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National Activities - UK
UK Government Funded R&D on Crops for Industrial and Energy Uses: Section 2 - Pharmaceuticals and Other High Value Products |
Project 2.2 Engineering crop plants for production of recombinant antibody
fragments, implications of scale and location. This project studies the
transformation of potato and linseed with a range of gene sequences derived from
two monoclonal antibodies of commercial significance, and a monoclonal antibody
with plant protection potential, such that the gene products are targeted to
different cellular and subcellular locations. Each crop will then be assessed
for the yield, stability, processibility and function of the antibody fragments.
Funded by BBSRC, completion date has not been finalised.
Contact: Dr G C Whitelam, Department of Botany, Leicester University
Project 2.3 Antibody engineering in plants. This project will (i) investigate
the use of recAb-ubiquitination enzyme fusions for in vivo antibody-mediated
target antigen proteolysis, (ii) investigate the use of thioredoxin gene fusions
for facilitation of reAb folding in the cytosol and (iii) determine the
consequences in terms of yield, stability and function of targeting ER-retention
of reAbs. Funded by BBSRC it will be completed by 21/8/97.
Contact: Dr G C Whitelam, Department of Botany, Leicester University
Project 2.4 Production of plant viral antigens using comoviruses as vectors.
This project will construct a number of CPMV chimaeras which contain epitopes
for FMDV and human Rhinovirus which are stable, can be produced in good
quantities in cowpea plants and can be purified for testing in animals. At a
later stage another comovirus, red clover mottle virus will be modified to
express the FMDV epitope to demonstrate broader possibilities of the
intervention in other plants. Initial work will concentrate on CPMV-FMDV-V virus
particles that can protect guinea pigs against challenge with live FMDV. Funded
by BBSRC it will be completed by 28/2/97.
Contact:
Professor R Flavell and
Dr A King, Molecular Biology, Institute for Animal Health, Compton
Project 2.5 Use of potato virus X for high level production of foreign proteins in
plants. The applicants have shown the production of stable virons that are
decorated along their surface with a passenger protein, by fusion of a 27kDa
protein to the N-terminus of the potato virus X (PVX) coat protein (CP). The
modified virus moved systemically and accumulated to high levels. This indicates
that PVX could be used a vector for production of foreign proteins, and will be
produced to define the parameter of the system. These mutants will be tested for
the ability to assemble and accumulate in plants. Strategies will be developed
to maximise the size of passenger proteins and to facilitate isolation of the
foreign proteins from virus. Funded by BBSRC it will be completed by 1/4/99.
Contact:
Dr S Santa Cruz
Project 2.6 Production of macromolecules and secondary products in plants. The
project includes production of macromolecules and secondary products in crop
species and medicinal plants, respectively. Therapeutic peptides, antibodies and
other pharmaceutical macromolecules will be produced in important crop species.
Secondary products such as medicinally important alkaloids will be produced in
herbaceous tropical plants. The objective of the project is to develop
fundamental science, intellectual property and useful end-products. Funded by
BBSRC it will be completed by 31/3/2000.
Contact:
Dr Paul Christou
Project 2.7 Small-scale study of yield and quality of herb oils. This short term
study seeks to determine the base line productivity of a selection of key UK
herb crops grown for essential oil production. The crops under investigation
are: lavender, chamomile, sage and thyme. Oil will be extracted from the
harvested herbs by commercial distillation. Laboratory analysis of both the
fresh plant and the commercially extracted crops will also take place. The
resulting yield and quality of the oil will be determined and estimates will be
made of the potential financial return for the crops. Results will be presented
in a report, which will be available to interested parties. Funded by MAFF it
will be completed by 31/01/98.
Contact:
Mrs Sally Runham
Project 2.8 Mechanisms of oil body biogenesis in sunflower seeds. Oleosins are a
unique group of proteins that bind to and stabilise the surfaces of oil bodies
in seed tissues. We will use a combination of cell biological and biochemical
approaches to determine 1. their mechanism of targeting to the ER (the site of
oil biosynthesis) and their role in oil body biogenesis. 2. their molecular
interactions with tria. cylglycerols at the oil body surface. This will provide
new basic information which is relevant to the exploitation of oilseeds for
novel food and pharmaceutical uses. Funded by BBSRC it will be completed by
5/1/99.
Contact:
Shewry P R
Project 2.9 Isolation and characterisation of cDNAs for the fatty acid desaturase
from developing seeds of borage. No details provided. Funded by BBSRC it
will be completed by 19/10/1997.
