Ricin B chain-containing immunotoxins prepared with heat-denatured B chain lacking galactose-binding ability potentiate the cytotoxicity of a cell-reactive ricin A chain immunotoxin

Lipolytic activity of ricin from Ricinus sanguineus and Ricinus communis on neutral lipids

The present study was carried out with a view of determining ricin lipolytic activity on neutral lipids in emulsion and in a membrane-like model. Using 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanol tributyrate (BAL-TC(4)) as substrate, the lipolytic activity of ricin was found to be proportional to ricin and substrate concentrations, with an apparent K(m) (K(m,app)) of 2.4 mM, a k(cat) of 200 min(-1) and a specific activity of 1.0 unit/mg of protein. This work was extended to p-nitrophenyl (pNP) fatty acid esters containing two to twelve carbon atoms. Maximum lipolytic activity was registered on pNP decanoate (pNPC(10)), with a K(m,app) of 3.5 mM, a k(cat) of 173 min(-1) and a specific activity of 3.5 units/mg of protein. Ricin lipolytic activity is pH and galactose dependent, with a maximum at pH 7.0 in the presence of 0.2 M galactose. Using the monolayer technique with dicaprin as substrate, ricin showed a lipolytic activity proportional to the ricin concentration at 20 mN/m, which is dependent on the surface pressure of the lipid monolayer and is detectable up to 30 mN/m, a surface pressure that is of the same order of magnitude as that of natural cell membranes. The methods based on pNPC(10) and BAL-TC(4) hydrolysis are simple and reproducible; thus they can be used for routine studies of ricin lipolytic activity. Ricin from Ricinus communis and R. sanguineus were treated with diethyl p-nitrophenylphosphate, an irreversible serine esterase inhibitor, and their lipolytic activities on BAL-TC(4) and pNPC(10), and cytotoxic activity, were concurrently recorded. A reduction in lipolytic activity was accompanied by a decrease in cytotoxicity on Caco2 cells. These data support the idea that the lipolytic activity associated with ricin is relevant to a lipase whose activity is pH and galactose dependent, sensitive to diethyl p-nitrophenylphosphate, and that a lipolytic step may be involved in the process of cell poisoning by ricin. Both colorimetric tests used in this study are sensitive enough to be helpful in the detection of possible lipolytic activities associated with other cytotoxins or lectins.

Ricin B-chain promotes the internalisation of liposomal contents into rat hepatoma cells

Ricin B-chain covalently attached to liposomes has been shown to promote the binding of the liposomes to rat hepatoma cells through its galactosyl binding site. Internalisation of the bound liposomes is demonstrated by the cytotoxicity of methotrexate-containing liposomes, the transfection of cells with targeted liposomes containing pSV2-neo DNA and the intracellular activity of an enzyme encapsulated in liposomes targeted with the ricin B-chain.

Purification and characterization of three toxins and two agglutinins from Abrus precatorius seed by using lactamyl-Sepharose affinity chromatography

Three toxins, abrin-I, -II, and -III, and two agglutinins, APA-I and -II, were purified from the seeds of Abrus precatorius by lactamyl-Sepharose affinity chromatography followed by gel filtration and DEAE-Sephacel column chromatography. Abrin-I did not bind on DEAE-Sephacel column chromatography and the bound abrin-II, abrin-III, APA-I, and APA-II were eluted with a sodium acetate gradient. The identity of each protein was established by sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing. The relative molecular weights are abrin-I, 64,000; abrin-II and abrin-III, 63,000 each: APA-I, 130,000; and APA-II, 128,000. Isoelectric focusing revealed microheterogeneity due to the presence of isoforms in each protein. Toxicity and binding studies further confirmed the differences among the lectins. The time course of inhibition of protein synthesis in thymocytes by the toxins showed lag times of 78, 61, and 72 min with Ki's of 0.55, 0.99, and 0.74 ms-1 at a 0.63 nM concentration of each of abrin-I, -II, and -III, respectively. A Scatchard plot obtained from the equilibrium measurement for the lectins binding to lactamyl-Sepharose beads showed nonlinearity, indicating a cooperative mode of binding which was not observed for APA-I binding to Sepharose 4B beads. Further, by the criterion of the isoelectric focusing profile, it was shown that the least toxic abrin-I and the highly toxic abrin-II isolated by lactamyl-Sepharose chromatography were not retained on a low-affinity Sepharose 4B matrix, which signifies the necessity of using a high-affinity matrix for the purification of the lectins.