Transgenic tomato plants expressing the antigen gene PfCP‑2.9 of Plasmodium falciparum

Abstract

The objective of this work was to obtain transgenic tomato plants expressing the PfCP‑2.9 protein (a chimera of the antigens MSP1 and AMA1 of Plasmodium falciparum). Cotyledons of seven-day‑old tomatoes, cultivar Summers, were transformed via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Transgenic expression in the T0 plants was verified in the DNA extracted from fruits. PCR analysis was used to test the presence of the gene of interest in the T1 generation. Reverse transcriptase PCR provided evidence of gene expression at the RNA level, and Western blot analysis confirmed the presence of the protein of interest in the T1 plants. This is the first report of successful transformation with the expression of a malaria antigen (PfCP‑2.9) in transgenic tomato plants from the T0 and T1 generations.