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Recombinant Protein Production in Plants: A Brief Overview of Strengths and Challenges

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Recombinant Proteins in Plants

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 2480))

Abstract

The first recombinant proteins were produced in microbes and animal cells cultivated in bioreactors. These systems have become the standard for industrial-scale recombinant protein manufacturing. Later, the production of recombinant proteins was demonstrated in whole plants, which differ morphologically from cell-based systems and require completely different cultivation conditions. Over time, additional plant-based production platforms were established, including hairy roots and cell suspension cultures, which are more similar to conventional cell-based systems in terms of morphology, procedures, and equipment requirements. In this brief overview of the field, we explain why plant-based systems are becoming increasingly attractive for the production of valuable proteins with scientific and commercial applications, but also highlight the challenges that these systems must overcome to achieve more widespread industrial utilization. We discuss various laboratory protocols and approaches for the production of recombinant proteins in plants, as well as strategies to optimize yields, and the regulatory and legal framework.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Richard M Twyman for editorial assistance. The authors would like to thank the members of the Newcotiana (760331) and Pharma-Factory (774078) consortia, both funded by the EU, for stimulating discussions on the potential and challenges of plants for the production of recombinant proteins.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen, Germany

    Stefan Schillberg & Holger Spiegel

  2. Department of Phytopathology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany

    Stefan Schillberg

Authors
  1. Stefan Schillberg
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  2. Holger Spiegel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stefan Schillberg .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fraunhofer IME, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Stefan Schillberg

  2. Fraunhofer IME, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Holger Spiegel

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© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

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Schillberg, S., Spiegel, H. (2022). Recombinant Protein Production in Plants: A Brief Overview of Strengths and Challenges. In: Schillberg, S., Spiegel, H. (eds) Recombinant Proteins in Plants. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2480. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2241-4_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2241-4_1

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  • Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-2240-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-2241-4

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