Engineering Nicotiana benthamiana for production of active cannabinoid synthases via secretory pathway optimization

Abstract The heterologous expression of CBDAS and THCAS in the secretory pathway of Nicotiana benthamiana leaves is influenced for a cis-acting factor. Glycosylation plays a role in the expression and stability of CBDAS but is less critical for THCAS. CBDAS and THCAS were successfully expressed in N. benthamiana leaves, with yields up to 28.8 µg/ml for CBDAS and 107.7 µg/ml for THCAS using constructs with the barley α-amylase signal peptide (α-SP). Article type: Research Article Keywords: Cannabinoids, Plant biotechnology, Heterologous