High-level expression of human immunodeficiency virus antigens from the tobacco and tomato plastid genomes.
Transgene expression from the plant's plastid genome represents a promising strategy in molecular farming because of the plastid's potential to accumulate foreign proteins to high levels and the increased biosafety provided by the maternal mode of organelle inheritance. In this article, we explore the potential of transplastomic plants to produce human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antigens as potential components of an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) vaccine. It is shown that the HIV antigens p24 (the major target of T-cell-mediated immune responses in HIV-positive individuals) and Nef can be expressed to high levels in plastids of tobacco, a non-food crop, and tomato, a food crop with an edible fruit. Optimized p24-Nef fusion gene cassettes trigger antigen protein accumulation to up to approximately 40% of the plant's total protein, demonstrating the great potential of transgenic plastids to produce AIDS vaccine components at low cost and high yield.
Zhou
Fei
F
Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie, Am Mühlenberg 1, D-14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
Badillo-Corona
Jesus A
JA
Karcher
Daniel
D
Gonzalez-Rabade
Nuria
N
Piepenburg
Katrin
K
Borchers
A-M Inka
AM
Maloney
Alan P
AP
Kavanagh
Tony A
TA
Gray
John C
JC
Bock
Ralph
R
D001483:Base Sequence; D015870:Gene Expression; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D054627:Genome, Plastid; D006678:HIV / Q000235:genetics*; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics*; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics
D005819:Genetic Markers; D015488:HIV Antigens; D054311:nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus