Pradhyumna Kumar Singh

Plants as bioreactors for the production of vaccine antigens

n Abstractn n Plants have been identified as promising expression systems for commercial production of vaccine antigens. In phase I clinical trials several plant-derived vaccine antigens have been found to be safe and induce sufficiently high immune response. Thus, transgenic plants, including edible plant parts are suggested as excellent alternatives for the production of vaccines and economic scale-up through cultivation. Improved understanding of plant molecular biology and consequent refinement in the genetic engineering techniques have led to designing approaches for high level expression of vaccine antigens in plants. During the last decade, several efficient plant-based expression systems have been examined and more than 100 recombinant proteins including plant-derived vaccine antigens have been expressed in different plant tissues. Estimates suggest that it may become possible to obtain antigen sufficient for vaccinating millions of individuals from one acre crop by expressing the antigen in seeds of an edible legume, like peanut or soybean. In the near future, a plethora of protein products, developed through ‘naturalized bioreactors’ may reach market. Efforts for further improvements in these technologies need to be directed mainly towards validation and applicability of plant-based standardized mucosal and edible vaccines, regulatory pharmacology, formulations and the development of commercially viable GLP protocols. This article reviews the current status of developments in the area of use of plants for the development of vaccine antigens.n n

Modulation of transcriptome and metabolome of tobacco by Arabidopsis transcription factor, AtMyb12, leads to insect resistance

Flavonoids synthesized by the phenylpropanoid pathway participate in myriad physiological and biochemical processes in plants. Due to the diversity of secondary transformations and the complexity of the regulation of branched pathways, single gene strategies have not been very successful in enhancing the accumulation of targeted molecules. We have expressed an Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) transcription factor, AtMYB12, in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), which resulted in enhanced expression of genes involved in the phenylpropanoid pathway, leading to severalfold higher accumulation of flavonols. Global gene expression and limited metabolite profiling of leaves in the transgenic lines of tobacco revealed that AtMYB12 regulated a number of pathways, leading to flux availability for the phenylpropanoid pathway in general and flavonol biosynthesis in particular. The tobacco transgenic lines developed resistance against the insect pests Spodoptera litura and Helicoverpa armigera due to enhanced accumulation of rutin. Suppression of flavonol biosynthesis by artificial microRNA reversed insect resistance of the AtMYB12-expressing tobacco plants. Our study suggests that AtMYB12 can be strategically used for developing safer insect pest-resistant transgenic plants.

RNA interference for the control of whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) by oral route

RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene silencing was explored for the control of sap-sucking pest Bemisia tabaci, commonly known as whitefly. dsRNAs and siRNAs were synthesized from five different genes – actin ortholog, ADP/ATP translocase, α-tubulin, ribosomal protein L9 (RPL9) and V-ATPase A subunit. A simplified insect bioassay method was developed for the delivery of ds/siRNA through the oral route, and efficacy was evaluated. ds/siRNA caused 29–97% mortality after 6xa0days of feeding. Each insect ingested nearly 150xa0nl of insect diet per day, which contained a maximum of 6xa0ng of RNA. Knocking down the expression of RPL9 and V-ATPase A caused higher mortality with LC50 11.21 and 3.08xa0μg/ml, respectively, as compared to other genes. Semi-quantitative PCR of the treated insects showed significant decrease in the level of RPL9 and V-ATPase A transcripts. siRNAs were found stable in the insect diet for at least 7xa0days at the room temperature. Phloem-specific expression of dsRNAs of RPL9 and V-ATPase A in transgenic plants for the protection against whiteflies might be an interesting application of this technology.

Universal plant DNA barcode loci may not work in complex groups: a case study with Indian berberis species.

Background The concept of DNA barcoding for species identification has gained considerable momentum in animals because of fairly successful species identification using cytochrome oxidase I (COI). In plants, matK and rbcL have been proposed as standard barcodes. However, barcoding in complex genera is a challenging task. Methodology and Principal Findings We investigated the species discriminatory power of four reportedly most promising plant DNA barcoding loci (one from nuclear genome- ITS, and three from plastid genome- trnH-psbA, rbcL and matK) in species of Indian Berberis L. (Berberidaceae) and two other genera, Ficus L. (Moraceae) and Gossypium L. (Malvaceae). Berberis species were delineated using morphological characters. These characters resulted in a well resolved species tree. Applying both nucleotide distance and nucleotide character-based approaches, we found that none of the loci, either singly or in combinations, could discriminate the species of Berberis. ITS resolved all the tested species of Ficus and Gossypium and trnH-psbA resolved 82% of the tested species in Ficus. The highly regarded matK and rbcL could not resolve all the species. Finally, we employed amplified fragment length polymorphism test in species of Berberis to determine their relationships. Using ten primer pair combinations in AFLP, the data demonstrated incomplete species resolution. Further, AFLP analysis showed that there was a tendency of the Berberis accessions to cluster according to their geographic origin rather than species affiliation. Conclusions/Significance We reconfirm the earlier reports that the concept of universal barcode in plants may not work in a number of genera. Our results also suggest that the matK and rbcL, recommended as universal barcode loci for plants, may not work in all the genera of land plants. Morphological, geographical and molecular data analyses of Indian species of Berberis suggest probable reticulate evolution and thus barcode markers may not work in this case.

