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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Jul 4.
Published in final edited form as: Annu Rev Genet. 2016 Oct 21;50:595–618. doi: 10.1146/annurev-genet-120215-035349

Figure 2.

Figure 2

Efficacy of chloroplast-made human blood proteins. (a) Capsules containing lyophilized plant cells expressing human blood proteins are orally delivered. (b) Bioencapsulation of blood proteins within the plant cell wall protects them in the stomach until they reach the gut. (Left) Close-up image of intact plant cells (arrow) expressing cholera toxin B (CTB)-fused green fluorescent protein (GFP) that passed through the stomach and reached the small intestine without any disruption. Intestinal epithelial cells take up GFP after lysis of plant cells by gut microbes. (Right) Widespread GFP uptake by gut epithelial cells through binding of CTB to GM1 receptors. Panel b adapted with permission from Reference 145. (c) CTB-fused myelin basic protein (MBP) crossed the blood-brain barrier and cleared amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s brain tissue. Panel c adapted with permission from Reference 65. (d ) CTB-fused angiotensin (Ang)-(1–7) or angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) crossed the blood-retinal barrier, restored retinal folding, and reduced ocular inflammation. Panel d adapted with permission from Reference 119. (e) CTB-fused Ang-(1–7) or ACE2 orally delivered to rats after induction of pulmonary hypertension (PH) arrested disease progression, improved right heart function by reducing the size of the right ventricle (RV) (top), and decreased pulmonary wall thickness and lung injury (bottom). Abbreviation: LV, left ventricle. Panel e adapted with permission from Reference 117.