Development of a technique for monitoring the accumulation level of foreign protein in leaves using chlorophyll fluorescence

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26712021
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Agricultural environmental engineering/Agricultural information engineering
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: MATSUDA Ryo 東京大学, 大学院農学生命科学研究科, 准教授 (20547228)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 環境制御 / 生体情報 / インフルエンザワクチン / 一過性遺伝子発現 / ベンサミアナタバコ / 葉温 / 光合成

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Transient gene expression technology, in which a gene encoding high-value protein such as vaccine antigen is introduced into mature plants for transient expression, is attracting interest as a rapid mass production platform for biopharmaceutical proteins. In this study, we aimed at analyzing photosynthetic gas exchange characteristics in leaves and developing a technique for monitoring non-destructively changes in the target protein accumulation level in leaves. We could not find appropriate conditions for chlorophyll fluorescence measurements that enable quantitative monitoring. However, it was shown that, by measuring leaf temperature continuously, days post gene introduction at which time the amount of target protein reaches its maximum level can be estimated, irrespective of air temperature during plant growth.

Free Research Field

生物環境工学