[Expression of multiepitope antigenic gene of Toxoplasma gondii in transgenic tomatoes].
OBJECTIVE
To obtain the transgenic tomato plant expressed multiepitope antigenic gene of Toxoplasma gondii (Tg-MAG).


METHODS
Tg-MAG under the control of E35S promoter, E35S-E81.1 chimeric promoter and E8 2.2 promoter in the plant expression vectors was transferred into the tomato cotyledons and hypocotyls via Agrobacterium-mediated T-DNA transformation. The candidate buds were obtained and elongated by kanamycin resistant screening. After further rooting selection, the selected tomato lines were trained and transplanted to soil and grown in a greenhouse till blossoming and bearing fruit. The transgenic tomato plants were identified using PCR, RT-PCR and Western blotting.


RESULTS
Tg-MAG was introduced into the transgenic plant genomic DNA and transcribed correctly at expected size 360 bp identified by PCR and RT-PCR. Western blotting results indicated that the recombinant Tg-MAG from 8 transgenic lines, expressed in tomato fruits at expected size 11900, 2 of them showed strong reaction band with HRP labeled McAb K7H3 against the major surface antigen 1( SAG1) of T. gondii tachyzoites.


CONCLUSIONS
Tg-MAG transgenic tomato lines were obtained. Tg-MAG recombinant protein with good immune activity was expressed successfully in transgenic tomato fruits.
Zhou
Xiao-hong
XH
Department of Parasitology, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
Huang
Xiao-qin
XQ
Zhong
Ren-jia
RJ
Zhu
Qiao-zhen
QZ
Zhao
Ying
Y
Guo
Yu-qi
YQ
Chen
Xiao-guang
XG
D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D015870:Gene Expression; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology
D000953:Antigens, Protozoan