One method for producing useful proteins used in pharmaceuticals and other applications involves utilizing plants as hosts. However, depending on the type of target protein, a problem arises where necrosis (cell death) occurs during protein expression within the plant, leading to a significant reduction in yield. This necrosis is thought to be caused by reactive oxygen species released when the endoplasmic reticulum undergoes stress. Yet, no effective method to suppress this process has been found until now.
Therefore, our research group focused on mitigating the effects of reactive oxygen species in plants. By spraying high concentrations of ascorbic acid, an antioxidant, we successfully suppressed necrosis, enhanced protein productivity, and induced the expression of proteins that had previously shown almost no expression. Furthermore, we found that spraying high concentrations of ascorbic acid does not affect the activity of the expressed proteins.
The method of suppressing necrosis by spraying high-concentration ascorbic acid is considered to be highly versatile and applicable. This research outcome is significant as a foundational technology that could become a standard for protein expression systems using plant cells, and an international patent application has been filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). This technique is expected to enable the large-scale production of various types of proteins.
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