Date of Award
2011
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Program
Biology
Supervisor
Dr. Shengwu Ma
Second Advisor
Dr. Norm Huner
Third Advisor
Dr. Susanne Kohalmi, Dr. Anthony Jevnikar
Abstract
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and exendin-4 (Ex-4) are small peptides with potent insulin secretory effect which makes them attractive drug candidates for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the synthesis of these small peptides is difficult due to recombinant protein degradation and instability.
Human serum transferrin (hTf) is an iron-transport protein that has great potential as an efficient carrier system for protein-based drugs. The use of hTf as a fusion partner will provide a new strategy to enhance the therapeutic potential of GLP-1 and Ex-4. This project investigates the development of transgenic tobacco plants as bioreactors for generating recombinant fusion proteins, GLP-1 - hTf and Ex-4 - hTf. Here, transgenic tobacco plants have successfully accumulated recombinant fusion proteins. Plant-derived proteins showed stability in simulated gastrointestinal environment and confirmed their ability to stimulate insulin secretion from a pancreatic (l-cell line in vitro. Lastly, hTf-fused proteins were shown to internalize into human intestinal epithelial cells in vitro. Collectively, the results suggest that transgenic plants are an effective expression and delivery system of recombinant anti-diabetic proteins.
Recommended Citation
Choi, Jeehye, "TRANSGENIC PLANTS AS A NOVEL BIOREACTOR TO PRODUCE ANTIDIABETIC PROTEINS FOR THE TREATMENT OF TYPE 2 DIABETES" (2011). Digitized Theses. 3581.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/3581