title: Cytotoxic activity of ribonucleolytic toxin restrictocin-based chimeric toxins targeted to epidermal growth factor receptor.
abstract: Targeted toxins represent a new approach to specific cytocidal therapy. The ribonucleolytic protein toxin restrictocin is a potent protein synthesis inhibitor produced by the fungus Aspergillus restrictus. In the present study we have constructed two restrictocin based chimeric toxins where human transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha) has been used as a ligand. TGF alpha is a single chain polypeptide, which binds to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and causes proliferation in a large number of cancers. The ligand has been separately fused either at the amino terminus or carboxyl terminus of restrictocin, giving rise to TGF alpha-restrictocin and restrictocin-TGF alpha respectively. The fusion proteins were overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified from inclusion bodies by a denaturation-renaturation protocol. Both the chimeric toxins actively inhibited eukaryotic protein synthesis in a cell free in vitro translation assay system. These chimeric toxins selectively killed human epidermal growth factor receptor positive target cells in culture. Among the two proteins, restrictocin-TGF alpha was more active than TGF alpha-restrictocin on all the cell lines studied.
authors.affiliation: Immunochemistry Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rathore
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Batra
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens; D000818:Animals; D052179:Antigens, Plant; D002460:Cell Line; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000633:toxicity*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051379:Mice; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000633:toxicity*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000633:toxicity; D012260:Ribonucleases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000633:toxicity*; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C081947:ASPF1 protein, Aspergillus fumigatus; D000485:Allergens; D052179:Antigens, Plant; D003603:Cytotoxins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D009183:Mycotoxins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha; C036196:MITF protein, Aspergillus restrictus; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D012260:Ribonucleases