Production of a functional single chain antibody attached to the surface of a plant virus
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Updated: Oct 26, 2026

Production of IgG Fusion Proteins Transiently Expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana
Published on: January 16, 2021
L Smolenska1, I M Roberts, D Learmonth
1Department of Virology, Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, UK.
Abstract:
A potato virus X (PVX) vector was used to express a single chain antibody fragment (scFv) against the herbicide diuron, as a fusion to the viral coat protein. The modified virus accumulated in inoculated Nicotiana clevelandii plants and assembled to give virus particles carrying the antibody fragment. Electron microscopy was used to show that virus particles from infected leaf sap were specifically trapped on grids coated with a diuron-BSA conjugate. The results demonstrate that the PVX vector can be used as a presentation system for functional scFv.
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