Name: production of igg fusion proteins transiently expressed in nicotiana benthamiana
Uploaded: 2021-01-16T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Production of IgG Fusion Proteins Transiently Expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana at JoVE.com

We thank Maria Pia DiPalma for editing the video. We also thank the Office of Educational Outreach and Student Services at Arizona State University for their generous publication fee assistance. Research for this protocol was supported by the School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University.

1. Cultivate N. benthamiana plants
<ol>
	<li>Place soil peat pellets on a tray and pour previously boiled, still hot (~40-45 &#176;C), water over the peat pellets for full expansion. After pellets are fully expanded, place 2-3 N. benthamiana seeds on each peat pellet using tweezers.</li>
	<li>Pour about 0.5 in of water to cover the bottom of the tray. Label the tray with the seeding date. Continue to water the seedlings daily with appropriate amounts of fertilizer. Fe...

This protocol can be utilized for the visual verification of any recombinant Ab or recombinant protein produced in N. benthamiana plants, including those that require temporary exposure to acidic environments for column purification purposes42,43,44. Furthermore, the fusion of asGFP to other proteins in different expression systems can be a useful tool for experimental visualization and education. The protocol herein ca...

Industry reports indicate that thirteen out of the twenty most-highly grossing drugs in the United States were biologics (protein-based pharmaceuticals), of which nine were antibodies. As of 2019, there were over 570 antibody (Ab) therapeutics at various clinical development phases1,2,3. Current global Ab sales exceed 100 billion USD, and the monoclonal Ab (mAb) therapeutic market is expected to generate up to 300 billion USD by 20251,4. With such high demand and projected increases in revenue, researchers have been working to develop ways to produce Ab therapeutics on an ever-larger scale, with higher quality and lower-costs. Plant-based expression systems have several advantages over traditional mammalian cell lines for the affordable and large-scale manufacture of Ab therapeutics5,6. Production of protein therapeutics in plants (&#34;molecular pharming&#34;) does not require expensive bioreactors or cell culture facilities as do traditional mammalian cell culture techniques7,8. Plants cannot contract human pathogens, minimizing potential contamination9. Both transient and transgenic plant-based protein expression can be utilized as lower-cost alternatives to mammalian or bacterial production systems10. Though transgenic plants are preferred for crop production, recombinant protein production using this method can require weeks to months. Advances in transient expression using viral vectors through either syringe or vacuum agroinfiltration allow for small- and large-scale production, respectively, of the desired protein in days11,12,13,14. Production of mAbs against Ebola, Dengue and, Zika, and numerous other recombinant proteins, have been produced and purified quickly and efficiently using transient expression in N. benthamiana plants15,16,17,18,19. These circumstances make transient plant-based expression an attractive option for developing multiple Ab therapeutics and the methods demonstrated in this protocol20.
First-generation mAbs were of murine derivation, which resulted in non-specific immunogenicity when used in human trials21. Over time, chimeric, humanized, and eventually, fully human Abs were produced to lessen immunogenicity induced by Ab therapeutics. Unfortunately, some of these Abs still cause host immunogenicity due to differences in glycosylation21. Developments in plant engineering have allowed for the modification of Ab glycans, which is essential since an Ab&#39;s stability and function can significantly be affected by its glycosylation state22. Advances have allowed production in plant systems of high-level expression of humanized mAbs, containing human glycans and resultantly the desired biological traits of a mass-produced human pharmaceutical19,21.
In addition to recombinant Abs, Ab fusion molecules (Ab fusions) have been explored for various purposes in recent decades. Ab fusions often consist of an Ab or Ab fragment fused to a molecule or protein and are designed to elicit responses from immune effector cells23. These molecules have been created as potential therapeutic interventions to treat various pathologies such as cancer and autoimmune diseases24,25,26,27. Recombinant immune complexes (RICs) are another class of Ab fusions that have been employed as vaccine candidates28. RICs take advantage of the immune system&#39;s ability to recognize Fc regions of Ab fusions and have been found to improve immunogenicity when combined with other vaccine platforms29,30,31.&#160;
Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) is a bioluminescent protein derived from the jellyfish Aequorea Victoria, which emits green light when excited by ultraviolet light32,33. Over the years, GFP&#39;s use as a visual marker of gene expression has expanded from expression in Escherichia coli to numerous protein expression systems, including N. benthamiana plants34,35,36,37,38. Visible markers, such as GFP, have abundant implications in the teaching and learning of scientific concepts. Numerous entry-level students describe difficulties grasping scientific concepts when the idea being taught is not visible to the naked eye, such as the concepts of molecular biology and related fields39. Visual markers, like GFP, can thus contribute to the processing of information related to the scientific processes and could help lessen the difficulties students report in learning numerous scientific concepts.
Although GFP is often used as a marker to indicate gene and expression in vivo, it is difficult to visualize it in the downstream processes if using acidic conditions. This circumstance is primarily because GFP does not maintain its structure and resultant fluorescence at a low pH40. Temporary acidic environments are often required in various purification processes, such as protein G, protein A, and protein L chromatography, often utilized for Ab purification41,42,43,44. GFP mutants have been used to retain fluorescence under acidic conditions45,46.
Herein we describe a simple method for expression, extraction, and purification of recombinant IgG fusion proteins in N. benthamiana plants. We produced traditional GFP fused to the N-terminus of a humanized IgG heavy chain, creating a GFP-IgG fusion. Simultaneously, we developed the fusion of a plant codon-optimized sequence for an acid-stable GFP (asGFP) to the N-terminus of a humanized IgG heavy chain, creating an asGFP-IgG fusion. The advantages of producing GFP-IgG include the ability to visualize the presence of a target protein during expression, while asGFP-IgG allows seeing the presence of recombinant protein in not only the expression and extraction steps but also in the purification steps of the protein. This protocol can be adapted for the production, purification, and visualization of a range of GFP fusion proteins produced in N. benthamiana and purified using chromatography techniques that require low pH. The process can also be tailored to various amounts of leaf material. While Abs and fusion proteins tagged with GFP or asGFP are not intended to be used for therapies, these methods can be useful as controls during experiments and can also be further utilized as a teaching tool for molecular and cellular biology and biotechnology, both in-person and virtually.

