Genetic engineering of safflower for molecular farming

Abstract

Plant based expressions systems are advantageous in molecular farming since they provide low-cost, convenient, safe and effective ways of producing recombinant proteins in large scale. Expression of recombinant proteins of pharmaceutical value in seeds enables accumulation of high levels of proteins in a small volume and minimizes the costs associated with processing. Oilseed crops are suitable for molecular farming as the extraction of the biopharmaceuticals from the seeds is easy and less expensive. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L) is an important oilseed crop particularly in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Safflower is ideal oilseed crop for bio-pharming or molecular farming owing to the high level of production of recombinant proteins in seeds. The prospects of using safflower as a host system in production of recombinant proteins of therapeutic value are discussed.