Expression of functional interleukin-12 from mouse in transgenic tomato plants

Transgenic plants have been employed successfully as a low-cost system for the production of therapeutically valuable proteins, including antibodies, antigens and hormones. Here, we report the expression of a cytokine with immunomodulatory function, mouse interleukin-12 (IL-12), in transgenic tomato plants. Single-chain mouse IL-12 driven by the CaMV 35S promoter, accumulates to high levels in leaves and fruits (up to 7.3 and 3.4 microg per gram of fresh weight, respectively). Mouse IL-12 expressed in tomato displays biological activity in vitro, as determined by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) secretion by T cells. Possible uses of this plant-based cytokine involving mucosal delivery are discussed.