Development of a novel multi‑epitope vaccine against the pathogenic human polyomavirus V6/7 using reverse vaccinology.

Background: Human polyomaviruses contribute to human oncogenesis through persistent infections, but currently there is no effective preventive measure against the malignancies caused by this virus. Therefore, the development of a safe and effective vaccine against HPyV is of high priority.

Methods: First, the proteomes of 2 polyomavirus species (HPyV6 and HPyV7) were downloaded from the NCBI database for the selection of the target proteins.

Nanoparticle elicitation: A promising strategy to modulate the production of bioactive compounds in hairy roots.

Hairy root culture is one of the promising biotechnological tools to obtain the stable and sustainable production of specialized metabolites from plants under controlled environment conditions. Various strategies have been adopted to enhance the accumulation of bioactive compounds in hairy roots yet their utilization at the commercial scale is restricted to only a few products. Recently, nanotechnology has been emerged as an active technique that has revolutionized the many sectors in an advantageous way.

Recent advances in expression and purification strategies for plant made vaccines.

Plants have been explored as a platform to produce pharmaceutical proteins for over 20 years. Important features such as the cost-effectiveness of production, the ease of scaling up to manufacturing capacity, the lack of cold chain requirements and the ability to produce complex therapeutic proteins which are biologically and functionally identical to their mammalian counterparts, make plants a strong alternative for vaccine production. This review article focuses on both the expression as well as the downstream purification processes for plant made vaccines.

Plant Virus Nanoparticles Combat Cancer.

Plant virus nanoparticles (PVNPs) have garnered considerable interest as a promising nanotechnology approach to combat cancer. Owing to their biocompatibility, stability, and adjustable surface functionality, PVNPs hold tremendous potential for both therapeutic and imaging applications. The versatility of PVNPs is evident from their ability to be tailored to transport a range of therapeutic agents, including chemotherapy drugs, siRNA, and immunomodulators, thereby facilitating targeted delivery to the tumor microenvironment (TME).

The use of African medicinal plants in cancer management.

Cancer is the third leading cause of premature death in sub-Saharan Africa. Cervical cancer has the highest number of incidences in sub-Saharan Africa due to high HIV prevalence (70% of global cases) in African countries which is linked to increasing the risk of developing cervical cancer, and the continuous high risk of being infected with Human papillomavirus In 2020, the risk of dying from cancer amongst women was higher in Eastern Africa (11%) than it was in Northern America (7.4%).

Recent Progress on Vaccines Produced in Transgenic Plants.

The development of vaccines from plants has been going on for over two decades now. Vaccine production in plants requires time and a lot of effort. Despite global efforts in plant-made vaccine development, there are still challenges that hinder the realization of the final objective of manufacturing approved and safe products.

Plant Molecular Pharming and Plant-Derived Compounds towards Generation of Vaccines and Therapeutics against Coronaviruses.

The current century has witnessed infections of pandemic proportions caused by Coronaviruses (CoV) including severe acute respiratory syndrome-related CoV (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome-related CoV (MERS-CoV) and the recently identified SARS-CoV2. Significantly, the SARS-CoV2 outbreak, declared a pandemic in early 2020, has wreaked devastation and imposed intense pressure on medical establishments world-wide in a short time period by spreading at a rapid pace, resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, there is a compelling need to combat and contain the CoV infections.

Plant Virus Nanoparticles for Anti-cancer Therapy.

Plant virus nanoparticles (VNPs) are inexpensive to produce, safe, biodegradable and efficacious as treatments. The applications of r plant virus nanoparticles range from epitope carriers for vaccines to agents in cancer immunotherapy. Both VNPs and virus-like particles (VLPs) are highly immunogenic and are readily phagocytosed by antigen presenting cells (APCs), which in turn elicit antigen processing and display of pathogenic epitopes on their surfaces.

Application of Plant Viruses in Biotechnology, Medicine, and Human Health.

Plant-based nanotechnology programs using virus-like particles (VLPs) and virus nanoparticles (VNPs) are emerging platforms that are increasingly used for a variety of applications in biotechnology and medicine. Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and potato virus X (PVX), by virtue of having high aspect ratios, make ideal platforms for drug delivery. TMV and PVX both possess rod-shaped structures and single-stranded RNA genomes encapsidated by their respective capsid proteins and have shown great promise as drug delivery systems.

Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology: Plant Nanoparticles for Anti-Cancer Therapy.

Naturally occurring viral nanomaterials have gained popularity owing to their biocompatible and biodegradable nature. Plant virus nanoparticles (VNPs) can be used as nanocarriers for a number of biomedical applications. Plant VNPs are inexpensive to produce, safe to administer and efficacious as treatments.

Combating Human Viral Diseases: Will Plant-Based Vaccines Be the Answer?

Molecular pharming or the technology of application of plants and plant cell culture to manufacture high-value recombinant proteins has progressed a long way over the last three decades. Whether generated in transgenic plants by stable expression or in plant virus-based transient expression systems, biopharmaceuticals have been produced to combat several human viral diseases that have impacted the world in pandemic proportions. Plants have been variously employed in expressing a host of viral antigens as well as monoclonal antibodies.

