpE. These mice also had a mucosal immune response to the CTB+LktA+PlpE protein as measured by the presence of LktA- and PlpE-specific IgA antibodies in lung and fecal material. Moreover, the antigen remained stable at room temperature with limited deterioration for up to one year when stored as lyophilized plant material. This study demonstrated that a recombinant antigen expressed in plant tissue elicited both humoral and mucosal immune responses when fed to mice, and warrants evaluation in cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo Kaldis
- London Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, ON, Canada
| | - Muhammed Salah Uddin
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jose Ortiz Guluarte
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Coby Martin
- London Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
| | - Trevor W. Alexander
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Rima Menassa
- London Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Biology, Western University, London, ON, Canada
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4
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Wang Y, Demirer GS. Synthetic biology for plant genetic engineering and molecular farming. Trends Biotechnol 2023; 41:1182-1198. [PMID: 37012119 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Many efforts have been put into engineering plants to improve crop yields and stress tolerance and boost the bioproduction of valuable molecules. Yet, our capabilities are still limited due to the lack of well-characterized genetic building blocks and resources for precise manipulation and given the inherently challenging properties of plant tissues. Advancements in plant synthetic biology can overcome these bottlenecks and release the full potential of engineered plants. In this review, we first discuss the recently developed plant synthetic elements from single parts to advanced circuits, software, and hardware tools expediting the engineering cycle. Next, we survey the advancements in plant biotechnology enabled by these recent resources. We conclude the review with outstanding challenges and future directions of plant synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunqing Wang
- Department of Bioengineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Gozde S Demirer
- Department of Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
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5
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Herman X, Far J, Peeters M, Quinton L, Chaumont F, Navarre C. In vivo deglycosylation of recombinant glycoproteins in tobacco BY-2 cells. Plant Biotechnol J 2023; 21:1773-1784. [PMID: 37266972 PMCID: PMC10440984 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.14074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Production of recombinant pharmaceutical glycoproteins has been carried out in multiple expression systems. However, N-glycosylation, which increases heterogeneity and raises safety concerns due to the presence of non-human residues, is usually not controlled. The presence and composition of N-glycans are also susceptible to affect protein stability, function and immunogenicity. To tackle these issues, we are developing glycoengineered Nicotiana tabacum Bright Yellow-2 (BY-2) cell lines through knock out and ectopic expression of genes involved in the N-glycosylation pathway. Here, we report on the generation of BY-2 cell lines producing deglycosylated proteins. To this end, endoglycosidase T was co-expressed with an immunoglobulin G or glycoprotein B of human cytomegalovirus in BY-2 cell lines producing only high mannose N-glycans. Endoglycosidase T cleaves high mannose N-glycans to generate single, asparagine-linked, N-acetylglucosamine residues. The N-glycosylation profile of the secreted antibody was determined by mass spectrometry analysis. More than 90% of the N-glycans at the conserved Asn297 site were deglycosylated. Likewise, extensive deglycosylation of glycoprotein B, which possesses 18 N-glycosylation sites, was observed. N-glycan composition of gB glycovariants was assessed by in vitro enzymatic mobility shift assay and proven to be consistent with the expected glycoforms. Comparison of IgG glycovariants by differential scanning fluorimetry revealed a significant impact of the N-glycosylation pattern on the thermal stability. Production of deglycosylated pharmaceutical proteins in BY-2 cells expands the set of glycoengineered BY-2 cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Herman
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and TechnologyUCLouvainLouvain‐la‐NeuveBelgium
| | - Johann Far
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory‐MolSys Research UnitULiegeLiègeBelgium
| | - Marie Peeters
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and TechnologyUCLouvainLouvain‐la‐NeuveBelgium
| | - Loïc Quinton
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory‐MolSys Research UnitULiegeLiègeBelgium
| | - François Chaumont
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and TechnologyUCLouvainLouvain‐la‐NeuveBelgium
| | - Catherine Navarre
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and TechnologyUCLouvainLouvain‐la‐NeuveBelgium
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6
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Stark MC, Joubert AM, Visagie MH. Molecular Farming of Pembrolizumab and Nivolumab. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10045. [PMID: 37373192 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241210045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are a class of immunotherapy agents capable of alleviating the immunosuppressive effects exerted by tumorigenic cells. The programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) immune checkpoint is one of the most ubiquitous checkpoints utilized by tumorigenic cells for immune evasion by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting the proliferation and cytokine production of T lymphocytes. Currently, the most frequently used ICIs targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint include monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) pembrolizumab and nivolumab that bind to PD-1 on T lymphocytes and inhibit interaction with PD-L1 on tumorigenic cells. However, pembrolizumab and nivolumab are costly, and thus their accessibility is limited in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Therefore, it is essential to develop novel biomanufacturing platforms capable of reducing the cost of these two therapies. Molecular farming is one such platform utilizing plants for mAb production, and it has been demonstrated to be a rapid, low-cost, and scalable platform that can be potentially implemented in LMICs to diminish the exorbitant prices, ultimately leading to a significant reduction in cancer-related mortalities within these countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Stark
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X323, Pretoria 0031, South Africa
| | - Anna M Joubert
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X323, Pretoria 0031, South Africa
| | - Michelle H Visagie
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X323, Pretoria 0031, South Africa
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7
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Ponz F, Avesani L. Editorial: Plant science's contribution to fighting viral pandemics: COVID-19 as a case study, volume II. Front Plant Sci 2023; 14:1167529. [PMID: 37123854 PMCID: PMC10140621 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1167529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Ponz
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP, UPM-INIA/CSIC), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria/Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, Spain
| | - Linda Avesani
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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8
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Su H, van Eerde A, Rimstad E, Bock R, Branza-Nichita N, Yakovlev IA, Clarke JL. Plant-made vaccines against viral diseases in humans and farm animals. Front Plant Sci 2023; 14:1170815. [PMID: 37056490 PMCID: PMC10086147 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1170815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Plants provide not only food and feed, but also herbal medicines and various raw materials for industry. Moreover, plants can be green factories producing high value bioproducts such as biopharmaceuticals and vaccines. Advantages of plant-based production platforms include easy scale-up, cost effectiveness, and high safety as plants are not hosts for human and animal pathogens. Plant cells perform many post-translational modifications that are present in humans and animals and can be essential for biological activity of produced recombinant proteins. Stimulated by progress in plant transformation technologies, substantial efforts have been made in both the public and the private sectors to develop plant-based vaccine production platforms. Recent promising examples include plant-made vaccines against COVID-19 and Ebola. The COVIFENZ® COVID-19 vaccine produced in Nicotiana benthamiana has been approved in Canada, and several plant-made influenza vaccines have undergone clinical trials. In this review, we discuss the status of vaccine production in plants and the state of the art in downstream processing according to good manufacturing practice (GMP). We discuss different production approaches, including stable transgenic plants and transient expression technologies, and review selected applications in the area of human and veterinary vaccines. We also highlight specific challenges associated with viral vaccine production for different target organisms, including lower vertebrates (e.g., farmed fish), and discuss future perspectives for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hang Su
- Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway
| | - André van Eerde
- Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway
| | - Espen Rimstad
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ralph Bock
- Department III, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Norica Branza-Nichita
- Department of Viral Glycoproteins, Institute of Biochemistry of the Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Igor A. Yakovlev
- Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway
| | - Jihong Liu Clarke
- Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, NIBIO - Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway
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9
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de Andrade IA, Franca LV, Kauffmann CM, Maeda MHK, Koyama LHH, Hamann PRV, Lopes-Luz L, Fogaça MBT, de Camargo BR, Ribeiro BM, Bührer-Sékula S, Nagata T. Practical use of tobravirus-based vector to produce SARS-CoV-2 antigens in plants. J Virol Methods 2023; 315:114710. [PMID: 36914098 PMCID: PMC10008036 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2023.114710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
Abstract
A plant-based heterologous expression system is an attractive option for recombinant protein production because it is based on a eukaryotic system of high feasibility, and low biological risks. Frequently, binary vector systems are used for transient gene-expression in plants. However, plant virus vector-based systems offer advantages for higher protein yields due to their self-replicating machinery. In the present study, we show an efficient protocol using a plant virus vector based on a tobravirus, pepper ringspot virus, that was employed for transient expression of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 partial gene fragments of the spike (named S1-N) and the nucleocapsid (named N) proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Purified proteins yield of 40~60µg/g of fresh leaves were obtained. Both proteins, S1-N and N, showed high and specific reactivities against convalescent patients' sera by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay format. The advantages and critical points in using this plant virus vector are discussed. DATA AVAILABILITY: All data generated and analyzed during this study are included in this published article and supporting materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ikaro Alves de Andrade
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil; Pós-graduação em Biologia Microbiana, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Luísa Valério Franca
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Caterynne Melo Kauffmann
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil; Pós-graduação em Fitopatologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Matheus Hideki Kihara Maeda
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Lucas Hideo Hataka Koyama
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Pedro Ricardo Vieira Hamann
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Lopes-Luz
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento e Produção de Testes Rápidos, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, 74690-900, Brazil
| | - Matheus Bernardes Torres Fogaça
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento e Produção de Testes Rápidos, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, 74690-900, Brazil
| | - Brenda Rabello de Camargo
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Bergmann Morais Ribeiro
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil
| | - Samira Bührer-Sékula
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento e Produção de Testes Rápidos, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, 74690-900, Brazil
| | - Tatsuya Nagata
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil; Pós-graduação em Biologia Microbiana, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil; Pós-graduação em Fitopatologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil.
