A transgenic ginseng vaccine for bovine viral diarrhea

Background: Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infections are endemic in cattle populations worldwide and cause major economic losses. Thus, an effective vaccine is needed against the transmission of BVDV. The glycoprotein Erns is one of the envelope proteins of this virus and shows BVDV-related immunogenicity. Here, we report the use of Panax ginseng as an alternative production platform for the expression of glycoprotein Erns via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Result: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcription (RT)-PCR analyses showed that pBI121-E-rns was stably integrated into the chromosome of transformants. ELISA assay and Western blot analysis confirmed the antigenicity of plant-derived Erns glycoprotein. Immunogenicity was evaluated subcutaneously in deer using a soluble protein extract of dried transgenic ginseng hairy roots. Specific humoral and cell-mediated immune responses against BVDV were detected following immunization. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that the Erns glycoprotein could be expressed in ginseng hairy roots and that plant-derived glycoprotein Erns retained its antigenicity and immunogenicity.