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Development of a new tobamovirus-based viral vector for protein expression in plants

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Abstract

Plants are becoming an interesting alternative system for the heterologous production of pharmaceutical proteins, providing a more scalable, cost-effective, and biologically safer option than the current expression systems. The development of plant virus expression vectors has allowed rapid and high-level transient expression of recombinant genes, and, in turn, provided an attractive plant-based production platform. Here we report the development of vectors based on the tobamovirus Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) to be used in transient expression of foreign genes. In this PMMoV vector, a middle part of the viral coat protein gene was replaced by the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene, and this recombinant genome was assembled in a binary vector suitable for plant agroinoculation. The accumulation of GFP was evaluated by observation of green fluorescent signals under UV light and by western blotting. Furthermore, by using this vector, the multiepitope gene for chikungunya virus was successfully expressed and confirmed by western blotting. This PMMoV-based vector represents an alternative system for a high-level production of heterologous protein in plants.

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Funding

This study was funded by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, CNPq (Grant Number 401755/2013-4).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biologia Celular, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Brasília, DF, 70910-900, Brazil

    Raquel Medeiros Vasques, Leonardo Lopes da Luz & Tatsuya Nagata

  2. Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, Brasília, DF, 70297-400, Brazil

    Cristiano Lacorte

  3. Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura (CEBAS), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 30100, Murcia, Spain

    Miguel A. Aranda

Authors
  1. Raquel Medeiros Vasques
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  2. Cristiano Lacorte
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  3. Leonardo Lopes da Luz
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  4. Miguel A. Aranda
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  5. Tatsuya Nagata
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Correspondence to Tatsuya Nagata.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Vasques, R.M., Lacorte, C., da Luz, L.L. et al. Development of a new tobamovirus-based viral vector for protein expression in plants. Mol Biol Rep 46, 97–103 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-018-4449-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-018-4449-4

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