Engineering plants for the expression of helminth glycoproteins with their native N-glycan structures

Schistosoma mansoni is a parasitic trematode that, like other helminths, secretes immunomodulatory proteins. These secreted proteins are main topics of research as they are possible vaccine candidates or may have therapeutic potential to treat inflammatory disorders. Many helminth secretory proteins carry complex N-glycans, but the exact role of these N-glycans on immunomodulatory properties remains to be elucidated. As the purification of a single glycoprotein from S. mansoni is inefficient and unsustainable, a platform is required that enables production of such glycoproteins. Here we show that S. mansoni-derived glycoproteins can be efficiently produced in plants. Furthermore, we have engineered the plant glycosylation machinery to synthesise N-glycans carrying structures like Lewis X or LDNF. Altogether, our results demonstrate that plants are an excellent platform for the expression of helminth glycoproteins with their native N-glycans. This opens up a new field of research and might lead to the identification of novel therapeutic targets.