Contact: A K Stobart, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol.
Project 2.10 Chemistry of secondary metabolites affecting plant/animal interactions.
. Improved isolation and analytical techniques allow previously
unidentifiable biologically active secondary metabolites (natural products) to
be identified in common European plants and microorganisms. Identification of
secondary compounds, of both plant and microbial origin, in pasture species,
forage and food crops will allow detailed studies of their possible effects on
nutrition and health of man and livestock. Since secondary metabolites often
confer resistance to pests and pathogens and are of interest to pharmaceutical
companies, it may be possible to identify new structures of importance in
breeding programmes and to identify new crops for production of high value
chemicals, and new products from existing crops species. This area falls under
the Wealth Creating Products from Plants strategic programme but also has
elements applied to the Biomolecular Design programme by collaboration with
synthetic chemists at the Dyson Perrins Laboratory, Oxford University, who
synthesise the natural products and derivatives thereof. Industrial
collaboration with Dow-Elanco, Marrion-Merrell-Dow and Xenova is being expanded
to ensure commercial exploitation is fully considered. The project has strong
elements of carbohydrate chemistry in studying chemicals modifying carbohydrate
metabolism in plants, plant pests and pathogens, and mammals. Funded by BBSRC it
will be completed by 31/3/98.
Contact: R.J. Nash, Institute of Grassland
and Environmental Research Ruminant Nutrition.
Project 2.11 Metabolism of lipids and lipid-derived signalling molecules A
thorough understanding of the biochemical and molecular basis of plant
acclimation to stress may provide opportunities to improve crop resistance and
yield. The isolation of novel fungal desaturase genes will provide
opportunities, through transformation, to produce oilseed crops with tailor-made
oils for the pharmaceutical industry. Funded by SCB it will be completed by
31/2/2000.
Contact: G. Griffiths, Horticulture Research International
Plant Genetics & Biotechnology.
Project 2.12 Plant biochemistry The project involves production of macromolecules
and secondary products in crop species and medicinal plants, respectively.
Therapeutic peptides, antibodies and other pharmaceutical macromolecules will be
produced in important crop species. Secondary products, such as
medicinally-important alkaloids, will be produced in herbaceous tropical plants.
Funded by BBSRC when it will be completed by not known.
Contact:
P Christou
Project 2.13 Engineering of plant cells for the production of vaccines (green
vaccines). To overcome the regulatory problems associated with using
genetically modified particles of the plant pathogen, cowpea mosaic virus
(CPMV), as novel oral vaccines, complementation systems for the production of
non-infectious chimaeric virus particles (CVPs) will be established. Lines of
plants transgenic for essential virus genes will be generated and the ability of
viral genomes deleted in these genes to replicate in such plants will be
determined. The resulting CVPs will contain deleted forms of the viral RNA and
will therefore be unable to infect non-transformed plants, abolishing their
ability to spread in the environment. The systems will be evaluated for
commercial exploitation by our industrial partner. Funded by BBSRC it will be
completed by 1/4/2000.
Contact:
G.P. Lomonossoff
Project 2.14 A biological source of prostaglandins. To characterize prostanoid
formation in Dipodascopsis uninucleata in relation to its cell development,
differentiation and growth; isolate and study prostaglandin endoperoxide
synthase and prostacyclin synthase particularly with respect to the action of
non-steroidal anti-flammatory drugs so that either the cells or isolated enzymes
can be used to screen for novel NSAIDs; to use immobilized cells or enzymes to
produce selected prostanoids from different polyunsaturated fatty acids. Funded
by BBSRC it will be completed by 1/4/97.
Contact: J Friend and
C Ratledge, University of Hull, Department of Applied Biology.
Project 2.15 Use of indigo from isatis (woad) for industrial inks The aim of this
project is to develop the production of plant-derived indigo to pilot
industrial-scale and develop its use, principally for industrial ink jet inks.
In order to achieve this the indigo precursor production in Isatis leaves will
be analysed and this knowledge will aid the development of varieties of Isatis
that give greater yields of indigo. Cultivation and harvesting regimes will be
developed to match the requirements of the extraction process, which is also
under development. The resulting pigment will be incorporated into inks suitable
for use in an ink-jet surface printing machine. Funded by MAFF it will be
completed by 31/3/2000.
Contact:
Dr David Hill
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