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10
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England C, TrejoMartinez J, PerezSanchez P, Karki U, Xu J. Plants as Biofactories for Therapeutic Proteins and Antiviral Compounds to Combat COVID-19. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:617. [PMID: 36983772 PMCID: PMC10054913 DOI: 10.3390/life13030617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) had a profound impact on the world's health and economy. Although the end of the pandemic may come in 2023, it is generally believed that the virus will not be completely eradicated. Most likely, the disease will become an endemicity. The rapid development of vaccines of different types (mRNA, subunit protein, inactivated virus, etc.) and some other antiviral drugs (Remdesivir, Olumiant, Paxlovid, etc.) has provided effectiveness in reducing COVID-19's impact worldwide. However, the circulating SARS-CoV-2 virus has been constantly mutating with the emergence of multiple variants, which makes control of COVID-19 difficult. There is still a pressing need for developing more effective antiviral drugs to fight against the disease. Plants have provided a promising production platform for both bioactive chemical compounds (small molecules) and recombinant therapeutics (big molecules). Plants naturally produce a diverse range of bioactive compounds as secondary metabolites, such as alkaloids, terpenoids/terpenes and polyphenols, which are a rich source of countless antiviral compounds. Plants can also be genetically engineered to produce valuable recombinant therapeutics. This molecular farming in plants has an unprecedented opportunity for developing vaccines, antibodies, and other biologics for pandemic diseases because of its potential advantages, such as low cost, safety, and high production volume. This review summarizes the latest advancements in plant-derived drugs used to combat COVID-19 and discusses the prospects and challenges of the plant-based production platform for antiviral agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corbin England
- Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
- Molecular Biosciences Program, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
| | | | - Paula PerezSanchez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
| | - Uddhab Karki
- Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
- Molecular Biosciences Program, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
| | - Jianfeng Xu
- Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
- College of Agriculture, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
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11
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Bravo-Vázquez LA, Mora-Hernández EO, Rodríguez AL, Sahare P, Bandyopadhyay A, Duttaroy AK, Paul S. Current Advances of Plant-Based Vaccines for Neurodegenerative Diseases. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15020711. [PMID: 36840033 PMCID: PMC9963606 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15020711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are characterized by the progressive degeneration and/or loss of neurons belonging to the central nervous system, and represent one of the major global health issues. Therefore, a number of immunotherapeutic approaches targeting the non-functional or toxic proteins that induce neurodegeneration in NDDs have been designed in the last decades. In this context, due to unprecedented advances in genetic engineering techniques and molecular farming technology, pioneering plant-based immunogenic antigen expression systems have been developed aiming to offer reliable alternatives to deal with important NDDs, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis. Diverse reports have evidenced that plant-made vaccines trigger significant immune responses in model animals, supported by the production of antibodies against the aberrant proteins expressed in the aforementioned NDDs. Moreover, these immunogenic tools have various advantages that make them a viable alternative for preventing and treating NDDs, such as high scalability, no risk of contamination with human pathogens, cold chain free production, and lower production costs. Hence, this article presents an overview of the current progress on plant-manufactured vaccines for NDDs and discusses its future prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Alberto Bravo-Vázquez
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Campus Querétaro, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Av. Epigmenio González, No. 500 Fracc. San Pablo, Querétaro 76130, Mexico
| | - Erick Octavio Mora-Hernández
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Campus Mexico City, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Calle del Puente, No. 222 Col. Ejidos de Huipulco, Tlalpan, Mexico City 14380, Mexico
| | - Alma L. Rodríguez
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Campus Querétaro, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Av. Epigmenio González, No. 500 Fracc. San Pablo, Querétaro 76130, Mexico
| | - Padmavati Sahare
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Campus UNAM 3001, Juriquilla, Querétaro 76230, Mexico
| | - Anindya Bandyopadhyay
- International Rice Research Institute, Manila 4031, Philippines
- Reliance Industries Ltd., Navi Mumbai 400701, India
| | - Asim K. Duttaroy
- Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1046 Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway
| | - Sujay Paul
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Campus Querétaro, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Av. Epigmenio González, No. 500 Fracc. San Pablo, Querétaro 76130, Mexico
- Correspondence:
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12
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Song S, Kim H, Jang EY, Jeon H, Diao H, Khan MRI, Lee M, Lee YJ, Nam J, Kim S, Kim Y, Sohn E, Hwang I, Choi J. SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer vaccine expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana adjuvanted with Alum elicits protective immune responses in mice. Plant Biotechnol J 2022; 20:2298-2312. [PMID: 36062974 PMCID: PMC9538723 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spurred rapid development of vaccines as part of the public health response. However, the general strategy used to construct recombinant trimeric severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S) proteins in mammalian cells is not completely adaptive to molecular farming. Therefore, we generated several constructs of recombinant S proteins for high expression in Nicotiana benthamiana. Intramuscular injection of N. benthamiana-expressed Sct vaccine (NSct Vac) into Balb/c mice elicited both humoral and cellular immune responses, and booster doses increased neutralizing antibody titres. In human angiotensin-converting enzyme knock-in mice, two doses of NSct Vac induced anti-S and neutralizing antibodies, which cross-neutralized Alpha, Beta, Delta and Omicron variants. Survival rates after lethal challenge with SARS-CoV-2 were up to 80%, without significant body weight loss, and viral titres in lung tissue fell rapidly, with no infectious virus detectable at 7-day post-infection. Thus, plant-derived NSct Vac could be a candidate COVID-19 vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi‐Jian Song
- Department of Life SciencePohang University of Science and TechnologyPohangKorea
| | - Heeyeon Kim
- Division of Acute Viral Disease, Center for Emerging Virus ResearchNational Institute of Infectious Diseases, Korea National Institute of HealthCheongjuKorea
| | - Eun Young Jang
- Division of Vaccine Research, Vaccine Research CenterNational Institute of Infectious Diseases, Korea National Institute of HealthCheongjuKorea
| | - Hyungmin Jeon
- Department of Life SciencePohang University of Science and TechnologyPohangKorea
| | - Hai‐Ping Diao
- Department of Life SciencePohang University of Science and TechnologyPohangKorea
| | - Md Rezaul Islam Khan
- Department of Life SciencePohang University of Science and TechnologyPohangKorea
| | - Mi‐Seon Lee
- Division of Infectious Diseases InspectionJeju Special Self‐Governing Province Institute of Environment ResearchJejuKorea
| | - Young Jae Lee
- Division of Vaccine Research, Vaccine Research CenterNational Institute of Infectious Diseases, Korea National Institute of HealthCheongjuKorea
| | - Jeong‐hyun Nam
- Division of Vaccine Research, Vaccine Research CenterNational Institute of Infectious Diseases, Korea National Institute of HealthCheongjuKorea
| | - Seong‐Ryeol Kim
- Division of Acute Viral Disease, Center for Emerging Virus ResearchNational Institute of Infectious Diseases, Korea National Institute of HealthCheongjuKorea
| | - Young‐Jin Kim
- Department of Life SciencePohang University of Science and TechnologyPohangKorea
| | - Eun‐Ju Sohn
- BioApplications Inc.Pohang Technopark ComplexPohangSouth Korea
| | - Inhwan Hwang
- Department of Life SciencePohang University of Science and TechnologyPohangKorea
| | - Jang‐Hoon Choi
- Division of Acute Viral Disease, Center for Emerging Virus ResearchNational Institute of Infectious Diseases, Korea National Institute of HealthCheongjuKorea
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13
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Kulshreshtha A, Sharma S, Padilla CS, Mandadi KK. Plant-based expression platforms to produce high-value metabolites and proteins. Front Plant Sci 2022; 13:1043478. [PMID: 36426139 PMCID: PMC9679013 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1043478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Plant-based heterologous expression systems can be leveraged to produce high-value therapeutics, industrially important proteins, metabolites, and bioproducts. The production can be scaled up, free from pathogen contamination, and offer post-translational modifications to synthesize complex proteins. With advancements in molecular techniques, transgenics, CRISPR/Cas9 system, plant cell, tissue, and organ culture, significant progress has been made to increase the expression of recombinant proteins and important metabolites in plants. Methods are also available to stabilize RNA transcripts, optimize protein translation, engineer proteins for their stability, and target proteins to subcellular locations best suited for their accumulation. This mini-review focuses on recent advancements to enhance the production of high-value metabolites and proteins necessary for therapeutic applications using plants as bio-factories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya Kulshreshtha
- Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Weslaco, TX, United States
| | - Shweta Sharma
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Dr. GCN College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, CSK Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur, India
| | - Carmen S. Padilla
- Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Weslaco, TX, United States
| | - Kranthi K. Mandadi
- Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Weslaco, TX, United States
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
- Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture, Texas A&M AgriLife, College Station, TX, United States
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14
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Kim DB, Lee SM, Geem KR, Kim J, Kim EH, Lee DW. In planta Production and Validation of Neuraminidase Derived from Genotype 4 Reassortant Eurasian Avian-like H1N1 Virus as a Vaccine Candidate. Plants (Basel) 2022; 11:2984. [PMID: 36365437 PMCID: PMC9655071 DOI: 10.3390/plants11212984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Influenza viruses are a major public health threat that causes repetitive outbreaks. In recent years, genotype 4 (G4) reassortant Eurasian avian-like (EA) H1N1 (G4 EA H1N1) has garnered attention as a potential novel pandemic strain. The necessity of developing vaccines against G4 EA H1N1 is growing because of the increasing cases of human infection and the low cross-reactivity of the strain with current immunity. In this study, we produced a G4 EA H1N1-derived neuraminidase (G4NA) as a vaccine candidate in Nicotiana benthamiana. The expressed G4NA was designed to be accumulated in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The M-domain of the human receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase C was incorporated into the expression cassette to enhance the translation of G4NA. In addition, the family 3 cellulose-binding module and Brachypodium distachyon small ubiquitin-like modifier sequences were used to enable the cost-effective purification and removal of unnecessary domains after purification, respectively. The G4NA produced in plants displayed high solubility and assembled as a tetramer, which is required for the efficacy of an NA-based vaccine. In a mouse immunization model, the G4NA produced in plants could induce significant humoral immune responses. The plant-produced G4NA also stimulated antigen-specific CD4 T cell activation. These G4NA vaccine-induced immune responses were intensified by the administration of the antigen with a vaccine adjuvant. These results suggest that G4NA produced in plants has great potential as a vaccine candidate against G4 EA H1N1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da Been Kim
- Department of Integrative Food, Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
| | - Sun Min Lee
- Viral Immunology Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Korea, Seongnam 13488, Korea
| | - Kyoung Rok Geem
- Department of Bioenergy Science and Technology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
| | - Jitae Kim
- Bio-Energy Research Center, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
| | - Eui Ho Kim
- Viral Immunology Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Korea, Seongnam 13488, Korea
| | - Dong Wook Lee
- Department of Integrative Food, Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
- Department of Bioenergy Science and Technology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
- Bio-Energy Research Center, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
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15
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Rebelo BA, Folgado A, Ferreira AC, Abranches R. Production of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and its Receptor Binding Domain in plant cell suspension cultures. Front Plant Sci 2022; 13:995429. [PMID: 36340353 PMCID: PMC9634662 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.995429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the worldwide spread of SARS-CoV-2, has prompted the scientific community to rapidly develop efficient and specific diagnostics and therapeutics. A number of avenues have been explored, including the manufacture of COVID-related proteins to be used as reagents for diagnostics or treatment. The production of RBD and Spike proteins was previously achieved in eukaryotic cells, mainly mammalian cell cultures, while the production in microbial systems has been unsuccessful until now. Here we report the effective production of SARS-CoV-2 proteins in two plant model systems. We established transgenic tobacco BY-2 and Medicago truncatula A17 cell suspension cultures stably producing the full-length Spike and RBD recombinant proteins. For both proteins, various glycoforms were obtained, with higher yields in Medicago cultures than BY-2. This work highlights that RBD and Spike can be secreted into the culture medium, which will impact subsequent purification and downstream processing costs. Analysis of the culture media indicated the presence of the high molecular weight Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Although the production yields still need improvement to compete with mammalian systems, this is the first report showing that plant cell suspension cultures are able to produce the high molecular weight Spike protein. This finding strengthens the potential of plant cell cultures as production platforms for large complex proteins.
