Pea-Derived Vaccine Against Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease
May 22, 2009| |
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) is an extremely fatal, viral disease of wild and domesticated rabbits. First isolated in China, the disease causes high economic losses in rabbit meat production and has dramatically reduced the wild rabbit population. Vaccines against RHD, containing the RHD virus capsid protein VP60, are commercially produced from the liver of experimentally infected rabbits. Although plant-based expression systems of RHD vaccine have been reported, the low expression level and insufficient immunogenic potency of plant-derived RHD virus antigen still hamper its practical use.
A team of researchers from Canada and Germany has developed pea plants accumulating high levels of highly immunogenic VP60. The researchers fused the VP60 antigen with the cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) to increase its immunogenicity. Rabbits immunized with pea-derived VP60-CTB fusion showed anti-VP60-specific antibodies, similar to rabbits immunized with commercially available vaccines. They also survived RHD virus challenge.
The paper published by the Plant Biotechnology Journal is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7652.2009.00422.x
| |
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
- PGE Study: Positive Socio-Economic and Environmental Contributions from GM Crops
- UN-Supported Project to Benefit Burundi’s Small Farmers
- Discussion on Implications of GM Crops for Small-holder African Farmers
- UV Exposure Makes Lettuce Healthier
- Ontario Invests $3.2 Million in Genomics Research
- A Sweet Idea: Converting Watermelon Juice into Ethanol
- Candidate Sites for Crop Biofortification in Latin America
- Peru Holds its First National Biotech Conference
- Limited Release of GM Sugarcane in Australia
- Study of Plant Viruses in SI White Clover Pastures
- Malaysian Scientists Successful in Cracking Oil Palm Genome
- Malaysia to Announce Regulation Framework Under Biosafety Act
- Victoria Forges Alliance with Dow Agro
- Aberystwyth University Lands UK Grant to Sequence Ryegrass Genome
-
Research Highlights
- Biotech Rice to Prevent Hypertension
- Scientists Take Step Forward Toward Developing HIV Vaccine
- Plastic and Fuel that Grow on Trees
- Pea-Derived Vaccine Against Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease
-
Announcements
- ISAAA Video on "Knowledge, Technology & Poverty Alleviation" Available in 14 Languages
- TWAS Regional Young Scientists’ Conference
- Global Crop Protection Summit
- BCP Congress in Glasgow
- Plant Biotechnology Conference in Africa
-
Resources
- FAO: How to Run an Agribusiness
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (April 24, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (April 24, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet