Metabolic Adaptation in Transplastomic Plants Massively Accumulating Recombinant Proteins
2011

Impact of Recombinant Protein Accumulation in Tobacco Plants

publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Julia Bally, Claudette Job, Maya Belghazi, Dominique Job

Primary Institution: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Bayer CropScience Joint Laboratory

Hypothesis

How does the accumulation of recombinant proteins in tobacco plants affect their metabolism and protein synthesis?

Conclusion

The study shows that high levels of recombinant protein accumulation in tobacco plants lead to specific changes in leaf protein composition without affecting plant phenotype.

Supporting Evidence

  • Recombinant proteins accumulated to levels higher than Rubisco, the most abundant protein in plants.
  • Changes in protein levels were observed without any visible changes in plant phenotype.
  • Specific enzymes involved in CO2 metabolism adjusted their levels in response to recombinant protein accumulation.

Takeaway

Scientists studied tobacco plants that made a lot of foreign proteins and found that while they looked normal, some important proteins were less common.

Methodology

Proteomics was used to analyze the protein composition of transplastomic tobacco plants accumulating recombinant proteins.

Limitations

The study does not address the long-term effects of recombinant protein accumulation on plant fitness.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0025289

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