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16
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Bolaños-Martínez OC, Strasser R. Plant-made poliovirus vaccines - Safe alternatives for global vaccination. Front Plant Sci 2022; 13:1046346. [PMID: 36340406 PMCID: PMC9630729 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1046346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Human polioviruses are highly infectious viruses that are spread mainly through the fecal-oral route. Infection of the central nervous system frequently results in irreversible paralysis, a disease called poliomyelitis. Children under five years are mainly affected if they have not acquired immunity through natural infection or via vaccination. Current polio vaccines comprise the injectable inactivated polio vaccine (IPV, also called the Salk vaccine) and the live-attenuated oral polio vaccine (OPV, also called the Sabin vaccine). The main limitations of the IPV are the reduced protection at the intestinal mucosa, the site of virus replication, and the high costs for manufacturing due to use of live viruses. While the OPV is more effective and stimulates mucosal immunity, it is manufactured using live-attenuated strains that can revert into pathogenic viruses resulting in major safety concerns and vaccine-derived outbreaks. During the last fifteen years, plant-based poliovirus vaccines have been explored by several groups as a safe and low-cost alternative, and promising results in protection against challenges with viruses and induction of neutralizing antibodies have been obtained. However, low yields and a high frequency in dose administration highlight the need for improvements in polioviral antigen production. In this review, we provide insights into recent efforts to develop plant-made poliovirus candidates, with an emphasis on strategies to optimize the production of viral antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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17
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Frigerio R, Marusic C, Villani ME, Lico C, Capodicasa C, Andreano E, Paciello I, Rappuoli R, Salzano AM, Scaloni A, Baschieri S, Donini M. Production of two SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies with different potencies in Nicotiana benthamiana. Front Plant Sci 2022; 13:956741. [PMID: 36131799 PMCID: PMC9484322 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.956741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies are considered to be highly effective therapeutic tools for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 patients. In the present work, we describe the production of two SARS-CoV-2 human IgG1 monoclonal antibodies recognizing the spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) and endowed with neutralizing activity (nAbs) in plants. The first one, mAbJ08-MUT, was previously isolated from a COVID-19 convalescent patient and Fc-engineered to prolong the half-life and reduce the risk of antibody-dependent enhancement. This nAb produced in mammalian cells, delivered in a single intramuscular administration during a Phase I clinical study, was shown to (i) be safe and effectively protect against major variants of concern, and (ii) have some neutralizing activity against the recently emerged omicron variant in a cytopathic-effect-based microneutralization assay (100% inhibitory concentration, IC100 of 15 μg/mL). The second antibody, mAb675, previously isolated from a vaccinated individual, showed an intermediate neutralization activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Different accumulation levels of mAbJ08-MUT and mAb675 were observed after transient agroinfiltration in Nicotiana benthamiana plants knocked-out for xylosil and fucosil transferases, leading to yields of ~35 and 150 mg/kg of fresh leaf mass, respectively. After purification, as a result of the proteolytic events affecting the hinge-CH2 region, a higher degradation of mAb675 was observed, compared to mAbJ08-MUT (~18% vs. ~1%, respectively). Both nAbs showed a human-like glycosylation profile, and were able to specifically bind to RBD and compete with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 binding in vitro. SARS-CoV-2 neutralization assay against the original virus isolated in Wuhan demonstrated the high neutralization potency of the plant-produced mAbJ08-MUT, with levels (IC100 < 17 ng/mL) comparable to those of the cognate antibody produced in a Chinese hamster ovary cell line; conversely, mAb675 exhibited a medium neutralization potency (IC100 ~ 200 ng/mL). All these data confirm that plant expression platforms may represent a convenient and rapid production system of potent nAbs to be used both in therapy and diagnostics in pandemic emergencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachele Frigerio
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, ENEA Research Center Casaccia, Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Marusic
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, ENEA Research Center Casaccia, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Chiara Lico
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, ENEA Research Center Casaccia, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Emanuele Andreano
- Monoclonal Antibody Discovery (MAD) Lab, Fondazione Toscana Life Sciences, Siena, Italy
| | - Ida Paciello
- Monoclonal Antibody Discovery (MAD) Lab, Fondazione Toscana Life Sciences, Siena, Italy
| | - Rino Rappuoli
- Monoclonal Antibody Discovery (MAD) Lab, Fondazione Toscana Life Sciences, Siena, Italy
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Salzano
- Proteomics, Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, ISPAAM, National Research Council, Portici, Italy
| | - Andrea Scaloni
- Proteomics, Metabolomics and Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, ISPAAM, National Research Council, Portici, Italy
| | - Selene Baschieri
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, ENEA Research Center Casaccia, Rome, Italy
| | - Marcello Donini
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, ENEA Research Center Casaccia, Rome, Italy
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18
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Marín Viegas VS, Ocampo CG, Restucci FE, Vignolles F, Mazzini FN, Candreva ÁM, Petruccelli S. Synthesis of single-chain antibody fragment fused to the elastin-like polypeptide in Nicotiana benthamiana and its application in affinity precipitation of difficult to produce proteins. Biotechnol Bioeng 2022; 119:2505-2517. [PMID: 35689353 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Plants are economical and sustainable factories for the production of recombinant proteins. Currently, numerous proteins produced using different plant-based systems with applications as cosmetic and tissue culture ingredients, research and diagnostic reagents, and industrial enzymes are marketed worldwide. In this study, we aimed to demonstrate the usefulness of a plant-based system to synthesize a single-chain antibody (scFv)-elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) fusion to be applied as an affinity precipitation reagent of the difficult to produce recombinant proteins. We used the human tissue transglutaminase (TG2), the main celiac disease autoantigen, as a proof of concept. We cloned a TG2-specific scFv and fused it to a short hydrophobic ELP tag. The anti-TG2-scFv-ELP was produced in Nicotiana benthamiana and was efficiently recovered by an inverse transition cycling procedure improved by coaggregation with bacteria-made free ELP. Finally, the scFv-ELP was used to purify both plant-synthesized human TG2 and also Caco-2-TG2. In conclusion, this study showed for the first time the usefulness of a plant-based expression system to produce an antibody-ELP fusion designed for the purification of low-yield proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanesa S Marín Viegas
- CIDCA, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
| | - Carolina G Ocampo
- CIDCA, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
| | - Fernando E Restucci
- CIDCA, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
| | - Florencia Vignolles
- CIDCA, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
| | - Flavia N Mazzini
- CIDCA, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
| | - Ángela M Candreva
- CIDCA, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
| | - Silvana Petruccelli
- CIDCA, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
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19
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Monroy-Borrego AG, Steinmetz NF. Three methods for inoculation of viral vectors into plants. Front Plant Sci 2022; 13:963756. [PMID: 36110356 PMCID: PMC9468707 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.963756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Agriculture is facing new challenges, with global warming modifying the survival chances for crops, and new pests on the horizon. To keep up with these challenges, gene delivery provides tools to increase crop yields. On the other hand, gene delivery also opens the door for molecular farming of pharmaceuticals in plants. However, towards increased food production and scalable molecular farming, there remain technical difficulties and regulatory hurdles to overcome. The industry-standard is transformation of plants via Agrobacterium tumefaciens, but this method is limited to certain plants, requires set up of plant growth facilities and fermentation of bacteria, and introduces lipopolysaccharides contaminants into the system. Therefore, alternate methods are needed. Mechanical inoculation and spray methods have already been discussed in the literature - and here, we compare these methods with a newly introduced petiole injection technique. Because our interest lies in the development of plant viruses as immunotherapies targeting human health as well as gene delivery vectors for agriculture applications, we turned toward tobacco mosaic virus as a model system. We studied the effectiveness of three inoculation techniques: mechanical inoculation, Silwet-77 foliar spray and petiole injections. The foliar spray method was optimized, and we used 0.03% Silwet L-77 to induce infection using either TMV or a lysine-added mutant TMV-Lys. We developed a method using a needle-laden syringe to target and inject the plant virus directly into the vasculature of the plant - we tested injection into the stem and petiole. Stem inoculation resulted in toxicity, but the petiole injection technique was established as a viable strategy. TMV and TMV-Lys were purified from single plants and pooled leaf samples - overall there was little variation between the techniques, as measured by TMV or TMV-Lys yields, highlighting the feasibility of the syringe injection technique to produce virus nanoparticles. There was variation between yields from preparation to preparation with mechanical, spray and syringe inoculation yielding 40-141 mg, 36-56 mg, 18-56 mg TMV per 100 grams of leaves. Similar yields were obtained using TMV-Lys, with 24-38 mg, 17-28, 7-36 mg TMV-Lys per 100 grams of leaves for mechanical, spray and syringe inoculation, respectively. Each method has its advantages: spray inoculation is highly scalable and therefore may find application for farming, the syringe inoculation could provide a clean, aseptic, and controlled approach for molecular farming of pharmaceuticals under good manufacturing protocols (GMP) and would even be applicable for gene delivery to plants in space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea G. Monroy-Borrego
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Nicole F. Steinmetz
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
- Center for Nano-ImmunoEngineering, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
- Institute for Materials Discovery and Design, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
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20
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Uetz P, Melnik S, Grünwald-Gruber C, Strasser R, Stoger E. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of a prolyl-4-hydroxylase subfamily in Nicotiana benthamiana using DsRed2 for plant selection. Biotechnol J 2022; 17:e2100698. [PMID: 35427441 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202100698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The properties of host plants used for molecular farming can be modified by CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to improve the quality and yield of recombinant proteins. However, it is often necessary to target multiple genes simultaneously, particularly when using host plants with large and complex genomes. This is the case for Nicotiana benthamiana, an allotetraploid relative of tobacco frequently used for transient protein expression. A multiplex genome editing system incorporating the DsRed2 fluorescent marker for the identification and selection of transgenic plants was established. As proof of principle, NbP4H4 was targeted encoding a prolyl-4-hydroxylase involved in protein O-linked glycosylation. Using preselected gRNAs with efficiencies confirmed by transient expression, transgenic plant lines with knockout mutations in all four NbP4H4 genes were obtained. Leaf fluorescence was then used to screen for the absence of the SpCas9 transgene in T1 plants, and transgene-free lines with homozygous or biallelic mutations were identified. The analysis of plant-produced recombinant IgA1 as a reporter protein revealed changes in the number of peptides containing hydroxyproline residues and pentoses in the knockout plants. The selection of efficient gRNAs combined with the DsRed2 marker reduces the effort needed to generate N. benthamiana mutants and simplifies the screening processes to obtain transgene-free progeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Uetz
- Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stanislav Melnik
- Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Clemens Grünwald-Gruber
- Core Facility Mass Spectrometry, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard Strasser
- Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Stoger
- Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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21
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Abstract
Plant expression platforms are low-cost, scalable, safe, and environmentally friendly systems for the production of recombinant proteins and bioactive metabolites. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) endosperm is an ideal bioreactor for the production and storage of high-value active substances, including pharmaceutical proteins, oral vaccines, vitamins, and nutraceuticals such as flavonoids and carotenoids. Here, we explore the use of molecular farming from producing medicines to developing functional food crops (biofortification). We review recent progress in producing pharmaceutical proteins and bioactive substances in rice endosperm and compare this platform with other plant expression systems. We describe how rice endosperm could be modified to design metabolic pathways and express and store stable products and discuss the factors restricting the commercialization of transgenic rice products and future prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinlong Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510642, China.
| | - Jiantao Tan
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
| | - Yao-Guang Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510642, China
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22
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Ruocco V, Strasser R. Transient Expression of Glycosylated SARS-CoV-2 Antigens in Nicotiana benthamiana. Plants (Basel) 2022; 11:1093. [PMID: 35448821 PMCID: PMC9033091 DOI: 10.3390/plants11081093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The current COVID-19 pandemic very dramatically shows that the world lacks preparedness for novel viral diseases. In addition to newly emerging viruses, many known pathogenic viruses such as influenza are constantly evolving, leading to frequent outbreaks with severe diseases and deaths. Hence, infectious viruses are a recurrent burden to our daily life, and powerful strategies to stop the spread of human pathogens and disease progression are of utmost importance. Transient plant-based protein expression is a technology that allows fast and highly flexible manufacturing of recombinant viral proteins and, thus, can contribute to infectious disease detection and prevention. This review highlights recent progress in the transient production of viral glycoproteins in N. benthamiana with a focus on SARS-CoV-2-derived viral antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, A-1190 Vienna, Austria;
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23
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Mandal MK, Kronenberger T, Zulka MI, Windshügel B, Schiermeyer A. Structure-based discovery of small molecules improving stability of human broadly-neutralizing anti-HIV antibody 2F5 in plant suspension cells. Biotechnol J 2022; 17:e2100266. [PMID: 35075794 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202100266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The production of biopharmaceuticals in engineered plant-based systems is a promising technology that has proven its suitability for the production of various recombinant glyco-proteins that are currently undergoing clinical trials. However, compared to mammalian cell lines, the productivity of plant-based systems still requires further improvement. A major obstacle is the proteolytic degradation of recombinant target proteins by endogenous plant proteases mainly from the subtilisin family of serine proteases. In the present study, the authors screened for putative small molecule inhibitors for subtilases that are secreted from tobacco BY-2 suspension cells using an in silico approach. The effectiveness of the substances identified in this screen was subsequently tested in degradation assays using the human broadly-neutralizing anti-HIV monoclonal antibody 2F5 (mAb2F5) and spent BY-2 culture medium as a model system. Among 16 putative inhibitors identified by in silico studies, three naphthalene sulfonic acid derivatives showed inhibitory activity in in vitro degradation assays and are similar to or even more effective than phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), a classical inhibitor of serine proteases, which served as positive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manoj K Mandal
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biotechnology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen, Germany
| | - Thales Kronenberger
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Discovery Research ScreeningPort, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marie I Zulka
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biotechnology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen, Germany
| | - Björn Windshügel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, Discovery Research ScreeningPort, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Andreas Schiermeyer
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biotechnology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen, Germany
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24
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Gerszberg A, Hnatuszko-Konka K. Compendium on Food Crop Plants as a Platform for Pharmaceutical Protein Production. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:3236. [PMID: 35328657 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Tremendous advances in crop biotechnology related to the availability of molecular tools and methods developed for transformation and regeneration of specific plant species have been observed. As a consequence, the interest in plant molecular farming aimed at producing the desired therapeutic proteins has significantly increased. Since the middle of the 1980s, recombinant pharmaceuticals have transformed the treatment of many serious diseases and nowadays are used in all branches of medicine. The available systems of the synthesis include wild-type or modified mammalian cells, plants or plant cell cultures, insects, yeast, fungi, or bacteria. Undeniable benefits such as well-characterised breeding conditions, safety, and relatively low costs of production make plants an attractive yet competitive platform for biopharmaceutical production. Some of the vegetable plants that have edible tubers, fruits, leaves, or seeds may be desirable as inexpensive bioreactors because these organs can provide edible vaccines and thus omit the purification step of the final product. Some crucial facts in the development of plant-made pharmaceuticals are presented here in brief. Although crop systems do not require more strictly dedicated optimization of methodologies at any stages of the of biopharmaceutical production process, here we recall the complete framework of such a project, along with theoretical background. Thus, a brief review of the advantages and disadvantages of different systems, the principles for the selection of cis elements for the expression cassettes, and available methods of plant transformation, through to the protein recovery and purification stage, are all presented here. We also outline the achievements in the production of biopharmaceuticals in economically important crop plants and provide examples of their clinical trials and commercialization.
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25
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Avesani L, Ponz F. Editorial: Plant Science's Contribution to Fighting Viral Pandemics: COVID-19 as a Case Study. Front Plant Sci 2022; 12:824440. [PMID: 35095988 PMCID: PMC8795782 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.824440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Linda Avesani
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Fernando Ponz
- Centro de Biotecnologia y Genomica de Plantas (CBGP), Madrid, Spain
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26
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Feizi A, Baghbankohnehrouz B. Overexpression of the recombinant human interferon-beta (rhIFN-β) gene in tobacco chloroplasts. BioTechnologia (Pozn) 2021; 102:367-76. [PMID: 36605601 DOI: 10.5114/bta.2021.111094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Chloroplast genetic engineering is a convenient method for the production of recombinant proteins by increasing the expression level of transgenes. Interferon-beta (IFN-β) is a member of type I interferons that possess some pharmaceutical properties. The present study aimed to investigate the overexpression and production of the recombinant human IFN-β gene (rhIFN-β) in the tobacco chloroplast genome. For this purpose, a codon-optimized rhIFN-β was transferred to the pVSR326 plastid vector containing the aadA gene as a selectable marker. The rhIFN-β gene was then successfully introduced into the tobacco chloroplast genome by using a gene gun. The integration of the rhIFN-β gene into the chloroplast genome and the homoplasmy of the T1 progeny were confirmed by PCR and Southern blot analysis, respectively. RT-PCR and western blot analyses confirmed the transcription and translation of the rhIFN-β gene, respectively. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that the rhIFN-β protein in transplastomic plants comprised approximately 2.4% of total soluble protein (TSPs). The bioassay confirmed that the rhIFN-β protein expressed in the tobacco chloroplast had a relatively high biological activity (2.9 × 104 IU/ml) and protected human amnionic cells against the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). On the basis of these findings, it can be concluded that plastid transformation can serve as an operative method for the production of pharmaceutical recombinant proteins.
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27
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Singh AA, Pillay P, Tsekoa TL. Engineering Approaches in Plant Molecular Farming for Global Health. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9111270. [PMID: 34835201 PMCID: PMC8623924 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9111270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the demonstration of the first plant-produced proteins of medical interest, there has been significant growth and interest in the field of plant molecular farming, with plants now being considered a viable production platform for vaccines. Despite this interest and development by a few biopharmaceutical companies, plant molecular farming is yet to be embraced by ‘big pharma’. The plant system offers a faster alternative, which is a potentially more cost-effective and scalable platform for the mass production of highly complex protein vaccines, owing to the high degree of similarity between the plant and mammalian secretory pathway. Here, we identify and address bottlenecks in the use of plants for vaccine manufacturing and discuss engineering approaches that demonstrate both the utility and versatility of the plant production system as a viable biomanufacturing platform for global health. Strategies for improving the yields and quality of plant-produced vaccines, as well as the incorporation of authentic posttranslational modifications that are essential to the functionality of these highly complex protein vaccines, will also be discussed. Case-by-case examples are considered for improving the production of functional protein-based vaccines. The combination of all these strategies provides a basis for the use of cutting-edge genome editing technology to create a general plant chassis with reduced host cell proteins, which is optimised for high-level protein production of vaccines with the correct posttranslational modifications.
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28
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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 Biotechnol J 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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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29
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Phakham T, Bulaon CJI, Khorattanakulchai N, Shanmugaraj B, Buranapraditkun S, Boonkrai C, Sooksai S, Hirankarn N, Abe Y, Strasser R, Rattanapisit K, Phoolcharoen W. Functional Characterization of Pembrolizumab Produced in Nicotiana benthamiana Using a Rapid Transient Expression System. Front Plant Sci 2021; 12:736299. [PMID: 34567049 PMCID: PMC8459022 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.736299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The striking innovation and clinical success of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have undoubtedly contributed to a breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy. Generally, ICIs produced in mammalian cells requires high investment, production costs, and involves time consuming procedures. Recently, the plants are considered as an emerging protein production platform due to its cost-effectiveness and rapidity for the production of recombinant biopharmaceuticals. This study explored the potential of plant-based system to produce an anti-human PD-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb), Pembrolizumab, in Nicotiana benthamiana. The transient expression of this mAb in wild-type N. benthamiana accumulated up to 344.12 ± 98.23 μg/g fresh leaf weight after 4 days of agroinfiltration. The physicochemical and functional characteristics of plant-produced Pembrolizumab were compared to mammalian cell-produced commercial Pembrolizumab (Keytruda®). Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and western blot analysis results demonstrated that the plant-produced Pembrolizumab has the expected molecular weight and is comparable with the Keytruda®. Structural characterization also confirmed that both antibodies have no protein aggregation and similar secondary and tertiary structures. Furthermore, the plant-produced Pembrolizumab displayed no differences in its binding efficacy to PD-1 protein and inhibitory activity between programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) interaction with the Keytruda®. In vitro efficacy for T cell activation demonstrated that the plant-produced Pembrolizumab could induce IL-2 and IFN-γ production. Hence, this proof-of-concept study showed that the plant-production platform can be utilized for the rapid production of functional mAbs for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanapati Phakham
- Interdisciplinary Program of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Systems Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Christine Joy I. Bulaon
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Plant-Produced Pharmaceutical Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Narach Khorattanakulchai
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Plant-Produced Pharmaceutical Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Supranee Buranapraditkun
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Center of Excellence in Immunology and Immune-Mediated Diseases, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center-Chula VRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Chatikorn Boonkrai
- Interdisciplinary Program of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Systems Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Sarintip Sooksai
- The Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Nattiya Hirankarn
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Center of Excellence in Immunology and Immune-Mediated Diseases, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Yoshito Abe
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy at Fukuoka, International University of Health and Welfare, Okawa, Japan
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Plant-Produced Pharmaceutical Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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30
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Molina-Hidalgo FJ, Vazquez-Vilar M, D'Andrea L, Demurtas OC, Fraser P, Giuliano G, Bock R, Orzáez D, Goossens A. Engineering Metabolism in Nicotiana Species: A Promising Future. Trends Biotechnol 2021; 39:901-913. [PMID: 33341279 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Molecular farming intends to use crop plants as biofactories for high value-added compounds following application of a wide range of biotechnological tools. In particular, the conversion of nonfood crops into efficient biofactories is expected to be a strong asset in the development of a sustainable bioeconomy. The 'nonfood' status combined with the high metabolic versatility and the capacity of high-yield cultivation highlight the plant genus Nicotiana as one of the most appropriate 'chassis' for molecular farming. Nicotiana species are a rich source of valuable industrial, active pharmaceutical ingredients and nutritional compounds, synthesized from highly complex biosynthetic networks. Here, we review and discuss approaches currently used to design enriched Nicotiana species for molecular farming using new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Javier Molina-Hidalgo
- Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent, Belgium; VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marta Vazquez-Vilar
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP-UPV-CSIC), Valencia, Spain
| | - Lucio D'Andrea
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Olivia C Demurtas
- Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Rome, Italy
| | - Paul Fraser
- School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, London, UK
| | - Giovanni Giuliano
- Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Rome, Italy
| | - Ralph Bock
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Diego Orzáez
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP-UPV-CSIC), Valencia, Spain
| | - Alain Goossens
- Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent, Belgium; VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent, Belgium.
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31
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Shanmugaraj B, Siriwattananon K, Malla A, Phoolcharoen W. Potential for Developing Plant-Derived Candidate Vaccines and Biologics against Emerging Coronavirus Infections. Pathogens 2021; 10:1051. [PMID: 34451516 PMCID: PMC8400130 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10081051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The emerging human coronavirus infections in the 21st century remain a major public health crisis causing worldwide impact and challenging the global health care system. The virus is circulating in several zoonotic hosts and continuously evolving, causing occasional outbreaks due to spill-over events occurring between animals and humans. Hence, the development of effective vaccines or therapeutic interventions is the current global priority in order to reduce disease severity, frequent outbreaks, and to prevent future infections. Vaccine development for newly emerging pathogens takes a long time, which hinders rapid immunization programs. The concept of plant-based pharmaceuticals can be readily applied to meet the recombinant protein demand by means of transient expression. Plants are evolved as an expression platform, and they bring a combination of unique interests in terms of rapid scalability, flexibility, and economy for industrial-scale production of effective vaccines, diagnostic reagents, and other biopharmaceuticals. Plants offer safe biologics to fulfill emergency demands, especially during pandemic situations or outbreaks caused by emerging strains. This review highlights the features of a plant expression platform for producing recombinant biopharmaceuticals to combat coronavirus infections with emphasis on COVID-19 vaccine and biologics development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Konlavat Siriwattananon
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand;
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Ashwini Malla
- Baiya Phytopharm Co., Ltd., Bangkok 10250, Thailand; (B.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Baiya Phytopharm Co., Ltd., Bangkok 10250, Thailand; (B.S.); (A.M.)
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand;
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32
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Williams L, Jurado S, Llorente F, Romualdo A, González S, Saconne A, Bronchalo I, Martínez-Cortes M, Pérez-Gómez B, Ponz F, Jiménez-Clavero MÁ, Lunello P. The C-Terminal Half of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Protein, Industrially Produced in Plants, Is Valid as Antigen in COVID-19 Serological Tests. Front Plant Sci 2021; 12:699665. [PMID: 34386028 PMCID: PMC8354202 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.699665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The fight against the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created a huge demand of biotechnological, pharmaceutical, research and sanitary materials at unprecedented scales. One of the most urgent demands affects the diagnostic tests. The growing need for rapid and accurate laboratory diagnostic tests requires the development of biotechnological processes aimed at producing reagents able to cope with this demand in a scalable, cost-effective manner, with rapid turnaround times. This is particularly applicable to the antigens employed in serological tests. Recombinant protein expression using plants as biofactories is particularly suitable for mass production of protein antigens useful in serological diagnosis, with a neat advantage in economic terms. METHODS We expressed a large portion of the nucleoprotein (N) derived from SARS-CoV-2 in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. After purification, the recombinant N protein obtained was used to develop an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in human sera. To validate the ELISA, a panel of 416 sera from exposed personnel at essential services in Madrid City Council were tested, and the results compared to those obtained by another ELISA, already validated, used as reference. Furthermore, a subset of samples for which RT-PCR results were available were used to confirm sensitivity and specificity of the test. RESULTS The performance of the N protein expressed in plants as antigen in serologic test for SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection was shown to be highly satisfactory, with calculated diagnostic sensitivity of 96.41% (95% CI: 93.05-98.44) and diagnostic specificity of 96.37 (95% CI: 93.05-98.44) as compared to the reference ELISA, with a kappa (K) value of 0.928 (95% CI:0.892-0.964). Furthermore, the ELISA developed with plant-derived N antigen detected SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in 84 out of 93 sera from individuals showing RT-PCR positive results (86/93 for the reference ELISA). CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that the N protein part derived from SARS-CoV-2 expressed in plants performs as a perfectly valid antigen for use in COVID-19 diagnosis. Furthermore, our results support the use of this plant platform for expression of recombinant proteins as reagents for COVID-19 diagnosis. This platform stands out as a convenient and advantageous production system, fit-for-purpose to cope with the current demand of this type of biologicals in a cost-effective manner, making diagnostic kits more affordable.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Francisco Llorente
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA), Centro Nacional Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Valdeolmos, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Beatriz Pérez-Gómez
- National Centre for Epidemiology, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Fernando Ponz
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid-Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (CBGP, UPM-INIA, CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel Ángel Jiménez-Clavero
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA), Centro Nacional Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Valdeolmos, Spain
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
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Shanmugaraj B, Bulaon CJI, Malla A, Phoolcharoen W. Biotechnological Insights on the Expression and Production of Antimicrobial Peptides in Plants. Molecules 2021; 26:4032. [PMID: 34279372 PMCID: PMC8272150 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26134032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of drug-resistant pathogens poses a serious critical threat to global public health and requires immediate action. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a class of short peptides ubiquitously found in all living forms, including plants, insects, mammals, microorganisms and play a significant role in host innate immune system. These peptides are considered as promising candidates to treat microbial infections due to its distinct advantages over conventional antibiotics. Given their potent broad spectrum of antimicrobial action, several AMPs are currently being evaluated in preclinical/clinical trials. However, large quantities of highly purified AMPs are vital for basic research and clinical settings which is still a major bottleneck hindering its application. This can be overcome by genetic engineering approaches to produce sufficient amount of diverse peptides in heterologous host systems. Recently plants are considered as potential alternatives to conventional protein production systems such as microbial and mammalian platforms due to their unique advantages such as rapidity, scalability and safety. In addition, AMPs can also be utilized for development of novel approaches for plant protection thereby increasing the crop yield. Hence, in order to provide a spotlight for the expression of AMP in plants for both clinical or agricultural use, the present review presents the importance of AMPs and efforts aimed at producing recombinant AMPs in plants for molecular farming and plant protection so far.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christine Joy I Bulaon
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | | | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
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Abiri R, Abdul-Hamid H, Sytar O, Abiri R, Bezerra de Almeida E, Sharma SK, Bulgakov VP, Arroo RRJ, Malik S. A Brief Overview of Potential Treatments for Viral Diseases Using Natural Plant Compounds: The Case of SARS-Cov. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26133868. [PMID: 34202844 PMCID: PMC8270261 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26133868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the more general global increase in viral diseases, has led researchers to look to the plant kingdom as a potential source for antiviral compounds. Since ancient times, herbal medicines have been extensively applied in the treatment and prevention of various infectious diseases in different traditional systems. The purpose of this review is to highlight the potential antiviral activity of plant compounds as effective and reliable agents against viral infections, especially by viruses from the coronavirus group. Various antiviral mechanisms shown by crude plant extracts and plant-derived bioactive compounds are discussed. The understanding of the action mechanisms of complex plant extract and isolated plant-derived compounds will help pave the way towards the combat of this life-threatening disease. Further, molecular docking studies, in silico analyses of extracted compounds, and future prospects are included. The in vitro production of antiviral chemical compounds from plants using molecular pharming is also considered. Notably, hairy root cultures represent a promising and sustainable way to obtain a range of biologically active compounds that may be applied in the development of novel antiviral agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rambod Abiri
- Department of Forestry Science and Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia; or
| | - Hazandy Abdul-Hamid
- Department of Forestry Science and Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia; or
- Laboratory of Bioresource Management, Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
- Correspondence: (H.A.-H.); (V.P.B.); or (S.M.)
