Advancements in recombinant technology for production of butyrylcholinesterase, a bioscavenger of nerve agent

Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) is a serine hydrolase present in plasma and other mammalian tissues. As a target of organophosphorous pesticides and warfare nerve agents, BChE acts as their stoichiometric bioscavenger. However, so far it has been a significant challenge to produce BChE at large scales and low cost. For decades, numerous research efforts have been directed first at isolation from human volunteers and later at production of BChE in eukaryotic and prokaryotic expression systems. In this review we focused on recent studies on recombinant BChE discussing reasons why the efficient, economically sensible expression system for recombinant BChE is hard to develop. We also bring the most recent advancements in the use of expression of human BChE in vivo as an effective prophylactic against organophosphate poisoning.