August 15, 2003

from ASM Tips via Agnet August 16/03

Researchers from Germany have genetically engineered plants to produce particles of human papillomavirus (HPV) that could be used in the creation of vaccines or as edible vaccines themselves. They report their findings in the September 2003 issue of the Journal of Virology.

'Cervical cancer is linked to infection with HPV and is the third most common cancer among women worldwide. There is a strong demand for the development of an HPV preventive vaccine,' say the researchers.

In the study, the researchers genetically engineered tobacco and potato plants to produce a major structural protein of HPV. When the protein was purified and administered to mice, it induced an immune response. When the potatoes were fed to mice, they also induced an immune response, though not as significant.

'Here, we demonstrated as a first step that it is possible to produce transgenic plants expressing the HPV-16 L1 protein in a form appropriate for immunization purposes,' say the researchers.

S. Biemelt, U. Sonnewald, P. Galmbacher, L. Willmitzer, and M. Muller. 2003.
Production of human papillomavirus type 15 virus-like particles in transgenic plants.
Journal of Virology, 77: 9211-9220