| | - Oksana Sytar
- Educational and Scientific Center “Institute of Biology and Medicine”, Department of Plant Biology, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Volodymyrska 60, 01033 Kyiv, Ukraine;
- Department of Plant Physiology, Slovak University of Agriculture Nitra, A. Hlinku 2, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia
| | - Ramin Abiri
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah 6718773654, Iran;
- Fertility and Infertility Research Center, Health Technology Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah 6718773654, Iran
| | - Eduardo Bezerra de Almeida
- Biological and Health Sciences Centre, Laboratory of Botanical Studies, Department of Biology, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís 65080-805, MA, Brazil;
| | - Surender K. Sharma
- Department of Physics, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda 151401, India;
| | - Victor P. Bulgakov
- Department of Biotechnology, Federal Scientific Center of the East Asia Terrestrial Biodiversity (Institute of Biology and Soil Science), Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 159 Stoletija Str., 690022 Vladivostok, Russia
- Correspondence: (H.A.-H.); (V.P.B.); or (S.M.)
| | - Randolph R. J. Arroo
- Leicester School of Pharmacy, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK;
| | - Sonia Malik
- Health Sciences Graduate Program, Biological & Health Sciences Centre, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís 65080-805, MA, Brazil
- Laboratoire de Biologie des Ligneux et des Grandes Cultures (LBLGC), University of Orléans, 1 Rue de Chartres-BP 6759, 45067 Orleans, France
- Correspondence: (H.A.-H.); (V.P.B.); or (S.M.)
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Castells‐Graells R, Lomonossoff GP. Plant-based production can result in covalent cross-linking of proteins. Plant Biotechnol J 2021; 19:1095-1097. [PMID: 33834594 PMCID: PMC8196630 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Roger Castells‐Graells
- Department of Biological ChemistryJohn Innes CentreNorwich Research ParkColneyUK
- Department of Chemistry and BiochemistryUniversity of CaliforniaLos AngelesCAUSA
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36
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Rosales-Mendoza S, Cervantes-Rincón T, Romero-Maldonado A, Monreal-Escalante E, Nieto-Gómez R. Transgenic plants expressing a Clostridium difficile spore antigen as an approach to develop low-cost oral vaccines. Biotechnol Prog 2021; 37:e3141. [PMID: 33666366 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Gastrointestinal infections caused by Clostridium difficile lead to significant impact in terms of morbidity and mortality, causing from mild symptoms, such as a low-grade fever, watery stools, and minor abdominal cramping as well as more severe symptoms such as bloody diarrhea, pseudomembrane colitis, and toxic megacolon. Vaccination is a viable approach to fight against C. difficile and several efforts in this direction are ongoing. Plants are promising vaccine biofactories offering low cost, enhanced safety, and allow for the formulation of oral vaccines. Herein, the CdeM protein, which is a spore antigen associated with immunoprotection against C. difficile, was selected to begin the development of plant-based vaccine candidates. The vaccine antigen is based in a fusion protein (LTB-CdeM), carrying the CdeM antigen, fused to the carboxi-terminus of the B subunit of the Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin (LTB) as a mucosal immunogenic carrier. LTB-CdeM was produced in plants using a synthetic optimized gene according codon usage and mRNA stability criteria. The obtained transformed tobacco lines produced the LTB-CdeM antigen in the range of 52-90 μg/g dry weight leaf tissues. The antigenicity of the plant-made LTB-CdeM antigen was evidenced by GM1-ELISA and immunogenicity assessment performed in test mice revealed that the LTB-CdeM antigen is orally immunogenic inducing humoral responses against CdeM epitopes. This report constitutes the first step in the development of plant-based vaccines against C. difficile infection.
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MESH Headings
- Administration, Oral
- Animals
- Antibodies, Bacterial/blood
- Antigens, Bacterial/genetics
- Antigens, Bacterial/metabolism
- Clostridioides difficile/genetics
- Enterotoxins/genetics
- Escherichia coli Proteins/genetics
- Immunoglobulin G/blood
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Molecular Farming
- Plants, Genetically Modified/genetics
- Plants, Genetically Modified/metabolism
- Spores, Bacterial/genetics
- Nicotiana/genetics
- Nicotiana/metabolism
- Vaccines, Edible/genetics
- Vaccines, Edible/immunology
- Vaccines, Edible/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Rosales-Mendoza
- Laboratorio de Biofarmacéuticos Recombinantes, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
- Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
| | - Tomás Cervantes-Rincón
- Laboratorio de Biofarmacéuticos Recombinantes, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
- Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
| | - Andrea Romero-Maldonado
- Laboratorio de Biofarmacéuticos Recombinantes, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
- Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
| | - Elizabeth Monreal-Escalante
- Laboratorio de Biofarmacéuticos Recombinantes, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
- Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
| | - Ricardo Nieto-Gómez
- Laboratorio de Biofarmacéuticos Recombinantes, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
- Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
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Kelada KD, Tusé D, Gleba Y, McDonald KA, Nandi S. Process Simulation and Techno-Economic Analysis of Large-Scale Bioproduction of Sweet Protein Thaumatin II. Foods 2021; 10:838. [PMID: 33921374 PMCID: PMC8069865 DOI: 10.3390/foods10040838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
There are currently worldwide efforts to reduce sugar intake due to the various adverse health effects linked with the overconsumption of sugars. Artificial sweeteners have been used as an alternative to nutritive sugars in numerous applications; however, their long-term effects on human health remain controversial. This led to a shift in consumer preference towards non-caloric sweeteners from natural sources. Thaumatins are a class of intensely sweet proteins found in arils of the fruits of the West-African plant Thaumatococcus daniellii. Thaumatins' current production method through aqueous extraction from this plant and uncertainty of the harvest from tropical rainforests limits its supply while the demand is increasing. Despite successful recombinant expression of the protein in several organisms, no large-scale bioproduction facilities exist. We present preliminary process design, process simulation, and economic analysis for a large-scale (50 metric tons/year) production of a thaumatin II variant using several different molecular farming platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirolos D. Kelada
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (K.D.K.); (K.A.M.)
| | - Daniel Tusé
- DT/Consulting Group, Sacramento, CA 95818, USA;
| | - Yuri Gleba
- Nomad Bioscience GmbH, 06120 Halle, Germany;
| | - Karen A. McDonald
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (K.D.K.); (K.A.M.)
- Global HealthShare® Initiative, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Somen Nandi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (K.D.K.); (K.A.M.)
- Global HealthShare® Initiative, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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38
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Ramos-Vega A, Monreal-Escalante E, Dumonteil E, Bañuelos-Hernández B, Angulo C. Plant-made vaccines against parasites: bioinspired perspectives to fight against Chagas disease. Expert Rev Vaccines 2021; 20:1373-1388. [PMID: 33612044 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2021.1893170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: Three decades of evidence have demonstrated that plants are an affordable platform for biopharmaceutical production and delivery. For instance, several plant-made recombinant proteins have been approved for commercialization under good manufacturing practice (GMP). Thus far, plant-based vaccine prototypes have been evaluated at pre- and clinical levels. Particularly, plant-made vaccines against parasitic diseases, such as malaria, cysticercosis, and toxoplasmosis have been successfully produced and orally delivered with promising outcomes in terms of immunogenicity and protection. The experience on several approaches and technical strategies over 30 years accounts for their potential low-cost, high scalability, and easy administration.Areas covered: This platform is an open technology to fight against Chagas disease, one of the most important neglected tropical diseases worldwide.Expert opinion: This review provides a perspective for the potential use of plants as a production platform and delivery system of Trypanosoma cruzi recombinant antigens, analyzing the advantages and limitations with respect to plant-made vaccines produced for other parasitic diseases. Plant-made vaccines are envisioned to fight against Chagas disease and other neglected tropical diseases in those countries suffering endemic prevalence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abel Ramos-Vega
- Grupo de Inmunología & Vacunología. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C. (CIBNOR), Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, B.c.s. C.p., México
| | - Elizabeth Monreal-Escalante
- Grupo de Inmunología & Vacunología. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C. (CIBNOR), Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, B.c.s. C.p., México.,CONACYT- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C. (CIBNOR), Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, B.c.s. C.p, México
| | - Eric Dumonteil
- Department of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and Vector-Borne and Infectious Disease Research Center, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Bernardo Bañuelos-Hernández
- Facultad de Agronomía Y Veterinaria, Universidad de La Salle Bajio, Avenida Universidad 602, Lomas del Campestre, León Guanajuato, México
| | - Carlos Angulo
- Grupo de Inmunología & Vacunología. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S.C. (CIBNOR), Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, La Paz, B.c.s. C.p., México
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Puchol Tarazona AA, Maresch D, Grill A, Bakalarz J, Torres Acosta JA, Castilho A, Steinkellner H, Mach L. Identification of two subtilisin-like serine proteases engaged in the degradation of recombinant proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana. FEBS Lett 2021; 595:379-388. [PMID: 33263189 PMCID: PMC8221030 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The tobacco variant Nicotiana benthamiana has recently emerged as a versatile host for the manufacturing of protein therapeutics, but the fidelity of many recombinant proteins generated in this system is compromised by inadvertent proteolysis. Previous studies have revealed that the anti-HIV-1 antibodies 2F5 and PG9 as well as the protease inhibitor α1 -antitrypsin (A1AT) are particularly susceptible to N. benthamiana proteases. Here, we identify two subtilisin-like serine proteases (NbSBT1 and NbSBT2) whose combined action is sufficient to account for all major cleavage events observed upon expression of 2F5, PG9 and A1AT in N. benthamiana. We propose that downregulation of NbSBT1 and NbSBT2 activities could constitute a powerful means to optimize the performance of this promising platform for the production of biopharmaceuticals. DATABASES: NbSBT sequence data are available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under the accession numbers MN534996 to MN535005.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel Maresch
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Annette Grill
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Janet Bakalarz
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Juan A. Torres Acosta
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Alexandra Castilho
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Herta Steinkellner
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Lukas Mach
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell BiologyUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
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Siriwattananon K, Manopwisedjaroen S, Kanjanasirirat P, Budi Purwono P, Rattanapisit K, Shanmugaraj B, Smith DR, Borwornpinyo S, Thitithanyanont A, Phoolcharoen W. Development of Plant-Produced Recombinant ACE2-Fc Fusion Protein as a Potential Therapeutic Agent Against SARS-CoV-2. Front Plant Sci 2021; 11:604663. [PMID: 33584747 PMCID: PMC7874119 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.604663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which has recently emerged as a potential threat to global public health. SARS-CoV-2 is the third known human coronavirus that has huge impact on the human population after SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. Although some vaccines and therapeutic drugs are currently in clinical trials, none of them are approved for commercial use yet. As with SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 utilizes angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as the cell entry receptor to enter into the host cell. In this study, we have transiently produced human ACE2 fused with the Fc region of human IgG1 in Nicotiana benthamiana and the in vitro neutralization efficacy of the plant-produced ACE2-Fc fusion protein was assessed. The recombinant ACE2-Fc fusion protein was expressed in N. benthamiana at 100 μg/g leaf fresh weight on day 6 post-infiltration. The recombinant fusion protein showed potent binding to receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. Importantly, the plant-produced fusion protein exhibited potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity in vitro. Treatment with ACE2-Fc fusion protein after viral infection dramatically inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infectivity in Vero cells with an IC50 value of 0.84 μg/ml. Moreover, treatment with ACE2-Fc fusion protein at the pre-entry stage suppressed SARS-CoV-2 infection with an IC50 of 94.66 μg/ml. These findings put a spotlight on the plant-produced ACE2-Fc fusion protein as a potential therapeutic candidate against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konlavat Siriwattananon
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | | | - Priyo Budi Purwono
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
| | - Kaewta Rattanapisit
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Balamurugan Shanmugaraj
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Duncan R. Smith
- Institute of Molecular Bioscience, Mahidol University, Salaya, Thailand
| | - Suparerk Borwornpinyo
- Excellence Center for Drug Discovery, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Geem KR, Song Y, Hwang I, Bae HJ, Lee DW. Production of Gloeophyllum trabeum Endoglucanase Cel12A in Nicotiana benthamiana for Cellulose Degradation. Front Plant Sci 2021; 12:696199. [PMID: 34262588 PMCID: PMC8273430 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.696199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Lignocellulosic biomass from plants has been used as a biofuel source and the potent acidic endoglucanase GtCel12A has been isolated from Gloeophyllum trabeum, a filamentous fungus. In this study, we established a plant-based platform for the production of active GtCel12A fused to family 3 cellulose-binding module (CBM3). We used the signal sequence of binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP) and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention signal for the accumulation of the produced GtCel12A in the ER. To achieve enhanced enzyme expression, we incorporated the M-domain of the human receptor-type tyrosine-protein phosphatase C into the construct. In addition, to enable the removal of N-terminal domains that are not necessary after protein expression, we further incorporated the cleavage site of Brachypodium distachyon small ubiquitin-like modifier. The GtCel12A-CBM3 fusion protein produced in the leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana exhibited not only high solubility but also efficient endoglucanase activity on the carboxymethyl cellulose substrate as determined by 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid assay. The endoglucanase activity of GtCel12A-CBM3 was maintained even when immobilized on microcrystalline cellulose beads. Taken together, these results indicate that GtCel12A endoglucanase produced in plants might be used to provide monomeric sugars from lignocellulosic biomass for bioethanol production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoung Rok Geem
- Department of Bioenergy Science and Technology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
| | - Younho Song
- Bio-Energy Research Center, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
| | - Inhwan Hwang
- Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, South Korea
| | - Hyeun-Jong Bae
- Department of Bioenergy Science and Technology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
- Bio-Energy Research Center, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
- Department of Integrative Food, Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
| | - Dong Wook Lee
- Department of Bioenergy Science and Technology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
- Bio-Energy Research Center, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
- Department of Integrative Food, Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
- *Correspondence: Dong Wook Lee
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Margolin E, Verbeek M, de Moor W, Chapman R, Meyers A, Schäfer G, Williamson AL, Rybicki E. Investigating Constraints Along the Plant Secretory Pathway to Improve Production of a SARS-CoV-2 Spike Vaccine Candidate. Front Plant Sci 2021; 12:798822. [PMID: 35058959 PMCID: PMC8764404 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.798822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Given the complex maturation requirements of viral glycoproteins and the challenge they often pose for expression in plants, the identification of host constraints precluding their efficient production is a priority for the molecular farming of vaccines. Building on previous work to improve viral glycoprotein production in plants, we investigated the production of a soluble SARS-CoV-2 spike comprising the ectopic portion of the glycoprotein. This was successfully transiently expressed in N. benthamiana by co-expressing the human lectin-binding chaperone calreticulin, which substantially increased the accumulation of the glycoprotein. The spike was mostly unprocessed unless the protease furin was co-expressed which resulted in highly efficient processing of the glycoprotein. Co-expression of several broad-spectrum protease inhibitors did not improve accumulation of the protein any further. The protein was successfully purified by affinity chromatography and gel filtration, although the purified product was heterogenous and the yields were low. Immunogenicity of the antigen was tested in BALB/c mice, and cellular and antibody responses were elicited after low dose inoculation with the adjuvanted protein. This work constitutes an important proof-of-concept for host plant engineering in the context of rapid vaccine development for SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Margolin
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- *Correspondence: Emmanuel Margolin,
| | - Matthew Verbeek
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Warren de Moor
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ros Chapman
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ann Meyers
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Georgia Schäfer
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Anna-Lise Williamson
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Edward Rybicki
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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Herman X, Far J, Courtoy A, Bouhon L, Quinton L, De Pauw E, Chaumont F, Navarre C. Inactivation of N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferase I and α1,3-Fucosyltransferase Genes in Nicotiana tabacum BY-2 Cells Results in Glycoproteins With Highly Homogeneous, High-Mannose N-Glycans. Front Plant Sci 2021; 12:634023. [PMID: 33584780 PMCID: PMC7873608 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.634023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Nicotiana tabacum Bright Yellow-2 (BY-2) suspension cells are among the most commonly used plant cell lines for producing biopharmaceutical glycoproteins. Recombinant glycoproteins are usually produced with a mix of high-mannose and complex N-glycans. However, N-glycan heterogeneity is a concern for the production of therapeutic or vaccine glycoproteins because it can alter protein activity and might lead to batch-to-batch variability. In this report, a BY-2 cell line producing glycoproteins devoid of complex N-glycans was obtained using CRISPR/Cas9 edition of two N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I (GnTI) genes, whose activity is a prerequisite for the formation of all complex N-glycans. The suppression of complex N-glycans in the GnTI-knocked out (KO) cell lines was assessed by Western blotting. Lack of β1,2-xylose residues confirmed the abolition of GnTI activity. Unexpectedly, α1,3-fucose residues were still detected albeit dramatically reduced as compared with wild-type cells. To suppress the remaining α1,3-fucose residues, a second genome editing targeted both GnTI and α1,3-fucosyltransferase (FucT) genes. No β1,2-xylose nor α1,3-fucose residues were detected on the glycoproteins produced by the GnTI/FucT-KO cell lines. Absence of complex N-glycans on secreted glycoproteins of GnTI-KO and GnTI/FucT-KO cell lines was confirmed by mass spectrometry. Both cell lines produced high-mannose N-glycans, mainly Man5 (80 and 86%, respectively) and Man4 (16 and 11%, respectively). The high degree of N-glycan homogeneity and the high-mannose N-glycosylation profile of these BY-2 cell lines is an asset for their use as expression platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Herman
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Johann Far
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory-MolSys, GIGA Proteomics Facility, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Adeline Courtoy
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Laurent Bouhon
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Loïc Quinton
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory-MolSys, GIGA Proteomics Facility, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Edwin De Pauw
- Mass Spectrometry Laboratory-MolSys, GIGA Proteomics Facility, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - François Chaumont
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- *Correspondence: François Chaumont,
| | - Catherine Navarre
