Boosting lactoferrin yields in Nicotiana tabacum via HC-Pro co-agroinfiltration
摘要
Plant-based recombinant protein production provides a safe and cost-effective method for producing functional medicinal proteins. However, transgene silencing, a natural defense mechanism in plants, often reduces protein production by causing transgenes to behave differently than expected. To overcome this issue, some viruses encode a Helper-Component Proteinase (HC-Pro) that can suppress RNA silencing.
ObjectivesThis study evaluated the potential of a Potato Virus A (PVA)-derived HC-Pro suppressor to enhance the expression of recombinant Camelus dromedarius lactoferrin (CdLF) in Nicotiana tabacum.
MethodsConstructs for expressing CdLF were generated using the pGWB17-PVA-HC-Pro and pART27 vectors [
Co-expression of the HC-Pro suppressor effectively increased recombinant CdLF production in transgenic plants. Transcriptional increases of 5.7-fold in wild-type agroinfiltrated plants and 3.6-fold in T1 plants, compared to controls, resulted in a 3.4-fold and 1.8-fold rise in recombinant CdLF protein production, respectively. Functional analysis also confirmed that the recombinant CdLF protein had significant antimicrobial properties. Overall, this study demonstrated that the HC-Pro suppressor, derived from the PVA virus, significantly enhances CdLF yield and has the potential to improve plant-based recombinant protein production.