Protective lactogenic immunity conferred by an edible peptide vaccine to bovine rotavirus produced in transgenic plants.
Vaccines produced in transgenic plants constitute a promising alternative to conventional immunogens, presenting the possibility of stimulating secretory and systemic immunity against enteric pathogens when administered orally. Protection against enteric pathogens affecting newborn animals requires, in most cases, the stimulation of lactogenic immunity. Here, the group presents the development of an experimental immunogen based on expression of an immunorelevant peptide, eBRV4, of the VP4 protein of bovine rotavirus (BRV), which has been described as harbouring at least one neutralizing epitope as well as being responsible for the adsorption of the virus to epithelial cells. The eBRV4 epitope was efficiently expressed in transgenic alfalfa as a translational fusion protein with the highly stable reporter enzyme beta-glucuronidase (betaGUS), which served as a carrier, stabilized the synthesized peptide and facilitated screening for the higher expression levels in plants. Correlation of expression of the eBRV4 epitope in plants with those presenting the highest betaGUS activities was confirmed by a Western blot assay specific for the BRV peptide. The eBRV4 epitope expressed in plants was effective in inducing an anti-rotavirus antibody response in adult female mice when administered either intraperitoneally or orally and, more importantly, suckling mice born from immunized female mice were protected against oral challenge with virulent rotavirus. These results demonstrate the feasibility of inducing lactogenic immunity against an enteric pathogen using an edible vaccine produced in transgenic plants.
Wigdorovitz
Andrés
A
Consejo Nacional e Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.|Instituto de Virología, CICV, INTA-Castelar, CC77, Morón 1708, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Mozgovoj
Marina
M
Instituto de Virología, CICV, INTA-Castelar, CC77, Morón 1708, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Santos
María J Dus
MJD
Instituto de Virología, CICV, INTA-Castelar, CC77, Morón 1708, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Parreño
Viviana
V
Instituto de Virología, CICV, INTA-Castelar, CC77, Morón 1708, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Gómez
Cristina
C
Instituto de Genética 'E. A. Favret', CICA, INTA-Castelar, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Pérez-Filgueira
Daniel M
DM
Departamento de Biotecnología and Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal, INIA, Valdeolmos, 28140 Madrid, Spain.|Consejo Nacional e Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.
Trono
Karina G
KG
Instituto de Virología, CICV, INTA-Castelar, CC77, Morón 1708, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Ríos
Raúl D
RD
Instituto de Genética 'E. A. Favret', CICA, INTA-Castelar, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Franzone
Pascual M
PM
Instituto de Genética 'E. A. Favret', CICA, INTA-Castelar, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Fernández
Fernando
F
Instituto de Virología, CICV, INTA-Castelar, CC77, Morón 1708, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Carrillo
Consuelo
C
Instituto de Virología, CICV, INTA-Castelar, CC77, Morón 1708, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Babiuk
Lorne A
LA
University of Saskatchewan, VIDO, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7N 5E3.
Escribano
José M
JM
Departamento de Biotecnología and Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal, INIA, Valdeolmos, 28140 Madrid, Spain.
Borca
Manuel V
MV
Consejo Nacional e Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.|Instituto de Virología, CICV, INTA-Castelar, CC77, Morón 1708, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
D000818:Animals; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D002417:Cattle; D005966:Glucuronidase / Q000235:genetics; D000455:Medicago sativa / Q000235:genetics / Q000821:virology; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000821:virology*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
D036022:Capsid Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C060339:VP4 protein, Rotavirus; D014765:Viral Vaccines; D005966:Glucuronidase