Engineering hemagglutinin (H) protein of rinderpest virus into peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) as a possible source of vaccine

Development of transgenic plants as an expression system for the delivery of recombinant subunit vaccine through fodder would represent the most efficient and economical means of mass immunization of domestic ruminants as well as susceptible wild life. Rinderpest virus causes a highly contagious disease in cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats and wild ruminants with a high mortality rate. We have developed transgenic peanut (Arachis hypogea L.) plants expressing the hemagglutinin (H) protein of rinderpest virus. The transgenic peanut plants were produced by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of shoot apices. The presence and integration of the transgene has been verified by PCR and Southern hybridization. The expression of the hemagglutinin protein was confirmed by immunoblotting analysis employing polyclonal H antibody. The expression of hemagglutinin protein in T1 generation demonstrates the stable integration of H gene into the plant genome.