Expression of an insecticidal fern protein in cotton protects against whitefly

Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) damages field crops by sucking sap and transmitting viral diseases. None of the insecticidal proteins used in genetically modified (GM) crop plants to date are effective against whitefly. We report the identification of a protein (Tma12) from an edible fern, Tectaria macrodonta (Fee) C. Chr., that is insecticidal to whitefly (median lethal concentration = 1.49 μg/ml in in vitro feeding assays) and interferes with its life cycle at sublethal doses. Transgenic cotton lines that express Tma12 at ∼0.01% of total soluble leaf protein were resistant to whitefly infestation in contained field trials, with no detectable yield penalty. The transgenic cotton lines were also protected from whitefly-borne cotton leaf curl viral disease. Rats fed Tma12 showed no detectable histological or biochemical changes, and this, together with the predicted absence of allergenic domains in Tma12, indicates that Tma12 might be well suited for deployment in GM crops to control whitefly and the viruses it carries.

SUMO fusion facilitates expression and purification of garlic leaf lectin but modifies some of its properties.

Over expression of lectin genes in E. coli often gives inclusion bodies that are solubilised to characterize lectins. We made N-terminal fusion of the Allium sativum leaf agglutinin (ASAL) with SUMO (small ubiquitin related modifier) peptide. The SUMO peptide allowed expression of the recombinant lectin in E. coli, predominantly in soluble form. The soluble fusion protein could be purified by immobilized metal affinity column (IMAC), followed by size exclusion chromatography. The SUMO protease failed to cleave the SUMO peptide from ASAL. This may be due to steric hindrance caused by the homodimer structure of the chimeric ASAL. Some properties like dimerization, haemagglutination and insecticidal properties of the recombinant SUMO-ASAL fusion protein were comparable to the plant derived native lectin. However, glycan array analysis revealed that the carbohydrate binding specificity of the recombinant SUMO-ASAL was altered. Further, the fusion protein was not toxic to E. coli (native ASAL exhibited toxicity). The recombinant lectin was more thermo-labile as compared to the native lectin. Three important findings of this study are: (1) sugar specificity of ASAL can be altered by amino-terminal fusion; (2) anti-E. coli activity of ASAL can be eliminated by N-terminal SUMO fusion and (3) SUMO-ASAL may be a preferred candidate insecticidal protein for the development of transgenic plants.

Role of alkaline phosphatase in insecticidal action of Cry1Ac against Helicoverpa armigera larvae

Cry1Ac δ-endotoxin produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is used as a bio-pesticide for the control of Helicoverpa armigera. Aminopeptidases N (APN) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) play critical roles in its action against H. armigera larvae. The binding of Cry1Ac with brush border membrane vesicle (BBMV) proteins was increased with the larval development although the sensitivity of larvae to δ-endotoxins decreased. There was higher expression of ALP than APN in early instar larvae with a ~10-fold higher affinity of Cry1Ac towards ALP than to APN. Binding to a specific receptor is therefore more important for the insecticidal activity rather than overall binding to the BBMV proteins. ALP might play a major role in toxicity as compared to APN.

BECLIN1 from Arabidopsis thaliana under the generic control of regulated expression systems, a strategy for developing male sterile plants.

Induction of male sterility followed by successful outcrossing is a prerequisite for hybrid seed production. In this article, we have identified a novel use of the BECLIN 1 gene of Arabidopsis, in inducing male sterility in plants, when expressed in the anther tapetum of tobacco. We also report a stringently regulated and high-level expression of the desired gene in tapetum by using a two-component transcription regulation system. The tapetum-specific, two-component transcription system utilizes the TGTA-TBPm³ complementation principle that has been demonstrated by us earlier. We also report a glucocorticoid-dependent expression of AtBECLIN 1 in tapetum, thereby developing glucocorticoid-inducible male sterility in plants.

Interaction of Allium sativum leaf agglutinin with midgut brush border membrane vesicles proteins and its stability in Helicoverpa armigera.

Allium sativum leaf agglutinin (ASAL) binds to several proteins in the midgut of Helicoverpa armigera and causes toxicity. Most of these were glycosylated. Six ASAL‐binding proteins were selected for identification. PMF and MS/MS data showed their similarity with midgut aminopeptidase APN2, polycalins and alkaline phosphatase of H. armigera, cadherin‐N protein (partial AGAP009726‐PA) of Acyrthosiphon pisum, cytochrome P450 (CYP315A1) of Manduca sexta and alkaline phosphatase of Heliothis virescens. Some of the ASAL‐binding midgut proteins were similar to the larval receptors responsible for the binding of δ‐endotoxin proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis. Galanthus nivalis agglutinin also interacted with most of the ASAL‐binding proteins. The ASAL showed resistance to midgut proteases and was detected in the larval hemolymph and excreta. Immunohistochemical staining revealed the presence of ASAL in the body tissue also.

Receptors of Garlic (Allium sativum) Lectins and Their Role in Insecticidal Action

Garlic (Allium sativum) lectins are promising candidate molecules for the protection against chewing (lepidopteran) as well as sap sucking (homopteran) insect pests. Molecular mechanism of toxicity and interaction of lectins with midgut receptor proteins has been described in many reports. Lectins show its effect right from sensory receptors of mouth parts by disrupting the membrane integrity and food detection ability. Subsequently, enter into the gut lumen and interact with midgut glycosylated proteins like alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aminopeptidase-N (APN), cadherin-like proteins, polycalins, sucrase, symbionin and others. These proteins play critical role in life cycle of insect directly or indirectly. Lectins interfere with the activity of these proteins and causes physiological disorders leading to the death of insects. Lectins further transported across the insect gut, accumulated in various body parts (like haemolymph and ovary) and interact with intracellular proteins like symbionin and cytochrome p450. Binding with cytochrome p450 (which involve in ecdysone synthesis) might interfere in the development of insects, which results in growth retardation and pre-mature death.