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Plant-Derived Pharmaceuticals by Molecular Farming

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioactives and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2011) | Viewed by 52143

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This special issue is aimed at both the basic and applied sciences of Plant Molecular Farming (PMF). PMF is the growing and harvesting of genetically engineered crops of transgenic plants, to produce biopharmaceuticals or industrial compounds instead of food, feed, or fibre. The possibilities cover from the manufacture of medical products, such as pharmaceuticals (drugs) and vaccines, to the products of industrial purpose like biodegradable plastics. The advantages of PMF in terms of production scale and economy, product safety, ease of storage and distribution are superior than any current commercial system. Despite the promising benefits, the commercialization of plant-derived pharmaceutical products is lagging by the uncertainty, particularly with regard to the adaptation of good manufacturing practice regulations to field-grown plants. Although it is not yet routinely commercialized, interest and investment in PMF are extending rapidly. PMF will be progressed for the core commercial development in biotechnology. Licensing of full scale production is forthcoming, although cultivated area in field will be very limited and highly regulated, or the initial stage of cultivation may begin in controlled greenhouses. The objective of this special issue is to provide high quality research results on novel gene expression in plants and its industrial or clinical application. I wish to thank all the authors for their contribution to this special issue.

Prof. Dr. Chang Won Choi
Guest Editor

Keywords

  • edible vaccines
  • antibodies for diagnostic, preventative, and therapeutic applications
  • bioplastics made from simple, biodegradable molecules produced in plants
  • an enzyme used in the treatment of human and animals
  • enzymes for use in food processing
  • proteins for industrial purpose

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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572 KiB  
Article
Transient Co-Expression of Post-Transcriptional Gene Silencing Suppressors for Increased in Planta Expression of a Recombinant Anthrax Receptor Fusion Protein
by Lucas Arzola, Junxing Chen, Kittipong Rattanaporn, James M. Maclean and Karen A. McDonald
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2011, 12(8), 4975-4990; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms12084975 - 05 Aug 2011
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 9378
Abstract
Potential epidemics of infectious diseases and the constant threat of bioterrorism demand rapid, scalable, and cost-efficient manufacturing of therapeutic proteins. Molecular farming of tobacco plants provides an alternative for the recombinant production of therapeutics. We have developed a transient production platform that uses [...] Read more.
Potential epidemics of infectious diseases and the constant threat of bioterrorism demand rapid, scalable, and cost-efficient manufacturing of therapeutic proteins. Molecular farming of tobacco plants provides an alternative for the recombinant production of therapeutics. We have developed a transient production platform that uses Agrobacterium infiltration of Nicotiana benthamiana plants to express a novel anthrax receptor decoy protein (immunoadhesin), CMG2-Fc. This chimeric fusion protein, designed to protect against the deadly anthrax toxins, is composed of the von Willebrand factor A (VWA) domain of human capillary morphogenesis 2 (CMG2), an effective anthrax toxin receptor, and the Fc region of human immunoglobulin G (IgG). We evaluated, in N. benthamiana intact plants and detached leaves, the expression of CMG2-Fc under the control of the constitutive CaMV 35S promoter, and the co-expression of CMG2-Fc with nine different viral suppressors of post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS): p1, p10, p19, p21, p24, p25, p38, 2b, and HCPro. Overall, transient CMG2-Fc expression was higher on intact plants than detached leaves. Maximum expression was observed with p1 co-expression at 3.5 days post-infiltration (DPI), with a level of 0.56 g CMG2-Fc per kg of leaf fresh weight and 1.5% of the total soluble protein, a ten-fold increase in expression when compared to absence of suppression. Co-expression with the p25 PTGS suppressor also significantly increased the CMG2-Fc expression level after just 3.5 DPI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Derived Pharmaceuticals by Molecular Farming)
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127 KiB  
Article
Interactions of Antibiotics and Methanolic Crude Extracts of Afzelia Africana (Smith.) Against Drug Resistance Bacterial Isolates
by Olayinka Aiyegoro, Adekanmi Adewusi, Sunday Oyedemi, David Akinpelu and Anthony Okoh
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2011, 12(7), 4477-4487; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms12074477 - 13 Jul 2011
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 8405
Abstract
Infection due to multidrug resistance pathogens is difficult to manage due to bacterial virulence factors and because of a relatively limited choice of antimicrobial agents. Thus, it is imperative to discover fresh antimicrobials or new practices that are effective for the treatment of [...] Read more.
Infection due to multidrug resistance pathogens is difficult to manage due to bacterial virulence factors and because of a relatively limited choice of antimicrobial agents. Thus, it is imperative to discover fresh antimicrobials or new practices that are effective for the treatment of infectious diseases caused by drug-resistant microorganisms. The objective of this experiment is to investigate for synergistic outcomes when crude methanolic extract of the stem bark of Afzelia africana and antibiotics were combined against a panel of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains that have been implicated in infections. Standard microbiological protocols were used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the extract and antibiotics, as well as to investigate the effect of combinations of the methanolic extract of A. africana stem bark and selected antibiotics using the time-kill assay method. The extract of Afzelia africana exhibited antibacterial activities against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria made up of environmental and standard strains at a screening concentration of 5 mg/mL. The MICs of the crude extracts and the antibiotics varied between 1 μg/mL and 5.0 mg/mL. Overall, synergistic response constituted about 63.79% of all manner of combinations of extract and antibiotics against all test organisms; antagonism was not detected among the 176 tests carried out. The extract from A. africana stem bark showed potentials of synergy in combination with antibiotics against strains of pathogenic bacteria. The detection of synergy between the extract and antibiotics demonstrates the potential of this plant as a source of antibiotic resistance modulating compounds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Derived Pharmaceuticals by Molecular Farming)
351 KiB  
Article
Membrane-Based Inverse Transition Cycling: An Improved Means for Purifying Plant-Derived Recombinant Protein-Elastin-Like Polypeptide Fusions
by Hoang Trong Phan and Udo Conrad
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2011, 12(5), 2808-2821; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms12052808 - 29 Apr 2011
Cited by 38 | Viewed by 10979
Abstract
Elastin-like peptide (ELP) was fused to two different avian flu H5N1 antigens and expressed in transgenic tobacco plants. The presence of the ELP tag enhanced the accumulation of the heterologous proteins in the tobacco leaves. An effective membrane-based Inverse Transition Cycling was developed [...] Read more.
Elastin-like peptide (ELP) was fused to two different avian flu H5N1 antigens and expressed in transgenic tobacco plants. The presence of the ELP tag enhanced the accumulation of the heterologous proteins in the tobacco leaves. An effective membrane-based Inverse Transition Cycling was developed to recover the ELPylated antigens and antibodies from plant material. The functionality of both the ELPylated neuraminidase and an ELPylated nanobody was demonstrated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Derived Pharmaceuticals by Molecular Farming)
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Review

