# Plant-based production of virus-like particles from hepatitis C virus

## TL;DR

Scientists produced hepatitis C virus-like particles in plants for the first time, which could help in developing safe and scalable vaccines.

## Contribution

This is the first successful production of complete hepatitis C virus-like particles in plants using a polycistron-like expression system.

## Key findings

- HCV structural proteins Core, E1, and E2 were expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana plants.
- Purified proteins assembled into spherical virus-like particles confirmed by electron microscopy.
- The binary vector system achieved higher protein yields compared to the deconstructed system.

## Abstract

Virus-like particles (VLP) from hepatitis C virus were successfully produced in Nicotiana benthamiana plants for the first time, by co-expressing three viral proteins (Core, E1 and E2) in a polycistron-like arrangement.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains a global health challenge, underscoring the need for a preventive vaccine. Virus-like particles (VLP) offer a safe alternative, as they resemble native virions without infectious genomes. We expressed the HCV structural proteins Core, E1, and E2 in Nicotiana benthamiana using binary and deconstructed viral vector systems. Western blot confirmed expression, with the binary system achieving higher yields. Purified proteins assembled into spherical VLP (40–60 nm) were confirmed by electron microscopy. These findings demonstrate for the first time the feasibility of producing complete HCV-VLP in plants, supporting their potential as a scalable platform for vaccine development.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00425-026-04956-6.