Chapter 4 - Peptide production by molecular farming with antiviral effects

Abstract

Molecular plant farming is the production of non-native proteins in plants that have economic, biological and medicinal value. Molecular plant farming has grown well over the past two centuries. The most important factors that lead the plant to potential competitors of the expression system are Cost-effectiveness, the ability to produce the desired compound on a large scale, and robustness of the system. Many biologics, including recombinant antigen vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and other commercial proteins, are produced in plants, many of which are in the preclinical and clinical stages. Plant production systems are important for the production of recombinant peptides, which have high potential for drug production. Peptides are low mass molecules that have a wide range of activities with antimicrobial, antiparasitic, anticancer, antifungal and antiviral effects. Controlling viral diseases is a difficult task, and despite the availability of antiviral drugs, the discovery of new antiviral compounds is essential to control viral pathogens. So far, antimicrobial peptides with antiviral effects have been isolated from various sources and also designed in silico, which has great potential for new therapeutic drugs. The unique mode of action of peptides prevents the emergence of resistance to pathogens, and this has made peptides one of the important therapeutic agents of the future. In addition to the medical use of antimicrobial peptides as a new method of plant protection in agriculture, the production of heterologous peptides in plants is promising for medicine and agriculture.