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The pEAQ vector series: the easy and quick way to produce recombinant proteins in plants

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Abstract

The pEAQ vectors are a series of plasmids designed to allow easy and quick production of recombinant proteins in plants. Their main feature is the use of the Cowpea Mosaic Virus hypertranslational “CPMV-HT” expression system, which provides high yields of recombinant protein through extremely high translational efficiency without the need for viral replication. Since their creation, the pEAQ vectors have been used to produce a wide variety of proteins in plants. Viral proteins and Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) have been of particular interest, but other types of proteins including active enzymes have also been expressed. While the pEAQ vectors have mostly been used in a transient expression context, through agroinfiltration of leaves, they have also been shown to be suitable for the production of stably transformed lines of both cell cultures and whole plants. This paper looks back on the genesis of the pEAQ vectors and reviews their use so far.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Pooja Saxena and Eva Thuenmann for providing images of eVLPs and VLPs, and Keith Saunders for help with figures. H.P. was supported by a Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (BBSRC) doctoral training grant to the John Innes Centre (JIC). This work was also supported by BB/J004561/1 from BBSRC and the John Innes Foundation.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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  1. Department of Biological Chemistry, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Colney, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK

    Hadrien Peyret & George P. Lomonossoff

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  1. Hadrien Peyret
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  2. George P. Lomonossoff
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Correspondence to Hadrien Peyret.

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Peyret, H., Lomonossoff, G.P. The pEAQ vector series: the easy and quick way to produce recombinant proteins in plants. Plant Mol Biol 83, 51–58 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11103-013-0036-1

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