An Inside Look into Biological Miniatures: Molecular Mechanisms of Viroids.

Viroids are tiny single-stranded circular RNA pathogens that infect plants. Viroids do not encode any proteins, yet cause an assortment of symptoms. The following review describes viroid classification, molecular biology and spread.

Molecular interactions of plant viral satellites.

Plant viral satellites fall under the category of subviral agents. Their genomes are composed of small RNA or DNA molecules a few hundred nucleotides in length and contain an assortment of highly complex and overlapping functions. Each lacks the ability to either replicate or undergo encapsidation or both in the absence of a helper virus (HV).

Recently Patented Viral Nucleotide Sequences and Generation of Virus-Derived Vaccines.

Background: With an increase in comprehension of the molecular biology of viruses, there has been a recent surge in the application of virus sequences and viral gene expression strategies towards the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Results: The scope of the patenting landscape has widened as a result and the current review discusses patents pertaining to live / attenuated viral vaccines. The vaccines addressed here have been developed by both conventional means as well as by the state-of-the-art genetic engineering techniques.

Virus-Based RNA Silencing Agents and Virus-Derived Expression Vectors as Gene Therapy Vehicles.

Background: In consideration of recent developments in understanding the genomics and proteomics of viruses, the use of viral DNA / RNA sequences as well as their gene expression schemes, have found new in-roads towards the prognosis and therapy of diseases. Correspondingly, the sphere of the patenting scenario has expanded significantly.

Objectives: The current review addresses patented inventions concerning the use of virus sequences as gene silencing machineries and inventions concerning the generation and application of viral sequences as expression vectors.

Recent Patents in Agricultural Biotechnology; Focus on Health.

Background: Agricultural biotechnology, including the generation of genetically modified food crops, has been the subject of much controversy over the last few years. Initially serving the basic needs of farmers, Ag Biotech has more recently gained much appeal for its opportunities with respect to both the nutritional and pharmaceutical sciences.

Methods: The following review describes a number of recently approved patents that could have direct implications for the field of medicine.

Recent Patents in Oncolytic Virotherapy.

Recent innovative and advanced developments in the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases as well as enhanced in-depth understanding of virus molecular biology have opened novel avenues with respect to the patent landscape. Included are viruses utilized in the development of anticancer agents, agents that are employed against the spread of infectious viral diseases, RNA silencing agents and virus-derived expression vectors that can be used for over-expression of therapeutic proteins or as gene therapy vehicles. The current review describes several recent patents pertaining to virus sequences and their medical and biotechnological applications.

Novel coding, translation, and gene expression of a replicating covalently closed circular RNA of 220 nt.

The highly structured (64% GC) covalently closed circular (CCC) RNA (220 nt) of the virusoid associated with rice yellow mottle virus codes for a 16-kDa highly basic protein using novel modalities for coding, translation, and gene expression. This CCC RNA is the smallest among all known viroids and virusoids and the only one that codes proteins. Its sequence possesses an internal ribosome entry site and is directly translated through two (or three) completely overlapping ORFs (shifting to a new reading frame at the end of each round).

Viral and chloroplastic signals essential for initiation and efficiency of translation in Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

The construction of high-level protein expression vectors using the CaMV 35S promoter in concert with highly efficient translation initiation signals for Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a relatively less explored field compared to that of Escherichia coli. In the current study, we experimentally investigated the capacity of the CaMV 35S promoter to direct GFP gene expression in A. tumefaciens in the context of different viral and chloroplastic translation initiation signals.

Construction and biological activities of the first infectious cDNA clones of the genus Foveavirus.

Grapevine rupestris stem pitting-associated virus (GRSPaV, genus Foveavirus, family Betaflexiviridae) is one of the most prevalent viruses in grapevines and is associated with three distinct diseases: rupestris stem pitting, vein necrosis and Syrah decline. Little is known about the biology and pathological properties of GRSPaV. In this work, we engineered a full-length infectious cDNA clone for GRSPaV and a GFP-tagged variant, both under the transcriptional control of Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter.

Structural and sequence integrity are essential for the replication of the viroid-like satellite RNA of lucerne transient streak virus.

Lucerne transient streak virus (LTSV, genus Sobemovirus) supports the replication and encapsidation of a 322 nt untranslated small-circular RNA (scLTSV). Since scLTSV does not code for any proteins or share sequence similarity with its helper virus (LTSV), it is presumed that it uses structural and sequence motifs to signal the helper virus (and host) machinery for its replication and encapsidation. Insertion and deletion mutations were introduced at various locations within the scLTSV molecule.

A prospective assessment of cytomegalovirus immune evasion gene transcription profiles in transplant patients with cytomegalovirus infection.

Background: The cytomegalovirus (CMV) immune evasion genes US3, US6, and US11 may disrupt the host immune response via downregulation of major histocompatibility complex molecules. Transplant recipients with CMV infection were prospectively assessed for immune evasion gene expression.

Methods: Seventy solid organ transplant patients with CMV infection who were given antiviral therapy were enrolled.