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		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">5 mL syringe</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">any</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">N/A</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">50 mL syringe</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">any</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">N/A</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Agar</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">SIGMA-ALDRICH</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">A5306</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Blender with cups</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">any</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">N/A</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Bromophenol blue</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">Bio-Rad</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">1610404</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">DTT (DL-Dithiothreitol)</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">MP BIOMEDICALS</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">219482101</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:262px;">EDTA (Ethylenedinitrilo)tetraacetic acid</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">SIGMA-ALDRICH</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">E-6760</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Ethanol</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">any</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">N/A</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Glycerol</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">G-Biosciences</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">BTNM-0037</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Glycine</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">SIGMA-ALDRICH</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">G7126-500G</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:262px;">HCl (Hydrochloric acid)</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">EMD MILLIPORE CORPORATION</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">HX0603-4</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Heating block</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">any reputable supplier</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">N/A</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Jiffy-7 727 w/hole peat pellets</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">Hummert International</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">14237000</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Kanamycin</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">Gold Biotechnology Inc</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">K-120-100</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">KCl (Potassium Chloride)</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">SIGMA-ALDRICH</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">P9541-500G</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">KH2PO4 (Potassium Phosphate)</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">J.t.baker</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">3248-05</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">KOH (Potassium Hydroxide)</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">VWR</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">BDH0262</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Magnesium sulfate heptahydrate</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">SIGMA-ALDRICH</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">M2773</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:262px;">MES (2-(N-Morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid)</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">SIGMA-ALDRICH</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">M8250</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Miracloth</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">Millipore</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">4 75855-1R</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Moisture control potting mix</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">Miracle-Gro</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">755783</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Na2HPO4 (Sodium Phosphate)</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">J.t.baker</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">3827-01</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">NaCl (Sodium Chloride)</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">Santa Cruz Biotechnology</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">sc-203274C</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Nicotiana benthamiana seeds</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">any reputable supplier</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">N/A</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">PMSF (Phenylmethylsulfonyl Fluoride)</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">G-Biosciences</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">786-787</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Polypropylene Column</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">any</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">N/A</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:262px;">Precision Plus Protein Dual Color Standards</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">Bio-Rad</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">1610394</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Protein G resin</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">20399</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Rifampicin</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">Gold Biotechnology Inc</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">R-120-25</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">SDS (Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate)</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">G-Biosciences</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">DG093</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Sodium Ascorbate</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">SIGMA-ALDRICH</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">A7631-500G</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Spectrophotometer</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">any reputable supplier</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">N/A</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Titan3 0.75 &#181;m glass fiber filter</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">ThermoScientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">40725-GM</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Tray for peat pellets with dome</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">any</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">N/A</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">TRIS Base</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">J.t.baker</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">4109-02</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Tris-HCl</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">Amresco</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">M108-1KG</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Tryptone</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">SIGMA-ALDRICH</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">17221</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">UV lamp</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">any</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">N/A</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:262px;">Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">Miracle-Gro</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">2000992</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:262px;">Yeast extract</td>
			<td style="width:174px;">SIGMA-ALDRICH</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">9182</td>
			<td style="width:89px;"></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

production of igg fusion proteins transiently expressed in nicotiana benthamiana

High demand for antibodies as therapeutic interventions for various infectious, metabolic, autoimmune, neoplastic, and other diseases creates a growing need in developing efficient methods for recombinant antibody production. As of 2019, there were more than 70 FDA-approved monoclonal antibodies, and there is exponential growth potential. Despite their promise, limiting factors for widespread use are manufacturing costs and complexity. Potentially, plants offer low-cost, safe, and easily scalable protein manufacturing&#160;strategies. Plants like Nicotiana benthamiana not only can correctly fold and assemble complex mammalian proteins but also can add critical post-translational modifications similar to those offered by mammalian cell cultures. In this work, by using native GFP and an acid-stable variant of green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused to human monoclonal antibodies, we were able to visualize the entire transient antibody expression and purification process from N. benthamiana plants. Depending on the experiment&#39;s purpose, native GFP fusion can ensure easier visualization during the expression phase in the plants, while acid-stable GFP fusion allows for visualization during downstream processing. This scalable and straightforward procedure can be performed by a single researcher to produce milligram quantities of highly pure antibody or antibody fusion proteins in a matter of days using only a few small plants. Such a technique can be extended to the visualization of any type of antibody purification process and potentially many other proteins, both in plant and other expression systems. Moreover, these techniques can benefit virtual instructions and be executed in a teaching laboratory by undergraduate students possessing minimal prior experience with molecular biology techniques, providing a foundation for project-based exploration with real-world applications.

This study demonstrates an easy and fast method to produce recombinant proteins and visualize them throughout downstream processes. Using N. benthamiana and following the provided protocol, recombinant protein production described here can be achieved in less than a week. The overall workflow of plant expression, extraction, and purification is shown in Figure 1. The stages of plant growth from 2-week old seedlings, 4-week old plants, and 6-week old plants are displayed in <strong c...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Production of IgG Fusion Proteins Transiently Expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana at JoVE.com

Production of IgG Fusion Proteins Transiently Expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana

We describe here a simple method for expression, extraction, and purification of recombinant human IgG fused to GFP in Nicotiana benthamiana. This protocol can be extended to purification and visualization of numerous proteins that utilize column chromatography. Moreover, the protocol is adaptable to the in-person and virtual college teaching laboratory, providing project-based exploration.

Production of IgG Fusion Proteins Transiently Expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana

High demand for antibodies as therapeutic interventions for various infectious, metabolic, autoimmune, neoplastic, and other diseases creates a growing ...

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