title: Chloroplast molecular farming: efficient production of a thermostable xylanase by Nicotiana tabacum plants and long-term conservation of the recombinant enzyme.
abstract: The high cost of recombinant enzymes for the production of biofuel from ligno-cellulosic biomass is a crucial factor affecting the economic sustainability of the process. The use of plants as biofactories for the production of the suitable recombinant enzymes might be an alternative to microbial fermentation. In the case of enzyme accumulation in chloroplasts, it is fundamental to focus on the issue of full photosynthetic efficiency of transplastomic plants in the field where they might be exposed to abiotic stress such as high light intensity and high temperature. Xylanases (EC 3.2.1.8), a group of enzymes that hydrolyse linear polysaccharides of beta-1,4-xylan into xylose, find an application in the biofuel industry favouring biomass saccharification along with other cell-wall degrading enzymes. In the present study, we analysed how a high level of accumulation of a thermostable xylanase in tobacco chloroplasts does not impact on photosynthetic performance of transplastomic plants grown outdoors. The recombinant enzyme was found to be stable during plant development, ex planta and after long-term storage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pantaleoni
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Longoni
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferroni
authors.forename: Costanza
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baldisserotto
authors.forename: Sadhu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leelavathi
authors.forename: Vanga Siva
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: Simonetta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pancaldi
authors.forename: Rino
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cella
mesh_terms: D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D058634:Molecular Farming; D010788:Photosynthesis; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D014995:Xylosidases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014995:Xylosidases