TY - JOUR

T1 - Mice orally immunized with a transgenic plant expressing the glycoprotein of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus

AU - Ghiasi, Seyed Mojtaba

AU - Salmanian, A H

AU - Chinikar, S

AU - Zakeri, S

PY - 2011/12

Y1 - 2011/12

N2 - While Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has a high mortality rate in humans, the associated virus (CCHFV) does not induce clinical symptoms in animals, but animals play an important role in disease transmission to humans. Our aim in this study was to examine the immunogenicity of the CCHFV glycoprotein when expressed in the root and leaf of transgenic plants via hairy roots and stable transformation of tobacco plants, respectively. After confirmatory analyses of transgenic plant lines and quantification of the expressed glycoprotein, mice were either fed with the transgenic leaves or roots, fed the transgenic plant material and injected subcutaneously with the plant-made CCHFV glycoprotein (fed/boosted), vaccinated with an attenuated CCHF vaccine (positive control), or received no treatment (negative control). All immunized groups had a consistent rise in anti-glycoprotein IgG and IgA antibodies in their serum and feces, respectively. The mice in the fed/boosted group showed a significant rise in specific IgG antibodies after a single boost. Our results imply that oral immunization of animals with edible materials from transgenic plants is feasible, and further assessments are under way. In addition, while the study of CCHF is challenging, our protocol should be further used to study CCHFV infection in the knockout mouse model and virus neutralization assays in biosafety level 4 laboratories.

AB - While Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has a high mortality rate in humans, the associated virus (CCHFV) does not induce clinical symptoms in animals, but animals play an important role in disease transmission to humans. Our aim in this study was to examine the immunogenicity of the CCHFV glycoprotein when expressed in the root and leaf of transgenic plants via hairy roots and stable transformation of tobacco plants, respectively. After confirmatory analyses of transgenic plant lines and quantification of the expressed glycoprotein, mice were either fed with the transgenic leaves or roots, fed the transgenic plant material and injected subcutaneously with the plant-made CCHFV glycoprotein (fed/boosted), vaccinated with an attenuated CCHF vaccine (positive control), or received no treatment (negative control). All immunized groups had a consistent rise in anti-glycoprotein IgG and IgA antibodies in their serum and feces, respectively. The mice in the fed/boosted group showed a significant rise in specific IgG antibodies after a single boost. Our results imply that oral immunization of animals with edible materials from transgenic plants is feasible, and further assessments are under way. In addition, while the study of CCHF is challenging, our protocol should be further used to study CCHFV infection in the knockout mouse model and virus neutralization assays in biosafety level 4 laboratories.

KW - Administration, Oral

KW - Animals

KW - Antibodies, Viral

KW - Feces

KW - Glycoproteins

KW - Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo

KW - Immunoglobulin A

KW - Immunoglobulin G

KW - Mice

KW - Plants, Genetically Modified

KW - Serum

KW - Tobacco

KW - Vaccines, Edible

KW - Vaccines, Synthetic

KW - Viral Proteins

KW - Viral Vaccines

U2 - 10.1128/CVI.05352-11

DO - 10.1128/CVI.05352-11

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 22012978

VL - 18

SP - 2031

EP - 2037

JO - Clinical and Vaccine Immunology (Online)

JF - Clinical and Vaccine Immunology (Online)

SN - 1556-679X

IS - 12

ER -