A humanized monoclonal antibody produced in transgenic plants for immunoprotection of the vagina against genital herpes

Abstract

The ability to produce monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) in plants offers the opportunity for the development of an inexpensive method of mucosal immunoprotection against sexually transmitted diseases. To investigate the suitability of plant-expressed Mabs for vaginal preventive applications, we compared a humanized anti-herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) Mab expressed in mammalian cell culture with the same antibody expressed in soybean. We found these Mabs to be similar in their stability in human semen and cervical mucus over 24 h, their ability to diffuse in human cervical mucus, and their efficacy for prevention of vaginal HSV-2 infection in the mouse.

Medical molecular farming: production of antibodies, biopharmaceuticals and edible vaccines in plants

“…The plantibody also lacked sialic acid, which represented ~10% of the sugar content of the mouse monoclonal antibody. These differences in glycan structure appear to have no effect on antigen binding or affinity in vitro 3,4,11,13 and might not be significant in vivo either. An IgG produced in alfalfa had a serum half-life in Balb/c mice that was indistinguishable from that of the hybridomaproduced antibody 4 .…”

“…Most antibodies expressed to date have been in tobacco, although recently potatoes, soybean, alfalfa, rice and wheat have also been used successfully [2][3][4][5][6] . The major advantage of using green tissue (tobacco, alfalfa, soybean) is sheer productivity.…”

“…This tobacco-produced antibody was applied topically to teeth and found to be as effective as an IgG produced in a murine hybridoma at preventing recolonization by S. mutans 8 . The second antibody, a humanized anti-herpes-simplex virus (HSV) antibody made in soybean, was effective in the prevention of vaginal HSV-2 transmission in a mouse model 3 . Its activity was indistinguishable both in vitro and in vivo from the monoclonal antibody produced in cell culture.…”

Plantibodies in human and animal health: a review

“…It is a clinically advanced anti-Streptococcus mutans secretory immunoglobulin A plantibody that binds specifically to the bacterium, thus protecting humans from dental caries that the organism causes 23 . Another plantibody with human medical applications is a humanised antibody against herpes simplex virus glycoprotein B which was expressed in soybean 24 . In a study conducted by Hull et al 25 , antibodies engineered to bind to Bacillus anthracis were extracted from transgenic strains of tobacco and tested in mice.…”

Vasopressin and nitric oxide synthesis after three days of water or food deprivation

“…In addition to their natural occurrence in vertebrates, a number of recombinant anti-bodies have also been successfully expressed in transgenic plants or plant cell cultures [15]. Antibody expression in plants can be applied widely for research and diagnostic purposes: Recombinant antibodies produced in plants (plantibodies) can be purified and applied ex planta for human diagnosis or therapy [9,16,25], or be put to use in planta to immunomodulate enzymes [11] or signal molecules [23], to develop herbicide-tolerance [8], to interfere with cellular metabolism or pathogen infectivity [26]. A survey of recent publications indicates that immunomodulation and protection approaches are harder to perform and consequently rarer than the expression of plantibodies for bulk production purposes.…”