Degree
Master of Science
Program
Biology
Supervisor
Menassa, Rima
2nd Supervisor
Kohalmi, Susanne E.
Co-Supervisor
Abstract
The cattle industry worldwide is ravaged by bovine respiratory disease (BRD), a bacterial disease caused by Mannheimia haemolytica. Recent efforts to design vaccines against M. haemolytica focus on a virulence factor, leukotoxin, in addition to surface lipoproteins. Plant-based protein production is a safe and inexpensive alternative to traditional methods. Edible vaccines deliver antigens to pharyngeal tissues, which can provide local immunization against M. haemolytica prior to its progression into the lungs. In this project, a chimeric protein containing M. haemolytica antigens was produced in tobacco chloroplasts as a candidate edible vaccine for BRD. Attempts were made to transform lettuce chloroplasts as an alternative production platform. This endeavor necessitated the optimization of lettuce growth, regeneration and transformation and will thereby support future work with transplastomic lettuce.
Recommended Citation
Martin, Coby K., "Production of a Candidate Recombinant Protein Vaccine for Mannheimia haemolytica in Lettuce and Tobacco Chloroplasts" (2018). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 5507.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/5507
Included in
Agriculture Commons, Biotechnology Commons, Genetics Commons, Immunity Commons, Molecular Biology Commons, Molecular Genetics Commons