Ribosome-inactivating proteins.
The main results of the research performed in the last 30 years on ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are reviewed, with emphasis on the new, controversial and uncertain aspects. The nature, distribution, mechanism of action and properties of these proteins are briefly reported, together with their possible applications. A pattern appears of a still largely unexplored subject, whose role in nature is probably important, and not limited to the biology of plants, since RIPs have been found also in other organisms.
Dipartimento di Patologia Sperimentale, Università di Bologna, I-40125 Bologna, Italy. fiorenzo.sirpe@unibo.it
Fiorenzo
F
Stirpe
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000633:toxicity; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000633:toxicity; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents / Q000633:toxicity; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000187:drug effects; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects; D000922:Immunotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D007306:Insecticides / Q000633:toxicity; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000633:toxicity; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D012270:Ribosomes / Q000187:drug effects*; D012276:Ricin / Q000633:toxicity*; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D000922:Immunotoxins; D007306:Insecticides; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; D014118:Toxins, Biological; D012276:Ricin