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology, UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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Lico C, Santi L, Baschieri S, Noris E, Marusic C, Donini M, Pedrazzini E, Maga G, Franconi R, Di Bonito P, Avesani L. Plant Molecular Farming as a Strategy Against COVID-19 - The Italian Perspective. Front Plant Sci 2020; 11:609910. [PMID: 33381140 PMCID: PMC7768017 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.609910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has killed more than 37,000 people in Italy and has caused widespread socioeconomic disruption. Urgent measures are needed to contain and control the virus, particularly diagnostic kits for detection and surveillance, therapeutics to reduce mortality among the severely affected, and vaccines to protect the remaining population. Here we discuss the potential role of plant molecular farming in the rapid and scalable supply of protein antigens as reagents and vaccine candidates, antibodies for virus detection and passive immunotherapy, other therapeutic proteins, and virus-like particles as novel vaccine platforms. We calculate the amount of infrastructure and production capacity needed to deal with predictable subsequent waves of COVID-19 in Italy by pooling expertise in plant molecular farming, epidemiology and the Italian health system. We calculate the investment required in molecular farming infrastructure that would enable us to capitalize on this technology, and provide a roadmap for the development of diagnostic reagents and biopharmaceuticals using molecular farming in plants to complement production methods based on the cultivation of microbes and mammalian cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Lico
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Biotechnologies and Agroindustry Division, Department of Sustainability, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Santi
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Science, Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Selene Baschieri
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Biotechnologies and Agroindustry Division, Department of Sustainability, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Emanuela Noris
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council IPSP-CNR, Turin, Italy
| | - Carla Marusic
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Biotechnologies and Agroindustry Division, Department of Sustainability, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Marcello Donini
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Biotechnologies and Agroindustry Division, Department of Sustainability, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Emanuela Pedrazzini
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council IBBA-CNR, Turin, Italy
| | - Giovanni Maga
- Institute of Molecular Genetics IGM-CNR “Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza,”Pavia, Italy
| | - Rosella Franconi
- Laboratory of Biomedical Technologies, Health Technologies Division, Department of Sustainability, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Di Bonito
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Viral Hepatitis, Oncoviruses and Retroviruses (EVOR) Unit, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Linda Avesani
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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Dhama K, Natesan S, Iqbal Yatoo M, Patel SK, Tiwari R, Saxena SK, Harapan H. Plant-based vaccines and antibodies to combat COVID-19: current status and prospects. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2020; 16:2913-2920. [PMID: 33270484 PMCID: PMC7754927 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2020.1842034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Globally, researchers are undertaking significant efforts to design and develop effective vaccines, therapeutics, and antiviral drugs to curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Plants have been used for the production of vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, immunomodulatory proteins, drugs, and pharmaceuticals via molecular farming/transient expression system and are considered as bioreactors or factories for their bulk production. These biological products are stable, safe, effective, easily available, and affordable. Plant molecular farming could facilitate rapid production of biologics on an industrial scale, and has the potential to fulfill emergency demands, such as in the present situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article aims to describe the methodology and basics of plant biopharming, in addition to its prospective applications for developing effective vaccines and antibodies to counter COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuldeep Dhama
- Division of Pathology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, India
| | - Senthilkumar Natesan
- Division of Biological & Life Sciences, Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, Ganghinagar, India
| | - Mohd. Iqbal Yatoo
- Division of Veterinary Clinical Complex, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Shuhama, Alusteng Srinagar, Sher-E-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Shailesh Kumar Patel
- Division of Pathology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, India
| | - Ruchi Tiwari
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Sciences, Uttar Pradesh Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Pashu Chikitsa Vigyan Vishwavidyalaya Evam Go Anusandhan Sansthan (DUVASU), Mathura, India
| | - Shailendra K Saxena
- Centre for Advanced Research (CFAR), Faculty of Medicine, King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, India
| | - Harapan Harapan
- Medical Research Unit, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
- Tropical Disease Centre, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
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De Martinis D, Rybicki EP, Colonna N, Benvenuto E, Llorente B. Editorial: Next Generation Agriculture: Understanding Plant Life for Food, Health and Energy. Front Plant Sci 2020; 11:1238. [PMID: 32903412 PMCID: PMC7434929 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.01238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Domenico De Martinis
- ENEA Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Rome, Italy
| | - Edward P. Rybicki
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Nicola Colonna
- ENEA Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Rome, Italy
| | - Eugenio Benvenuto
- ENEA Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Rome, Italy
| | - Briardo Llorente
- ARC Center of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- CSIRO Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Shanmugaraj B, I. Bulaon CJ, Phoolcharoen W. Plant Molecular Farming: A Viable Platform for Recombinant Biopharmaceutical Production. Plants (Basel) 2020; 9:plants9070842. [PMID: 32635427 PMCID: PMC7411908 DOI: 10.3390/plants9070842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 06/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The demand for recombinant proteins in terms of quality, quantity, and diversity is increasing steadily, which is attracting global attention for the development of new recombinant protein production technologies and the engineering of conventional established expression systems based on bacteria or mammalian cell cultures. Since the advancements of plant genetic engineering in the 1980s, plants have been used for the production of economically valuable, biologically active non-native proteins or biopharmaceuticals, the concept termed as plant molecular farming (PMF). PMF is considered as a cost-effective technology that has grown and advanced tremendously over the past two decades. The development and improvement of the transient expression system has significantly reduced the protein production timeline and greatly improved the protein yield in plants. The major factors that drive the plant-based platform towards potential competitors for the conventional expression system are cost-effectiveness, scalability, flexibility, versatility, and robustness of the system. Many biopharmaceuticals including recombinant vaccine antigens, monoclonal antibodies, and other commercially viable proteins are produced in plants, some of which are in the pre-clinical and clinical pipeline. In this review, we consider the importance of a plant- based production system for recombinant protein production, and its potential to produce biopharmaceuticals is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balamurugan Shanmugaraj
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand;
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand;
| | - Christine Joy I. Bulaon
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand;
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand;
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +66-2-218-8359; Fax: +66-2-218-8357
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Several Picornaviruses are pathogens that generate serious problems for human and animal health worldwide. Vaccination is an attractive approach to fight against picornaviruses. In this regard, the development of low-cost vaccines is a priority to ensure coverage; especially in developing and low-income countries. In this context, plant-made vaccines are a convenient technology since plant cells are low-cost bioreactors capable of producing complex antigens that preserve their antigenic determinants; moreover, they can serve as biocapsules to achieve oral delivery. AREAS COVERED In the present review the advances in the development of plant-made vaccines against picornaviruses are summarized and placed in perspective. The main diseases that have been targeted using this approach include Poliovirus, Food and mouth disease virus, Hepatitis A virus, and Enterovirus 71. EXPERT OPINION Several vaccine candidates against picornavirus have been characterized at the preclinical level; with many of them capable of inducing humoral and cellular responses that led to neutralization of pathogens when evaluated in vitro and test animal challenge assays. Plant-made vaccines are a promise to fight picornaviruses; especially in the developing world where limited resources hamper vaccination coverage. A critical analysis of the road ahead for this technology is provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omayra C Bolaños-Martínez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Escolar, Ciudad Universitaria , Ciudad de México, Mexico.,Laboratorio de Biofarmacéuticos Recombinantes, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí , San Luis Potosí, Mexico Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí , San Luis Potosí, Mexico
| | - Sergio Rosales-Mendoza
- Laboratorio de Biofarmacéuticos Recombinantes, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí , San Luis Potosí, Mexico Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí , San Luis Potosí, Mexico
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Capell T, Twyman RM, Armario-Najera V, Ma JKC, Schillberg S, Christou P. Potential Applications of Plant Biotechnology against SARS-CoV-2. Trends Plant Sci 2020; 25:635-643. [PMID: 32371057 PMCID: PMC7181989 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2020.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus responsible for an ongoing human pandemic (COVID-19). There is a massive international effort underway to develop diagnostic reagents, vaccines, and antiviral drugs in a bid to slow down the spread of the disease and save lives. One part of that international effort involves the research community working with plants, bringing researchers from all over the world together with commercial enterprises to achieve the rapid supply of protein antigens and antibodies for diagnostic kits, and scalable production systems for the emergency manufacturing of vaccines and antiviral drugs. Here, we look at some of the ways in which plants can and are being used in the fight against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Capell
- Department of Crop and Forest Sciences, University of Lleida-Agrotecnio Center, Av. Rovira Roure 191, 25198 Lleida, Spain
| | | | - Victoria Armario-Najera
- Department of Crop and Forest Sciences, University of Lleida-Agrotecnio Center, Av. Rovira Roure 191, 25198 Lleida, Spain
| | - Julian K-C Ma
- Institute for Infection and Immunity, St George's University of London, London, UK.
| | | | - Paul Christou
- Department of Crop and Forest Sciences, University of Lleida-Agrotecnio Center, Av. Rovira Roure 191, 25198 Lleida, Spain; ICREA, Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies, Passeig Lluıís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain.
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Rosales-Mendoza S, Márquez-Escobar VA, González-Ortega O, Nieto-Gómez R, Arévalo-Villalobos JI. What Does Plant-Based Vaccine Technology Offer to the Fight against COVID-19? Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:E183. [PMID: 32295153 PMCID: PMC7349371 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8020183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of new pathogenic viral strains is a constant threat to global health, with the new coronavirus strain COVID-19 as the latest example. COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has quickly spread around the globe. This pandemic demands rapid development of drugs and vaccines. Plant-based vaccines are a technology with proven viability, which have led to promising results for candidates evaluated at the clinical level, meaning this technology could contribute towards the fight against COVID-19. Herein, a perspective in how plant-based vaccines can be developed against COVID-19 is presented. Injectable vaccines could be generated by using transient expression systems, which offer the highest protein yields and are already adopted at the industrial level to produce VLPs-vaccines and other biopharmaceuticals under GMPC-processes. Stably-transformed plants are another option, but this approach requires more time for the development of antigen-producing lines. Nonetheless, this approach offers the possibility of developing oral vaccines in which the plant cell could act as the antigen delivery agent. Therefore, this is the most attractive approach in terms of cost, easy delivery, and mucosal immunity induction. The development of multiepitope, rationally-designed vaccines is also discussed regarding the experience gained in expression of chimeric immunogenic proteins in plant systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Rosales-Mendoza
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, San Luis Potosí 78210, Mexico; (V.A.M.-E.); (O.G.-O.); (R.N.-G.); (J.I.A.-V.)
- Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Sierra Leona 550, Lomas 2ª Sección, San Luis Potosí 78210, Mexico
| | - Verónica A. Márquez-Escobar
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, San Luis Potosí 78210, Mexico; (V.A.M.-E.); (O.G.-O.); (R.N.-G.); (J.I.A.-V.)
- Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Sierra Leona 550, Lomas 2ª Sección, San Luis Potosí 78210, Mexico
| | - Omar González-Ortega
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, San Luis Potosí 78210, Mexico; (V.A.M.-E.); (O.G.-O.); (R.N.-G.); (J.I.A.-V.)
| | - Ricardo Nieto-Gómez
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, San Luis Potosí 78210, Mexico; (V.A.M.-E.); (O.G.-O.); (R.N.-G.); (J.I.A.-V.)
- Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Sierra Leona 550, Lomas 2ª Sección, San Luis Potosí 78210, Mexico
| | - Jaime I. Arévalo-Villalobos
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Dr. Manuel Nava 6, San Luis Potosí 78210, Mexico; (V.A.M.-E.); (O.G.-O.); (R.N.-G.); (J.I.A.-V.)
- Sección de Biotecnología, Centro de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud y Biomedicina, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Av. Sierra Leona 550, Lomas 2ª Sección, San Luis Potosí 78210, Mexico
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