Abstract
Many plants produce enzymes with N-glycosidase activity, also known as Ribosome Inactivating Proteins. These proteins remove a specific adenine residue from the ribosomal RNA (28S in eukaryotes) inducing the block of protein synthesis by inhibiting the binding of the Elongation Factor 2. Both eukaryotic and prokaryotic ribosomes (with different sensitivity) can irreversibly be damaged by the action of these enzymes, suggesting their use as cytotoxic drugs. In fact several applications of targeted N-glycosidases have been developed (i.e. immunotoxins) for the treatment of human diseases such as leukaemia, but biotechnological development has furthermore suggested new applications of targeted N-glycosidases (i.e. Ig192-saporin) that are now used as powerful tools for cell biology research. The high number of enzymes available and the possibility to express these proteins as recombinant products, allow to predict new formulations and applications discussed in this paper starting from the example of the model toxins ricin and saporin.
Keywords: N-glycosidases, Saporin, Ricin, toxins, immunotoxins
Current Chemical Biology
Title: Ricin and Saporin: Plant Enzymes for the Research and the Clinics
Volume: 4 Issue: 2
Author(s): Francesco Giansanti, Luana Di Leandro, Ilias Koutris, Alessio Cialfi, Elisabetta Benedetti, Giulio Laurenti, Giuseppina Pitari and Rodolfo Ippoliti
Affiliation:
Keywords: N-glycosidases, Saporin, Ricin, toxins, immunotoxins
Abstract: Many plants produce enzymes with N-glycosidase activity, also known as Ribosome Inactivating Proteins. These proteins remove a specific adenine residue from the ribosomal RNA (28S in eukaryotes) inducing the block of protein synthesis by inhibiting the binding of the Elongation Factor 2. Both eukaryotic and prokaryotic ribosomes (with different sensitivity) can irreversibly be damaged by the action of these enzymes, suggesting their use as cytotoxic drugs. In fact several applications of targeted N-glycosidases have been developed (i.e. immunotoxins) for the treatment of human diseases such as leukaemia, but biotechnological development has furthermore suggested new applications of targeted N-glycosidases (i.e. Ig192-saporin) that are now used as powerful tools for cell biology research. The high number of enzymes available and the possibility to express these proteins as recombinant products, allow to predict new formulations and applications discussed in this paper starting from the example of the model toxins ricin and saporin.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Giansanti Francesco, Di Leandro Luana, Koutris Ilias, Cialfi Alessio, Benedetti Elisabetta, Laurenti Giulio, Pitari Giuseppina and Ippoliti Rodolfo, Ricin and Saporin: Plant Enzymes for the Research and the Clinics, Current Chemical Biology 2010; 4 (2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/2212796811004020099
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/2212796811004020099 |
Print ISSN 2212-7968 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1872-3136 |
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Synthesis of Cis-Fused Pyran Indolocarbazole Derivatives that Inhibit FLT3 Kinase and the DNA Damage Kinase, Checkpoint Kinase 1
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Current Status of the Non-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Cancer Stem Cells – Are Surface Markers Alone Sufficient?
Current Stem Cell Research & Therapy Biodegradable Nanoparticles: A Recent Approach and Applications
Current Drug Targets Synthesis and Biological Applications of Triazole Derivatives – A Review
Mini-Reviews in Organic Chemistry Src Kinase Inhibitors: An Update on Patented Compounds
Current Medicinal Chemistry Biosafety of Onco-Retroviral Vectors
Current Gene Therapy Honey as a Source of Dietary Antioxidants: Structures, Bioavailability and Evidence of Protective Effects Against Human Chronic Diseases
Current Medicinal Chemistry The Molecular Bases of the Self-Renewal and Differentiation of Leukemic Stem Cells
Current Cancer Therapy Reviews Ag+ Complexes as Potential Therapeutic Agents in Medicine and Pharmacy
Current Medicinal Chemistry Anticancer Drugs in Liposomal Nanodevices: A Target Delivery for a Targeted Therapy
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry Old Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors and Newcomers in Gastrointestinal Cancer Treatment
Current Cancer Drug Targets Novel Therapeutic Strategies Against Cancer: Marine-derived Drugs May Be the Answer?
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Plant Glycosides and Aglycones Displaying Antiproliferative and Antitumour Activities – A Review
Current Bioactive Compounds The Impacts of Non-coding RNAs and N<sup>6</sup>-Methyladenosine on Cancer: Past, Present and Future
Current Cancer Drug Targets The PI3K/Akt Pathway as a Target in the Treatment of Hematologic Malignancies
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Transport of Nucleoside Analogs Across the Plasma Membrane: A Clue to Understanding Drug-Induced Cytotoxicity
Current Drug Metabolism Novel Drugs for Chronic Lymphoid Leukemias: Mechanism of Action and Therapeutic Activity
Current Medicinal Chemistry Bortezomib in the Treatment of Cancer
Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery Ring Finger Ubiquitin Protein Ligases and Their Implication to the Pathogenesis of Human Diseases
Current Pharmaceutical Design