Co-expression of the protease furin in Nicotiana benthamiana leads to efficient processing of latent transforming growth factor-β1 into a biologically active protein.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is a signalling molecule that plays a key role in developmental and immunological processes in mammals. Three TGF-β isoforms exist in humans, and each isoform has unique therapeutic potential. Plants offer a platform for the production of recombinant proteins, which is cheap and easy to scale up and has a low risk of contamination with human pathogens.