Plant secretory cells study

Laser-scanning Confocal Microscopy (LSCM) Study of Plant Secretory Cell... 

In this chapter the application of LSCM technique to study plant secretory cells, which participate in allelopathic relations, is described. 

Roshchina, V.V., Melnikova, E.V., Mitkovskaya L.I. and Karnaukhov, V.N. (1998). Microspectrofluorimetry for the study of intact plant secretory cells. Journal of General Biology (Russia). 59 531-554. 

GERSHENZON, J., McCASKILL, D., RAJAONARIVONY, J.I.M., MIHALIAK, C., KARP, F., CROTEAU, R., Isolation of secretory cells from plant glandular trichomes and their use in biosynthetic studies of monoterpenes and other gland products, Anal. Biochem., 1992, 200, 130-138. 

Menthol is a well-known terpenoid from the essential oil of mint Mentha spp.) (15), and is described here as a representative of the different acyclic and cyclic plant monoterpenoids. Because of its pleasant odor, taste, and anesthetic and antimicrobial effects, (-)-menthol is an industrially important terpenoid and is produced commercially in large scale both from the essential oils of Mentha spp. and by asymmetric synthesis. The essential oil is produced in glandular trichomes, which are secretory cells that number in the thousands on Mentha leaves. The presence of these specialized cells, which easily can be separated physically from other cell types, has greatly facilitated studying (-)-menthol biosynthesis. 

The most widely studied therapeutic proteins produced in plants include monoclonal antibodies for passive immunotherapy and antigens for use as oral vaccines [40]. Antibodies against dental caries, rheumatoid arthritis, cholera, E. coli diarrhea, malaria, certain cancers, Norwalk virus, HIV, rhinovirus, influenza, hepatitis B virus and herpes simplex virus have been produced in transgenic plants. However, the anti-Streptococcus mutans secretory antibody for the prevention of dental caries is the only plant-derived antibody currently in Phase II clinical trials [40]. Until recently, most antibodies were expressed in tobacco, potato, alfalfa, soybean, rice and wheat [9], It has been estimated that for every 170 tons of harvested tobacco, 100 tons represents harvested leaves. A single hectare could thus yield 50 kg of secretory IgA [3, 41]. Furthermore, it has been estimated that the cost of antibody production in plants is half that in transgenic animals and 20 times lower than in mammalian cell cul-... 

Suzuki T, Fujiwake H, Iwai K (1980) Intracellular localization of capsaicin and its analogues, capsaicinoid, in Capsicum fruit. 1. Microscopic investigation of the structure of the placenta of Capsicum annuum var. annuum cv. Karayatsubusa. Plant Cell Physiol 21 839-853 Ohta Y (1963) Physiological and genetical studies on the pungency of Capsicum IV. Secretory organ, receptacles and distribution of capsaicin in the Capsicum fruits. Jap J Breed 12 179-183... 

Transgenic plants might also be used for production of recombinant proteins. While many of these systems are still early in the development stage, plants offer very robust and high-capacity system for biopharmaceutical production. Since plants cannot always properly modify proteins as mammalian cells, their utility may be limited. However, early studies suggest that plants may serve as useful hosts for production of vaccines and antibodies. For example, HepB surface antigen has been successfully expressed in potatoes [11], and clinical trials are underway with secretory antibodies (SIgAs), such as CaroRx , developed in plants [12]. 

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