Secretion of human interferon-β 1b by recombinant Lactococcus lactis

Interferon-β has anti-viral, anti-proliferation and multifunctional immunomodulatory activities and shows promising clinical effects for treatment of inflammatory disorders. The recombinant human interferon-β (huIFN-β) 1b was expressed in the food-grade lactic acid bacterium, Lactococcus lactis, using a nisin-controlled gene expression system. huIFN-β production from recombinant strains (with and without LEISSTCDA propeptide) was approximately 21 and 7 μg l−1, respectively. Moreover, 95% (former strain) and 88% (latter strain) of total recombinant proteins were secreted into the culture medium. The biological activities of huIFN-β from recombinant strains revealed similar antiviral activities of 107 I.U. mg−1. These results demonstrate the potential application of recombinant strains as a food grade vehicle to deliver bioactive huIFN-β in vivo.