Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #103902
Title: PROTECTION OF MICE AGAINST CHALLENGE WITH FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE VIRUS (FMDV) BY IMMUNIZATION WITH FOLIAR EXTRACTS FROM PLANTS INFECTED WITH RECOMBINANT TOBACCO MOSAIC VIRUS EXPRESSING THE FMDV STRUCTURAL PROTEIN

Author
item WIGDOROVITZ, A. - INST. DE VIROLOGIA
item FILGUEIRA, D.M. - INST. DE VIROLOGIA
item ROBERTSON, NANCY
item CARRILLO, C. - INSTI. DE VIROLOGIA
item SADIE, A. - INST. DE VIROLOGIA
item MORRIS, T. - UNIV. OF NEBRASKA
item BORCA, M. - INSTI. DE VIROLOGIA

Submitted to: Virology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/23/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: Wigdorovitz, A., Filgueira, D.P., Robertson, N.L., Carrillo, C., Sadie, A.M., Morris, T.J., Borca, M.V. 1999. Protection of mice against challenge with foot and mouth disease virus (fmdv) by immunization with foliar extracts from plants infected with recombinant tobacco mosaic virus expressing the fmdv structural protein. Virology. Vol. 264:85-91

Interpretive Summary: Plant viral expression vectors are used to express foreign genes in a relatively short time period with adequate working concentrations and now have a large impact in laboratory research and commercial biotechnology. We have successfully applied the plat virus based vector, tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), toward the prevention of the economically important foot-and mouth disease virus (FMDV) of meat and milk producing animals. The VP1 structural gene of FMDV was inserted into the genome of TMV, and the resulting recombinant virus inoculated to leaves of the experimental plant host, Nicotiana benthamiana. The VP1 protein product was expressed and detected in the plant tissue. Sap extracts from infected plants were injected intraperitoneally into mice. All the immunized mice developed an antibody response to the plant virus particle and the animal virus VP1 protein product. Most importantly, these mice did not develop the foot-and mouth disease when challenged with the virulent FMDV. This is the first report of using crude plant extracts that contained sufficient amounts of an antigenic foreign protein to elicit an immune response in mice and protect against the FMDV. This research also supports the potential use of plants as an alternative and less expensive vaccine production method.

Technical Abstract: A tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) based vector has been used to express in plants the complete open reading frame coding of the VP1 major immunogenic protein of foot-and mouth disease virus (FMDV). In vitro RNA transcripts of recombinant VP1 were identified by western blots as soon as four days post-inoculated. Sap extracts prepared from infected leaves were injected intraperitoneally into mice and all of the immunized animals developed a specific antibody response to both the complete virus particle and the major immunogenic region as determined by ELISA and western blot analysis. Most importantly, all the immunized mice developed a protective immune response against the experimental challenge of virulent FMDV. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing the expression of a complete open reading frame of an antigenic foreign protein in plants, using a recombinant plant virus, in sufficient quantity to permit use of the crude plant extract as an experimental immunogen to protect animals against virus challenge.