Molecular analysis of Piscine Reovirus (PRV) vaccine antigens produced in tobacco and lettuce

Abstract

Aquaculture is emerging to be one of the most important food industries in the world, and will be a crucial part of securing food supply for a population expected to reach close to 10 billion by 2050. Norway produced 1.3 million tons of Atlantic salmon in 2015, with a sales value of 44.3 billion NOK. This is done in marine cage systems which are dependent on keeping a large number of individuals at high density. This intense nature of fish farming increases the risk of infectious diseases. In 1999 a disease that affected heart and muscle tissue (HSMI) emerged in Norwegian aquaculture systems with Atlantic salmon, and in 2010 the disease was linked with a novel virus Piscine Reovirus (PRV). Infectious diseases are a limiting factor in aquaculture production. There is as of now no available vaccine against HSMI on the market, nor is there any other treatment available against this disease. Plants have through history been a great resource for natural medical products. The advances in molecular biology during the last few decades has now made it possible for plants to contribute to the pharmaceutical industry in a new way via molecular farming. Recombinant proteins can be produced in a cheaper and more secure way than with the traditional cell culture bioreactor systems. This thesis explores the possibility of producing antigens for a vaccine against Piscine Reovirus (PRV) in lettuce and tobacco. This is done using transient transformation via agroinfiltration. Molecular analysis was used to investigate the presence of the recombinant antigen proteins. Further, a vaccine trial was performed on Atlantic salmon parr comparing different vaccine types. The results are presented in this thesis.