Co-expression of a cyclizing asparaginyl endopeptidase enables efficient production of cyclic peptides in planta.

ABSTRACT: Cyclotides are ultra-stable, backbone-cyclized plant defence peptides that have attracted considerable interest in the pharmaceutical industry. This is due to their range of native bioactivities as well as their ability to stabilize other bioactive peptides within their framework. However, a hindrance to their widespread application is the lack of scalable, cost-effective production strategies. Plant-based production is an attractive, benign option since all biosynthetic steps are performed in planta. Nonetheless, cyclization in non-cyclotide-producing plants is poor. Here, we show that cyclic peptides can be produced efficiently in Nicotiana benthamiana, one of the leading plant-based protein production platforms, by co-expressing cyclotide precursors with asparaginyl endopeptidases that

SUBMITTER: Poon S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5853369 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature