N-glycosylation of cholera toxin B subunit in Nicotiana benthamiana: impacts on host stress response, production yield and vaccine potential

Sci Rep. 2015 Jan 23:5:8003. doi: 10.1038/srep08003.

Abstract

Plant-based transient overexpression systems enable rapid and scalable production of subunit vaccines. Previously, we have shown that cholera toxin B subunit (CTB), an oral cholera vaccine antigen, is N-glycosylated upon expression in transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana. Here, we found that overexpression of aglycosylated CTB by agroinfiltration of a tobamoviral vector causes massive tissue necrosis and poor accumulation unless retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, the re-introduction of N-glycosylation to its original or an alternative site significantly relieved the necrosis and provided a high CTB yield without ER retention. Quantitative gene expression analysis of PDI, BiP, bZIP60, SKP1, 26Sα proteasome and PR1a, and the detection of ubiquitinated CTB polypeptides revealed that N-glycosylation significantly relieved ER stress and hypersensitive response, and facilitated the folding/assembly of CTB. The glycosylated CTB (gCTB) was characterized for potential vaccine use. Glycan profiling revealed that gCTB contained approximately 38% plant-specific glycans. gCTB retained nanomolar affinity to GM1-ganglioside with only marginal reduction of physicochemical stability and induced an anti-cholera holotoxin antibody response comparable to native CTB in a mouse oral immunization study. These findings demonstrated gCTB's potential as an oral immunogen and point to a potential role of N-glycosylation in increasing recombinant protein yields in plants.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / immunology
  • Cholera Toxin / genetics*
  • Cholera Toxin / immunology
  • Cholera Toxin / metabolism*
  • Cholera Vaccines / immunology
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum / metabolism
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress
  • Female
  • G(M1) Ganglioside / metabolism
  • Gene Expression
  • Genetic Vectors / genetics
  • Glycosylation
  • Immunity, Mucosal
  • Mice
  • Plants / genetics*
  • Plants / metabolism*
  • Plants, Genetically Modified
  • Polysaccharides / metabolism
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Stability
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Thermodynamics
  • Tobamovirus / genetics

Substances

  • Antibodies, Bacterial
  • Cholera Vaccines
  • Polysaccharides
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • G(M1) Ganglioside
  • Cholera Toxin