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Bioprospecting in plants for engineered proteins.
1The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, Harrington Department of Bioengineering, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA. Lokesh.Joshi@asu.edu
Current Opinion in Plant Biology
|March 9, 2005
Summary
Bioengineered plants can produce protein therapeutics, overcoming manufacturing limitations. Recent advances in glycosylation pathways enable the creation of plant-derived glycoproteins with mammalian-like structures for therapeutic use.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Molecular Biology
- Plant Science
Background:
- Plants have been utilized for over 20 years to produce protein therapeutics, including antibodies, vaccines, and plasma proteins.
- Existing microbial and mammalian systems face manufacturing capacity limitations, driving the need for alternative production platforms.
- Plant-based protein production offers a scalable and attractive alternative to meet the increasing demand for protein therapeutics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the challenges of bioequivalence and product consistency in plant-derived protein therapeutics.
- To investigate the role of post-translational protein modifications (PTMs), particularly glycosylation, in protein structure and function.
- To explore the potential of bioengineered plants for producing glycoproteins with mammalian-like glycosylation patterns.
Main Methods:
- Review of advancements in bioengineered plant systems for protein production.
- Analysis of post-translational protein modifications (PTMs) and their impact on protein therapeutics.
- Examination of strategies to 'humanize' plant glycosylation pathways.
- Investigation of terminal sialic acids (SAs) in plants.
Main Results:
- Plants are a viable system for producing a wide range of protein therapeutics.
- Post-translational protein modifications (PTMs), especially glycosylation, are critical for protein bioequivalence and consistency.
- Recent advances allow for the 'humanization' of plant glycosylation pathways.
- The discovery of terminal sialic acids (SAs) in plants facilitates the production of mammalian-like glycoproteins.
Conclusions:
- Bioengineered plants present a promising alternative for large-scale protein therapeutic manufacturing.
- Overcoming challenges in glycosylation through pathway engineering is key to achieving bioequivalent and consistent plant-derived glycoproteins.
- The ability to produce mammalian-like glycosylation in plants paves the way for their broader acceptance in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.