Expression of the Human Milk Protein, Beta-Casein : in Transgenic Potato Plants

Author

Wendy Roberts

Abstract

Mother’s milk is recommended by the nutritional and pediatric communities as the best food for suckling infants. For non breast-fed infants, bovine milk-based formulas have been regarded as a suitable substitute. In the early 1900's, physicians found that foreign proteins in cow milk were responsible for gastrointestinal disease and even digestive collapse of the newborn fed a cow milk-based diet¹⁶. The allergenicity of cow milk for the human infant appears to be caused predominantly by p-casein¹⁷. In this research, the cDNA encoding human p-casein was introduced into potato cells under the control of the bidirectional, auxin-inducible mannopine synthase gene (mas) promoter by Agrobacterium turnefaciens-mediated leaf disc transformation methods. The presence of the p-casein gene and its transcript in regenerated transgenic plants were confirmed by PCR and RT-PCR analysis respectively. Human p-casein protein was detected in leaves of transgenic plants by immunoblot analysis. The p-casein protein produced by the plants migrated as a single band with a molecular mass of about 30 KDa and was approximately 0.01% of the total soluble protein in transgenic potato tissue.

LLU Discipline

Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

Department

Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

William H. R. Langrides

Second Advisor

Allan P. Escher

Third Advisor

Anthony J. Zuccarelli

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Level

M.S.

Year Degree Awarded

1996

Date (Title Page)

6-1996

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Milk Proteins; Milk, Human; Caseins; Plants, Transgenic; Plant Proteins

Type

Dissertation

Page Count

vi; 25

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Copyright

Author

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Recommended Citation

Roberts, Wendy, "Expression of the Human Milk Protein, Beta-Casein : in Transgenic Potato Plants" (1996). Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects. 762.
https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/762

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives