Gene Editing of Nicotiana benthamiana Architecture for Space-Efficient Production of Recombinant Proteins in Closed Environments.
Giroux B, LeBreux K, Feyzeau L, Goulet MC, Goulet C
Crispr
Vertical farms stacked in warehouses could soon grow the plant-based medicines your doctor prescribes, without needing vast fields of land — and the same compact-plant tricks may eventually reshape how any crop is grown indoors.
Researchers tweaked a gene in tobacco plants that normally tells side branches to stay dormant, causing the plants to grow short and bushy instead of tall and sprawling. These compact plants fit into half the floor space of normal plants grown under artificial lights in indoor stacked farms. Remarkably, the bushy plants still churned out the same amount of useful proteins — including a cancer-treating antibody — as their full-sized counterparts.
Key Findings
CRISPR knockout of strigolactone-producing genes (CCD7 or CCD8) reduced plant spatial footprint by 45–50% compared to standard lab strains.
Recombinant protein yields per plant were maintained in mutant lines, confirmed with both GFP (a fluorescent marker) and rituximab (a therapeutic antibody used in cancer treatment).
Gene knockouts altered the plants' hormone balance and metabolism — shifting auxin/cytokinin ratios and metabolic fluxes — without slowing overall growth rate.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists used CRISPR gene editing to create compact, bushy versions of tobacco plants that take up 45-50% less floor space while still producing the same amount of medicinal proteins — a breakthrough for growing pharmaceutical plants in indoor vertical farms.
Abstract Preview
Indoor vertical farming (VF) offers practical advantages for the cultivation of plant protein bio-factories including plant uniformity, product consistency, water/nutrient recycling and production ...
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