Oral and Subcutaneous Immunization with a Plant-Produced Mouse-Specific Zona Pellucida 3 Peptide Presented on Hepatitis B Core Antigen Virus-like Particles.

ABSTRACT: A short mouse-specific peptide from zona pellucida 3 (mZP3, amino acids 328-342) has been shown to be associated with antibody-mediated contraception. In this study, we investigated the production of mZP3 in the plant, as an orally applicable host, and examined the immunogenicity of this small peptide in the BALB/c mouse model. The mZP3 peptide was inserted into the major immunodominant region of the hepatitis B core antigen and was produced in Nicotiana benthamiana plants via Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression. Soluble HBcAg-mZP3 accumulated at levels up to 2.63 mg/g leaf dry weight (LDW) containing ~172 µg/mg LDW mZP3 peptide. Sucrose gradient analysis and electron microscopy indicated the assembly of the HBcAg-mZP3 virus-like particles (VLPs) in the soluble protei

SUBMITTER: Ghasemian K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9963689 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature