Expression of multiple proteins using full-length and deleted versions of cowpea mosaic virus RNA-2

The use of multiple copies of vectors based on either full-length or deleted versions of cowpea mosaic virus RNA-2 for the production of heteromeric proteins in plants was investigated. Co-infiltration of two full-length RNA-2 constructs containing different marker genes into Nicotiana benthamiana in the presence of RNA-1 showed that the two foreign proteins were efficiently expressed within the same cell in inoculated tissue. Furthermore, the proteins were co-localized to the same subcellular compartments, an essential prerequisite for heteromer formation. However, segregation of two separate RNA-2 molecules, and therefore expression of the two proteins, was observed on systemic spread of the recombinant viruses. Thus, efficient assembly of heteromeric proteins is likely to occur only in inoculated tissue. To determine the optimum approach for expression in inoculated tissue, the heavy and light chains of the blood group-typing immunoglobulin G (IgG) C5-1 were inserted into full-length and deleted versions of RNA-2, and the constructs were agroinfiltrated in the presence of RNA-1. The results obtained showed that full-size IgG molecules accumulated using both approaches, but that the levels were significantly higher when deleted RNA-2 vectors were used. The levels were also greatly enhanced by the inclusion of an endoplasmic reticulum retention signal at the C-terminus of the heavy chain. As the potential benefit of using full-length RNA-2 constructs, the ability to spread systemically, appears to be irrelevant to the production of heteromeric proteins, the use of deleted versions of RNA-2 is clearly advantageous, particularly as they offer the benefit of biocontainment.