Evaluation of the immunostimulatory properties of plant Hsp90 to use as novel adjuvant carriers

CORIGLIANO MG, GOLDMAN A, MARTIN V, LAGUÍA BECHER M, MAGLIOCO M, CLEMENTE M.

Congreso; XLVI SAIB; 2010

In general terms, the production of high amounts of antigen in plant is hard, having to develop different strategies to increase their expression. An interesting option is to express the polypeptide of interest in the plant with a carrier that could provide stability and therefore increase the poleptide production. We consider that plant Hsp90 could be such a carrier. In addition, if plant Hsp90 presents adjuvant properties, it could arise as a novel and interesting carrier for proteins or peptides with immumoprotective value, improving the immunogenicity property of the transgenic plant extract. WehavepreviouslydemonstratedthatrecombinantplantHsp90proteins(rpHsp90)inducedprominentproliferativeresponsesinspleencellsformBALB/cmice.Here,itwasfoundthatinvitroincubationofspleencellswithrpHsp90leadstotheexpansionofCD19-bearingpopulations,suggestingadirecteffectoftheseproteinsonBlymphocytes.Furthermore,weexaminedtheinvolvementofTLR4intherpHsp90sinductionofBcellproliferation.SpleencellsofC3H/HeJmice,whicharehyporesponsivetoLPS,alsorespondedpoorlytorpHsp90indicatingthatrpHsp90B-cellmitogenicpropertiesarethroughtheTLR4receptor.The immunostimulatory properties of rpHsp90 observed here support the idea that these proteins could be excellent carriers for antigens and peptid expressed in plant.