Methods and systems for producing a protein of interest within a plant or a portion of a plant are provided herein. The method includes introducing one or more nucleic acid into the plant or the portion of the plant, the nucleic acid including a nucleotide sequence encoding the protein of interest and incubating the plant or the portion of the plant under conditions that permit the expression of the nucleotide sequence encoding the protein of interest. The method also includes adding a medium amendment including a calcium carbonate source, such as aragonite, to a medium environment of the plant.

Plants and plant produced compositions which include Coronavirus S proteins are disclosed. These may be used as vaccines, boosters or immune modulators. The compositions have been shown to reduce the inflammatory cytokine response by altering cytokine levels when administered to an animal. The compositions may be used as an immune modulator to reduce/ameliorate or prevent the cytokine storm often associated with Coronavirus or other virus infection. The compositions may also be used to produce additive protection when administered with any vaccine composition to increase vaccine effectiveness. The compositions when used as vaccines have been shown to protect newborn animals through passive immunity.

The present invention includes an immunogenic protein, constructs, vectors, and methods of making, comprising at least 90% amino acid identity to at least one antigenic peptide selected from: a coronavirus Receptor Binding Domain (RBD), coronavirus a Receptor Binding Motif (RBM) of a coronavirus spike protein, a coronavirus spike protein N-terminus, a nucleocapsid protein, one or more T cell epitopes from a coronavirus spike protein, or one or more T cell epitopes from a coronavirus nucleocapsid protein, or combination thereof. In one example, the at least one antigenic peptide is positioned at, at least one of, the N-terminus, the C-terminus, or in a loop region of the carrier protein or peptide tag.

A genetically modified plant or plant cell with reduced α1,3-fucosyltransferase and β1,2-xylosyltransferase activity compared to a wild type plant or plant cell, wherein less than 10% of the total glycan on a protein produced by the plant or plant cell is α1,3-fucosylated glycan and less than 3% of the total glycan on the protein is β1,2-xylosylated glycan is provided. In one embodiment, the plant or plant cell comprises three T-DNA insertions expressing five copies of RNAi targeting α1,3-fucosyltranserase and three copies of RNAi targeting β1,2xylosyltransferase.

Nucleic acids encoding norovirus VP1 fusion proteins and VLPs comprising the norovirus VP1 fusion proteins are provided. Methods for norovirus VP1 fusion protein and norovirus VLP production in plants are also described. The VP1 fusion protein comprises, a first sequence encoding an S domain derived from a first norovirus strain, and a second sequence encoding a P domain derived from a second norovirus strain.

Nucleic acids encoding modified norovirus VP1 proteins, and VLPs comprising one or more of the modified norovirus VP1 proteins are provided. Methods for modified norovirus VP1 protein, and norovirus VLP, production in plants, portions of the plant or a plant cell, are also described.

Methods of producing recombinant, multi-component proteins in eukaryotic expression systems, comprising co-transforming a eukaryotic cell with two or more different nucleic acid constructs, each comprising a respective transcriptional unit encoding a protein component, wherein each nucleic acid construct comprises the same promoter and signal sequence, such that each of the components will be targeted to the same organelle of the cell for expression and intracellular assembly. In one or more embodiments, each nucleic acid construct comprises a promoter from a protein storage gene that is operably linked to a DNA sequence that encodes for a protein storage-specific signal sequence.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 antigen virus-like particles (VLPs) and recombinant immune complexes (RICs) are described, along with methods of making said VLPs and RICs in plants and using said VLPs and RICs to induce an immune response in a subject.

Expression vector for the stable production of a protein in plants, in particular a whole recombinant antibody in a cereal endosperm, comprising an expression cassette for the light polypeptide chain (L) of the antibody and an expression cassette for the heavy polypeptide chain (H) of the antibody, having the same orientation and the same control and regulatory elements of gene expression.

The disclosure relates to immunoglobulin variants that are useful for the design of vaccinations against a variety of athogens and their method of production and use. In some aspects, the immunoglobulin variants are variants of IgG, for example, the 6D8 antibody.