Transgenic tomatoes expressing human beta-amyloid for use as a vaccine against Alzheimer's disease.
Human beta-amyloid (Abeta) is believed to be one of the main components of Alzheimer's disease, so reduction of Abeta is considered a key therapeutic target. Using Agrobacterium-mediated nuclear transformation, we generated transgenic tomatoes for Abeta with tandem repeats. Integration of the human Abeta gene into the tomato genome and its transcription were detected by PCR and Northern blot, respectively. Expression of the Abeta protein was confirmed by western blot and ELISA, and then the transgenic tomato line expressing the highest protein level was selected for vaccination. Mice immunized orally with total soluble extracts from the transgenic tomato plants elicited an immune response after receiving a booster. The results indicate that tomato plants may provide a useful system for the production of human Abeta antigen.
Youm
Jung Won
JW
Plant Genomics Research Center, KRIBB, 111 Gwahangno, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-806, Korea.
Jeon
Jae Heung
JH
Kim
Hee
H
Kim
Young Ho
YH
Ko
Kisung
K
Joung
Hyouk
H
Kim
Hyunsoon
H
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D017931:DNA Primers; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology*
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D017931:DNA Primers; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic