Plant-produced human growth hormone shows biological activity in a rat model.
Plants have been shown to be efficient systems for expressing a wide range of recombinant proteins from various origins. Here, using a plant virus-based expression vector to produce human growth hormone (hGH) in Nicotiana benthamiana plants, we demonstrate, for the first time, that the plant-produced hGH (pphGH) is biologically active in a hypophysectomized rat model. We observed an average weight gain of approximately 17 g per animal in a group of 10 animals that were injected subcutaneously with pphGH with 60 microg/dose for 10 days. With the increasing demand for hGH, accompanied with the need to make this recombinant protein available to a wider population at a more reasonable cost, plants provide a feasible alternative to current production platforms.
Rabindran
Shailaja
S
Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology, Newark, DE 19711, USA. srabindran@mail.com
Stevenson
Natalie
N
Roy
Gourgopal
G
Fedorkin
Oleg
O
Skarjinskaia
Marina
M
Ensley
Burt
B
Yusibov
Vidadi
V
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019382:Human Growth Hormone