Molecular characterization of transgenic tobacco with hepatitis b gene

Hepatitis B vaccine is made from yeast cells. Through plant based HBsAg expression system, it is possible to test an oral immunization strategy simply by feeding plant samples. The presences of HBsAg gene in T₃ transgenic plants were confirmed by PCR analysis. The crude proteinsextracted fromtransformed tobacco plants were tested by SDS for the presence of 24 kDa protein, and ELISA confirmed the antigen specificity and immunogenic nature of the Hepatitis B surface antigen. The T₃ transgenic seedsshowed segregation ratio of 3:1 indicating mendelian inheritance.