title: Companion protease inhibitors to protect recombinant proteins in transgenic plant extracts.
abstract: We describe a general approach for the use of recombinant protease inhibitors as stabilizing agents for clinically useful proteins extracted from transgenic plant tissues. A procedure is first described to assess the overall (in)stability of heterologous proteins in transgenic plant crude protein extracts. Step-by-step protocols are then presented for the choice and use of companion protease inhibitors inhibiting the host plant proteases during extraction. This strategy, that reproduces the protein-stabilizing effect of low-molecular-weight protease inhibitors often added to protein extraction media, does not require the exogenous addition of such expensive and often toxic compounds. It also presents the advantage of being intrinsically scalable to the amount of biomass processed.
authors.affiliation: Meriem Département de phytologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Meriem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Benchabane
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rivard
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Girard
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Michaud
mesh_terms: D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D011994:Recombinant Proteins