Expression of bioactive recombinant human fibroblast growth factor 10 in Carthamus tinctorius L. seeds

- Expression of human fibroblast growth factor 10 in Carthamus tinctorius L. seeds using oil body fusion technology for the first time.
- The oil bodies that expressed oleosin-rhFGF10 can stimulate proliferation of BaF3 cells.
- Grafting method was used to obtain regenerated transgenic plants to solve the problem that safflower fail to survive the transfer from tissue culture media to soil.

Fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) is a member of the FGF superfamily. It exhibits diverse biological functions, and is extensively used for fundamental research and clinical applications involving hair growth, tissue repair, and burn wounds. Oil bodies, obtained from oil seeds, have been exploited for a variety of biotechnology applications. The use of oil bodies reduces purification steps and costs associated with the production of heterogonous proteins. Here, recombinant human FGF10 (rhFGF10) was expressed in safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) seeds using oilbody-oleosin technology. A plant expression vector, pOTBar-oleosin-rhFGF10, was constructed and introduced into safflower using Agrobacterium tumefaciens transformation, and mature safflower plants were obtained by grafting. Oleosin-rhFGF10 was successfully transformed and expressed in safflower seeds and inherited to the T3 generation. Moreover, MTT assays demonstrated that oil bodies expressed oleosin-FGF10 had a dose-dependent effect on cellular proliferation. In conclusion, this may provide a method of producing oleosin-rhFGF10, and help us meet the increasing pharmacological demands for the protein.