Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have shown that plant seeds can manufacture and store beta-casein, a major protein found in cow's milk, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science. The team, led by Prof. Oded Shoseyov of the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, reported that the protein accumulated in an entirely unexpected location inside plant cells.
Hebrew University researchers engineer plant seeds to produce cow milk protein
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have shown that plant seeds can manufacture and store beta-casein, a major protein found in cow's milk, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science. The team, led by Prof. Oded Shoseyov of the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, reported that the protein accumulated in an entirely unexpected location inside plant cells.
The study, titled 'Microscope reveals surprising milk protein clusters in engineered seeds,' was co-authored by Almog Ozeri, Mai Shamir, Miron Abramson, Barak Cohen, and Amir Rudich. The researchers engineered seeds from Arabidopsis thaliana, commonly known as thale cress, a weed in the mustard family native to Eurasia and Africa, to produce bovine beta-casein fused to an oil-body protein called oleosin. They tested several different 'cellular addresses,' directing the protein to various compartments within the plant cell to determine where it would accumulate most efficiently.
Shoseyov told The Jerusalem Post that the protein's behavior was unexpected. 'The protein absolutely behaves like real dairy beta-casein — even better,' he said, attributing the surprise result to 'the gap between what we think we know and what we actually know.' He added that biological systems are 'far more sophisticated' than assumed, and that while he could not claim an entirely new biological pathway had been identified without further investigation, the finding 'opens some very interesting opportunities.'
Arabidopsis was used as a laboratory model because of its fast life cycle, small genome, and ease of genetic transformation. Shoseyov said the intended commercial crop platform for the technology is safflower (Carthamus tinctorius). Once the DNA construct is validated in Arabidopsis, it would be transferred to safflower for scaled agricultural production. He noted that safflower seeds contain roughly ten times more concentrated protein and fat than milk, which is approximately 4 percent protein and 3 percent fat. Safflower plants also prefer hot weather and require little irrigation.
Shoseyov said discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have already begun and estimated that commercial readiness could be reached in 18 to 24 months. He described the biggest remaining obstacle as industry adoption of the technique. He also said the pharmaceutical industry could benefit from the discovery for manufacturing biological drugs such as humanized antibodies, while noting that the food industry is four times larger than the pharmaceutical industry.
- The source does not state whether the study has undergone independent peer review or provide details of the review process at Frontiers in Plant Science.
- The source does not state the yield or quantity of beta-casein produced per plant or seed batch in the experiments.
- The source does not identify the specific unexpected cellular location where beta-casein accumulated.
- The source does not state the current status or stage of the FDA discussions beyond saying they have begun.
- The source does not provide an independent scientific assessment of the findings from researchers outside the HUJI team.
- The source does not state what funding sources supported the research.
Read the original at The Jerusalem Post