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337 KiB  
Review
Recombinant Cytokines from Plants
by Agnieszka Sirko, Tomas Vaněk, Anna Góra-Sochacka and Patrycja Redkiewicz
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2011, 12(6), 3536-3552; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms12063536 - 03 Jun 2011
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 10009
Abstract
Plant-based platforms have been successfully applied for the last two decades for the efficient production of pharmaceutical proteins. The number of commercialized products biomanufactured in plants is, however, rather discouraging. Cytokines are small glycosylated polypeptides used in the treatment of cancer, immune disorders [...] Read more.
Plant-based platforms have been successfully applied for the last two decades for the efficient production of pharmaceutical proteins. The number of commercialized products biomanufactured in plants is, however, rather discouraging. Cytokines are small glycosylated polypeptides used in the treatment of cancer, immune disorders and various other related diseases. Because the clinical use of cytokines is limited by high production costs they are good candidates for plant-made pharmaceuticals. Several research groups explored the possibilities of cost-effective production of animal cytokines in plant systems. This review summarizes recent advances in this field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Derived Pharmaceuticals by Molecular Farming)
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204 KiB  
Review
Evolution of Plant-Made Pharmaceuticals
by David R. Thomas, Claire A. Penney, Amrita Majumder and Amanda M. Walmsley
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2011, 12(5), 3220-3236; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms12053220 - 17 May 2011
Cited by 42 | Viewed by 12724
Abstract
The science and policy of pharmaceuticals produced and/or delivered by plants has evolved over the past twenty-one years from a backyard remedy to regulated, purified products. After seemingly frozen at Phase I human clinical trials with six orally delivered plant-made vaccines not progressing [...] Read more.
The science and policy of pharmaceuticals produced and/or delivered by plants has evolved over the past twenty-one years from a backyard remedy to regulated, purified products. After seemingly frozen at Phase I human clinical trials with six orally delivered plant-made vaccines not progressing past this stage over seven years, plant-made pharmaceuticals have made a breakthrough with several purified plant-based products advancing to Phase II trials and beyond. Though fraught with the usual difficulties of pharmaceutical development, pharmaceuticals made by plants have achieved pertinent milestones albeit slowly compared to other pharmaceutical production systems and are now at the cusp of reaching the consumer. Though the current economic climate begs for cautious investment as opposed to trail blazing, it is perhaps a good time to look to the future of plant-made pharmaceutical technology to assist in planning for future developments in order not to slow this technology’s momentum. To encourage continued progress, we highlight the advances made so far by this technology, particularly the change in paradigms, comparing developmental timelines, and summarizing the current status and future possibilities of plant-made pharmaceuticals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Derived Pharmaceuticals by Molecular Farming)
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