REVIEW: Plant Factories for the Production of Monoclonal Antibodies

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E. V. Sheshukova¹, T. V. Komarova^1,2, and Y. L. Dorokhov^1,2*

¹Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia; fax: +7 (499) 132-8962; E-mail: dorokhov@genebee.msu.su

²Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received May 28, 2016; Revision received June 30, 2016

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Like animal cells, plant cells bear mechanisms for protein synthesis and posttranslational modification (glycosylation and phosphorylation) that allow them to be seriously considered as factories for therapeutic proteins, including antibodies, with the development of biotechnology. The plant platform for monoclonal antibody production is an attractive approach due to its flexibility, speed, scalability, low cost of production, and lack of contamination risk from animal-derived pathogens. Contemporary production approaches for therapeutic proteins rely on transgenic plants that are obtained via the stable transformation of plant cells as well as the transient (temporary) expression of foreign proteins. In this review, we discuss present-day approaches for monoclonal antibody production in plants (MAPP), features of carbohydrate composition, and methods for the humanization of the MAPP carbohydrate profile. MAPPs that have successfully passed preclinical studies and may be promising for use in clinical practice are presented here. Perspectives on using MAPPs are determined by analyzing their economic benefits and production rates, which are especially important in personalized cancer therapy as well as in cases of bioterrorism and pandemics.

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KEY WORDS: monoclonal antibody, immunoglobulin G, glycosylation, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, immunotherapy, plant viruses, vector

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297916100102

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