Algae as Protein Factories: Expression of a Human Antibody and the Respective Antigen in the Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

Microalgae are thought to offer great potential as expression system for various industrial, therapeutic and diagnostic recombinant proteins as they combine high growth rates with all benefits of eukaryotic expression systems. Moreover, microalgae exhibit a phototrophic lifestyle like land plants, hence protein expression is fuelled by photosynthesis, which is CO2-neutral and involves only low production costs. So far, however, research on algal bioreactors for recombinant protein expression is very rare calling for further investigations in this highly promising field. In this study, we present data on the expression of a monoclonal human IgG antibody against the Hepatitis B surface protein and the respective antigen in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Antibodies are fully-assembled and functional and accumulate to 8.7% of total soluble protein, which complies with 21 mg antibody per gram algal dry weight. The Hepatitis B surface protein is functional as well and is recognized by algae-produced and commercial antibodies

Plant-derived antibodies for academic, industrial, and therapeutic applications

Slavko Komarnytsky and Nikolai Borisju

Screen-to-Nature: Opening Doors to Traditional Knowledge and Hands-on Science Education

Science teachers continuously struggle to develop hands-on, stimulating pedagological tools that capture the enthusiasm of their students, while simultaneously grappling with issues of cost effectiveness and relevance to real-world situations. These constraints are particularly pronounced when educating indigenous students, who navigate daily between traditional and Western knowledge systems. An innovative “Screens-to-Nature” (STN) system, a portfolio of field-deployable bioassays and practical training, offers a well-designed alternative approach to transdisciplinary education, by immersing students in a guided approach to bioexploratory research. The STN bioassays simply and expediently give students the tools to detect bioactive, healthprotecting properties present in local, indigenous plant materials, microbes, and fungi. The tests are reliable, accurate, low-cost, and relevant for multiple scientific disciplines. Students are transformed from observers into active researchers, able to observe and record their own uncharted scientific discoveries. Because the STN system can be implemented on traditionally-important medicinal herbs and foods, links between indigenous knowledge and Western science, as well as youth-to-elder communications, are fostered. Case studies from multiple global locations have provided positive insights as to how the STN system can stimulate the science education experience and provoke expanded science discovery