Abstract
SummaryPorcine circovirus type 2 (PCV‐2) is the main causative agent associated with a group of diseases collectively known as porcine circovirus‐associated disease (PCAD). There is a significant economic strain on the global swine industry due to PCAD and the production of commercial PCV‐2 vaccines is expensive. Plant expression systems are increasingly regarded as a viable technology to produce recombinant proteins for use as pharmaceutical agents and vaccines. However, successful production and purification of PCV‐2 capsid protein (CP) from plants is an essential first step towards the goal of a plant‐produced PCV‐2 vaccine candidate. In this study, the PCV‐2 CP was transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana plants via agroinfiltration and PCV‐2 CP was successfully purified using sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation. The CP self‐assembled into virus‐like particles (VLPs) resembling native virions and up to 6.5 mg of VLPs could be purified from 1 kg of leaf wet weight. Mice immunized with the plant‐produced PCV‐2 VLPs elicited specific antibody responses to PCV‐2 CP. This is the first report describing the expression of PCV‐2 CP in plants, the confirmation of its assembly into VLPs and the demonstration of their use to elicit a strong immune response in a mammalian model.
Highlights
Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) belongs to the genus Circovirus in the family Circoviridae and is one of the smallest autonomously replicating DNA viruses infecting mammals
Recombinant PCV-2 coat protein (CP) protein production in plants was optimized based on comparison of A. tumefaciens strains, varying the optical density of infiltrates and determining the optimum harvest day post infiltration
There was no notable difference in expression between the two Agrobacterium strains
Summary
Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) belongs to the genus Circovirus in the family Circoviridae and is one of the smallest autonomously replicating DNA viruses infecting mammals. PCV-2 was first isolated in 1991 from Canadian piglets which presented with postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (Harding and Clark, 1997). This syndrome is the highest contributor to economic losses seen in the global swine industry and was the first disease associated with PCV-2 (Segales et al, 2013). It has since been identified as just one of several syndromes associated with PCV-2. Reports have emerged of a circulating PCV-3 strain currently known to be associated with dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome as well as reproductive failure in swine and its full characterization is still underway (Ku et al, 2017; Palinski et al, 2017)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
