title: Foreign protein degradation and instability in plants and plant tissue cultures.
abstract: Low production cost is a key factor driving the development of plants and plant tissue cultures for the synthesis of therapeutic and other foreign proteins. Because product yield and concentration exert a major influence on process economics, improving foreign protein accumulation is crucial for enhancing the commercial success of plant-based production systems. Strategies aimed at increasing transgene expression have been effective; however, a critical but poorly understood factor contributing to low foreign protein yield is post-synthesis and/or post-secretion instability and degradation. Loss of foreign protein as result of biological and physical processes such as proteolytic destruction and irreversible surface adsorption can occur in plants and plant culture systems. This review highlights the need to consider such mechanisms and outlines a range of remedial strategies aimed at minimizing foreign protein degradation and loss.
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. p.doran@unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: Pauline M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Doran
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000378:metabolism*; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D011506:Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases