title: Production of a fusion protein consisting of the enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli heat-labile toxin B subunit and a tuberculosis antigen in Arabidopsis thaliana.
abstract: Transgenic plants are potentially safe and inexpensive vehicles to produce and mucosally deliver protective antigens. However, the application of this technology is limited by the poor response of the immune system to non-particulate, subunit vaccines. Co-delivery of therapeutic proteins with carrier proteins could increase the effectiveness of the antigen. This paper reports the ability of transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants to produce a fusion protein consisting of the B subunit of the Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin and a 6 kDa tuberculosis antigen, the early secretory antigenic target ESAT-6. Both components of the fusion protein were detected using GM1-ganglioside-dependent enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. This suggested the fusion protein retained both its native antigenicity and the ability to form pentamers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Rigano
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pinkhasov
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Arntzen
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Walmsley
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001483:Base Sequence; D004274:DNA, Recombinant / Q000235:genetics; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005612:Freeze Drying; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D021122:Protein Subunits; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D032581:Tuberculosis Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D022462:Vaccines, Edible / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; C093276:ESAT-6 protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D004768:Enterotoxins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D021122:Protein Subunits; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D032581:Tuberculosis Vaccines; D022462:Vaccines, Edible; C027538:heat-labile enterotoxin, E coli