title: Arabidopsis thaliana plants expressing Rift Valley fever virus antigens: Mice exhibit systemic immune responses as the result of oral administration of the transgenic plants.
abstract: The zoonotic Rift Valley fever virus affects livestock and humans in Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula. The economic impact of this pathogen due to livestock losses, as well as its relevance to public health, underscores the importance of developing effective and easily distributed vaccines. Vaccines that can be delivered orally are of particular interest. Here, we report the expression in transformed plants (Arabidopsis thaliana) of Rift Valley fever virus antigens. The antigens used in this study were the N protein and a deletion mutant of the Gn glycoprotein. Transformed lines were analysed for specific mRNA and protein content by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Furthermore, the plant-expressed antigens were evaluated for their immunogenicity in mice fed the transgenic plants. After oral intake of fresh transgenic plant material, a proportion of the mice elicited specific IgG antibody responses, as compared to the control animals that were fed wild-type plants and of which none sero-converted. Thus, we show that transgenic plants can be readily used to express and produce Rift Valley Fever virus proteins, and that the plants are immunogenic when given orally to mice. These are promising findings and provide a basis for further studies on edible plant vaccines against the Rift Valley fever virus.
authors.affiliation: Örebro Life Science Center, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, SE-70182 Örebro, Sweden.
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kalbina
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Public Health Agency of Sweden, SE-17182 Solna, Sweden; Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lagerqvist
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden; Veterinary Faculty, Eduardo Mondlane University, C. Postal 257 Maputo, Mozambique.
authors.forename: Bélisario
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Moiane
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, SE-90187 Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Clas
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ahlm
authors.affiliation: Örebro Life Science Center, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, SE-70182 Örebro, Sweden; Department of Clinical Microbiology, Örebro University Hospital, SE-70185 Örebro, Sweden; School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, SE-70182 Örebro, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sören
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: Örebro Life Science Center, School of Science and Technology, Örebro University, SE-70182 Örebro, Sweden. Electronic address: ake.strid@oru.se.
authors.forename: Åke
authors.initials: Å
authors.lastname: Strid
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Public Health Agency of Sweden, SE-17182 Solna, Sweden; Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17177 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: kerstin.falk@folkhalsomyndigheten.se.
authors.forename: Kerstin I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Falk
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D000071497:Immunogenicity, Vaccine; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology; D012296:Rift Valley fever virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D014765:Viral Vaccines
keywords: Antigen production; Arabidopsis thaliana; Plant vaccine; Rift valley fever virus; Transformation