Stable plastid transformation for high-level recombinant protein expression: promises and challenges

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Biotechnology
• Plant Science

Background:

• Plants serve as a promising system for recombinant protein production.
• Low protein productivity is a significant barrier to commercializing plant-based bioproduction platforms.
• Plastid genetic engineering offers advantages like high expression, containment, and multigene expression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the advancements in plastid genetic engineering for enhanced recombinant protein production.
• To discuss strategies that drive high expression levels in plastid bioreactors.
• To address challenges and solutions in plastid-based bioproduction systems.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing optimized expression strategies in plastid genetic engineering.
• Implementing codon optimization, promoter and UTR selection, and genotypic modifications.
• Leveraging endogenous enhancer and regulatory elements, alongside posttranslational modification and proteolysis.

Main Results:

• Significant progress in achieving high expression levels for pharmaceuticals like vaccine antigens, therapeutic proteins, antibiotics, and enzymes.
• Demonstrated effectiveness of various strategies in boosting protein yields within plastids.
• Identified key factors contributing to high expression in plastid bioreactors.

Conclusions:

• Plastid genetic engineering is a powerful tool for high-level recombinant protein production in plants.
• Optimized expression strategies are crucial for overcoming previous limitations in molecular farming.
• Addressing challenges such as transformation efficiency and protein purification is essential for broader application.