It is well established that proper N-glycosylation significantly influences the efficacy of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). However, the specific immunological relevance of individual mAbassociated N-glycan structures is currently largely unknown, because of the heterogeneous N-glycan profiles of mAbs when produced in mammalian cells. Here we report on the generation of a plant-based expression platform allowing the efficient production of mAbs with a homogeneous ␤1,4-galactosylated N-glycosylation structure, the major N-glycan species present on serum IgG. This was achieved by the expression of a highly active modified version of the human ␤1,4-galactosyltransferase in glycoengineered plants lacking plant-specific glycosylation. Moreover, we demonstrate that two anti-human immunodeficiency virus mAbs with fully ␤1,4-galactosylated N-glycans display improved virus neutralization potency when compared with other glycoforms produced in plants and Chinese hamster ovary cells. These findings indicate that mAbs containing such homogeneous N-glycan structures should display improved in vivo activities. Our system, using expression of mAbs in tobacco plants engineered for post-translational protein processing, provides a new means of overcoming the two hurdles that limit the therapeutic use of anti-human immunodeficiency virus mAbs in global health initiatives, low biological potency and high production costs.

Many therapeutic proteins are glycosylated and require terminal sialylation to attain full biological activity. Current manufacturing methods based on mammalian cell culture allow only limited control of this important posttranslational modification, which may lead to the generation of products with low efficacy. Here we report in vivo protein sialylation in plants, which have been shown to be well suited for the efficient generation of complex mammalian glycoproteins. This was achieved by the introduction of an entire mammalian biosynthetic pathway in Nicotiana benthamiana, comprising the coordinated expression of the genes for (i) biosynthesis, (ii) activation, (iii) transport, and (iv) transfer of Neu5Ac to terminal galactose. We show the transient overexpression and functional integrity of six mammalian proteins that act at various stages of the biosynthetic pathway and demonstrate their correct subcellular localization. Co-expression of these genes with a therapeutic glycoprotein, a human monoclonal antibody, resulted in quantitative sialylation of the Fc domain. Sialylation was at great uniformity when glycosylation mutants that lack plant-specific N-glycan residues were used as expression hosts. Finally, we demonstrate efficient neutralization activity of the sialylated monoclonal antibody, indicating full functional integrity of the reporter protein. We report for the first time the incorporation of the entire biosynthetic pathway for protein sialylation in a multicellular organism naturally lacking sialylated glycoconjugates. Besides the biotechnological impact of the achievement, this work may serve as a general model for the manipulation of complex traits into plants.

Glycoengineering is increasingly being recognized as a powerful tool to generate recombinant glycoproteins with a customized N-glycosylation pattern. Here, we demonstrate the modulation of the plant glycosylation pathway toward the formation of human-type bisected and branched complex N-glycans. Glycoengineered Nicotiana benthamiana lacking plant-specific N-glycosylation (i.e. β1,2-xylose and core α1,3-fucose) was used to transiently express human erythropoietin (hEPO) and human transferrin (hTF) together with modified versions of human β1,4-mannosyl-β1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (GnTIII), α1,3-mannosyl-β1,4-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (GnTIV) and α1,6-mannosyl-β1,6-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (GnTV). hEPO was expressed as a fusion to the IgG-Fc domain (EPO-Fc) and purified via protein A affinity chromatography. Recombinant hTF was isolated from the intracellular fluid of infiltrated plant leaves. Mass spectrometry-based N-glycan analysis of hEPO and hTF revealed the quantitative formation of bisected (GnGnbi) and tri- as well as tetraantennary complex N-glycans (Gn[GnGn], [GnGn]Gn and [GnGn][GnGn]). Co-expression of GnTIII together with GnTIV and GnTV resulted in the efficient generation of bisected tetraantennary complex N-glycans. Our results show the generation of recombinant proteins with human-type N-glycosylation at great uniformity. The strategy described here provides a robust and straightforward method for producing mammalian-type N-linked glycans of defined structures on recombinant glycoproteins, which can advance glycoprotein research and accelerate the development of protein-based therapeutics.

Plants are increasingly being used as an expression system for complex recombinant proteins. However, our limited knowledge of the intrinsic factors that act along the secretory pathway, which may compromise product integrity, renders process design difficult in some cases. Here, we pursued the recombinant expression of the human protease inhibitor a1-antitrypsin (A1AT) in Nicotiana benthamiana. This serum protein undergoes intensive posttranslational modifications. Unusually high levels of recombinant A1AT were expressed in leaves (up to 6 mg g 21 of leaf material) in two forms: full-length A1AT located in the endoplasmic reticulum displaying inhibitory activity, and secreted A1AT processed in the reactive center loop, thus rendering it unable to interact with target proteinases. We found that the terminal protein processing is most likely a consequence of the intrinsic function of A1AT (i.e. its interaction with proteases [most likely serine proteases] along the secretory pathway). Secreted A1AT carried vacuolar-type paucimannosidic N-glycans generated by the activity of hexosaminidases located in the apoplast/plasma membrane. Notwithstanding, an intensive glycoengineering approach led to secreted A1AT carrying sialylated N-glycan structures largely resembling its serum-derived counterpart. In summary, we elucidate unique insights in plant glycosylation processes and show important aspects of postendoplasmic reticulum protein processing in plants.

Background: Plants lack the machinery for mucin-type O-glycosylation.Results: Transient expression of the mammalian O-glycosylation pathway in Nicotiana benthamiana resulted in the formation of sialylated mucin-type O-glycans on recombinant erythropoietin.Conclusion: Therapeutic proteins with engineered N- and O-glycosylation can be produced in plants.Significance: Plants are attractive hosts for the production of glycosylated recombinant proteins with defined glycan structures.