13 résultats
Inhalational anthrax, a zoonotic disease caused by the inhalation of Bacillus anthracis spores, has a ∼50% fatality rate even when treated with antibiotics. Pathogenesis is dependent on the activity of two toxic noncovalent complexes: edema toxin (EdTx) and lethal toxin (LeTx). Protective antigen
Anthrax toxin receptor-mediated drug development for blocking anthrax toxin action has received much attention in recent decades. In this study, we produced a secreted anthrax decoy fusion protein comprised of a portion of the human capillary morphogenesis gene-2 (CMG2) protein fused via a linker to
The health and economic burden of infectious diseases in general and bioterrorism in particular necessitate the development of medical countermeasures. One proven approach to reduce the disease burden and spread of pathogen is treatment with monoclonal antibodies (mAb). mAbs can prevent or reduce
The unpredictable nature of bio-terrorism compels us to develop medical countermeasures that will enable authorities to treat individuals exposed to agents such as anthrax. We report the feasibility of producing a protective, human-derived, monoclonal antibody directed against the protective antigen
Protein N-glycosylation is an important post-translational modification and has influences on a variety of biological processes at the cellular and molecular level, making glycosylation a major study aspect for glycoprotein-based therapeutics. To achieve a comprehensive understanding on how
The hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) can generate a strong immune response and is recognized as an effective carrier for foreign epitopes. The domain-4 epitope of the anthrax protective antigen (PA-D4) plays an essential role in generating protective immunity against virulent Bacillus anthracis.
Potential epidemics of infectious diseases and the constant threat of bioterrorism demand rapid, scalable, and cost-efficient manufacturing of therapeutic proteins. Molecular farming of tobacco plants provides an alternative for the recombinant production of therapeutics. We have developed a
Bacillus anthracis has long been considered a potential biological warfare agent, and therefore, there is a need for a safe, low-cost and highly efficient anthrax vaccine with demonstrated long-term stability for mass vaccination in case of an emergency. Many efforts have been made towards
Along with the depreciation of tobacco as a source of nicotine-containing commercial products, the increase of its appreciation as a potential producer of recombinant therapeutical proteins can be observed. Two species of tobacco--Nicotiana tabacum L. and N. benthamiana are easily grown by well
Transient recombinant protein production is a promising alternative to stable transgenic systems, particularly for emergency situations in which rapid production of novel therapeutics is needed. In plants, Agrobacterium tumefaciens can be used as a gene delivery vector for transient expression. A
The current approved vaccine against anthrax is based on protective antigen (PA) of Bacillus anthracis, requires six injections over an 18-month period and has a known history of side effects. Therefore, there is significant effort towards developing an improved vaccine against B. anthracis. Here we
The potential use of Bacillus anthracis as a bioterrorism weapon threatens the security of populations globally, requiring the immediate availability of safe, efficient and easily delivered anthrax vaccine for mass vaccination. Extensive research efforts have been directed toward the development of
Heterologous regulatory elements and flanking sequences have been used in chloroplast transformation of several crop species, but their roles and mechanisms have not yet been investigated. Nucleotide sequence identity in the photosystem II protein D1 (psbA) upstream region is 59% across all taxa;