Implications of plant glycans in the development of innovative vaccines

Abstract

Plant glycans play a central role in vaccinology: they can serve as adjuvants and/or delivery vehicles or backbones for the synthesis of conjugated vaccines. In addition, genetic engineering is leading to the development of platforms for the production of novel polysaccharides in plant cells, an approach with relevant implications for the design of new types of vaccines. This review contains an updated outlook on this topic and provides key perspectives including a discussion on how the molecular pharming field can be linked to the production of innovative glycan-based and conjugate vaccines.

Production of complex viral glycoproteins in plants as vaccine immunogens

“…The potential negative implications for use of proteins with these plant-specific glyco-epitopes have prompted extensive efforts to humanize the glycosylation of proteins in plants by elimination of plant-specific glycans and the introduction of human glycosyltransferases [reviewed by Strasser et al (2014)]. It is also interesting to note that a number of different plant polysaccharides are even being explored as adjuvants, with several having advanced into clinical trials [reviewed by Rosales-Mendoza et al (2016)].…”

“…It is also interesting to note that a number of different plant polysaccharides are even being explored as adjuvants, with several having advanced into clinical trials [reviewed by Rosales‐Mendoza et al . ()].…”

Effect of edible fungal polysaccharides on improving influenza vaccine protection in mice

“…Chinese herb isatis has been used for centuries in traditional medicine for the treatment of influenza due to immunostimulatory functions of isatis polysaccharide (Roxas & Jurenka, 2007). Plant polysaccharides (mannan, delta inulin, β-glucan, starch, dextran and pectin) were also used as vaccine adjuvants and delivery vehicles (Rosales-Mendoza, Salazar-González, Decker, & Reski, 2016). A single dose vaccine can achieve immune-protection against influenza when delta inulin was used as the adjuvant (Honda-Okubo, Ong, & Petrovsky, 2015).…”

Plant expression systems, a budding way to confront chikungunya and Zika in developing countries?

“…Plant platforms operate at a small fraction of the cost (0.1% to 10%) of other expression systems like bacteria or mammalian cells 9 . Additionally, it has higher protein yield, lower contamination risk, lower storage cost, ability to assemble complex proteins with minor glycosylation differences, as well as high product quality, safety, and scalability 9 , 10 .…”

“…Glycoengineering allows modification of protein glycosylation patterns in order to improve immunogenicity. Additionally, plant derived polysaccharides have been proposed as adjuvants and vehicles, further highlighting plants as a biofactory for antigen production 10 , 11 . Finally, viral antigens produced in plants have been used to target other arboviruses like the West Nile virus 11 .…”