title: Vaccine antigen production in transgenic plants: strategies, gene constructs and perspectives.
abstract: Stable integration of a gene into the plant nuclear or chloroplast genome can transform higher plants (e.g. tobacco, potato, tomato, banana) into bioreactors for the production of subunit vaccines for oral or parental administration. This can also be achieved by using recombinant plant viruses as transient expression vectors in infected plants. The use of plant-derived vaccines may overcome some of the major problems encountered with traditional vaccination against infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases and tumours. They also offer a convenient tool against the threat of bio-terrorism. State of the art, experimental strategies, safety and perspectives are discussed in this article.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milano, Italy. francesco.sala@unimi.it
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manuela Rigano
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbante
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Basso
authors.forename: Amanda M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Walmsley
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Castiglione
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000941:Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D023482:Bioterrorism; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology; D011639:Public Opinion; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit