Yan Hua, Yan Huishen, Li Guocai, Gong Weijuan, Jiao Hongmei, Chen Hongju, Ji Mingchun
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, PR China.
Biologicals. 2010 Mar;38(2):265-72. doi: 10.1016/j.biologicals.2009.11.005. Epub 2009 Dec 6.
The pp150 gene of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) was transferred into Vicia faba plants by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Three of five hygromycin resistant V. faba plants were identified as positive by PCR and dot-blot hybridization. The ELISA results indicated that pp150 protein from three plants of transformed V. faba leaves and seeds made up 0.005-0.015% of the total soluble protein. The results of detection by immunoblot and inhibition of immunofluorescent assay (IFA) showed that pp150 soluble protein had immunity activity. HCMV pp150-specific antibody (IgG, IgA) and IFN-gamma producing T cells were detected in 100% of the mice immunized with pp150 transgenic V. faba seeds by ELISA and intracellular staining and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. The transgenic V. faba plants will provide new material for the development of edible vaccination against HCMV infection.
