Plant-Produced Vaccine Candidate for Bluetongue Virus
May 31, 2017| |
Bluetongue is a disease of domestic and wild ruminants caused by the bluetongue virus (BTV), which have caused serious outbreaks worldwide. Commercially available vaccines are live-attenuated or inactivated virus strains, which are not able to distinguish naturally infected animals from vaccinated animals. Recombinant vaccines are preferable to minimize the risks related to these vaccines.
The team of Albertha R. van Zyl from the University of Cape Town in South Africa developed two plant-produced vaccines, Zera®-VP2ep and Zera®-VP2. Both these candidate vaccines were made in tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) via transient Agrobacterium-mediated expression, and analysis showed that the proteins accumulated within the cytoplasm of plant cells.
Preliminary studies showed that the two vaccine candidates elicited anti-VP2 immune responses in mice. These results prove that Zera®-VP2ep and Zera®-VP2 can be potential BTV vaccines.
For more on this study, read the article in BMC Biotechnology.
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Global Team Led by ICRISAT Re-sequence Pigeonpea Genome
- Journalists in Uganda Urged to Support Passing of Biotech Law through Factual Reporting
- Kenya Biosafety Regulators Commend Malawi's Bt Cotton National Performance Trials
- Two New Proteins Connected to Plant Development Identified
- Draft Genome of Spinach Published by Researchers from US and China
- Research Team Discovers Gene that Impacts Soybean Nodule Development
- Engineered Rice with Adjustable Immune System Shows Resistance to Multiple Diseases at Once
- Japan, A Potential Biotech Sugar Beet Country
- Study Shows Climate Change to Cause 23% Decline in Crop Production by 2050s
-
Research Highlights
- Researchers Study the Effect of Calcareous Soil on Bt Protein Expression and Efficacy in the Field
- CAAS Scientists Develop Herbicide Resistant Cotton with Low Glyphosate Residues
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- PtrMYB57 Transcription Factors Negatively Regulate Anthocyanin and Proanthocyanidin Synthesis in Poplar
- Plant-Produced Vaccine Candidate for Bluetongue Virus
-
Plant
- CRISPR-mediated Targeted Mutagenesis in Grape
- Simultaneous Targeting of Multiple Gene Homeologs to Alter Oil Production in Camelina
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (December 11, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (December 11, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet