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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.10.15.682649

The Arabidopsis CYSTM α 5'UTR increases protein production from transgenes in plants and bacteria.

Khanduja, J. S.·Wu, X.·Searle, I. R.
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Abstract

Achieving high levels of transgene expression is often crucial for the effective production of high value pharmaceutical proteins and bioactive compounds. Here, we show a 79-nucleotide sequence of the 5 UTR of the Arabidopsis thaliana cysteine-rich transmembrane module 1 (CYSTM1) significantly increases transient and stable transgene expression at the post-transcriptional level in multicellular plants, A. thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana, in monocotyledon wheat germ extracts, and in the unicellular bacterium Escherichia coli by up to 7-fold. We also show the 79 nt CYSTM sequence has 50 % higher transgene expression than the broadly used Tobacco Mosaic Virus omega ({Omega}) sequence in both A. thaliana and N. benthamiana. Taken together, this study provides a short transgene expression enhancer for multicellular and unicellular organisms.

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Khanduja, J. S., Wu, X., Searle, I. R.. 2025-10-18. The Arabidopsis CYSTM α 5'UTR increases protein production from transgenes in plants and bacteria.. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.10.15.682649

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