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Toxic Plant Proteins pp 55–78Cite as

Type I Ribosome-Inactivating Proteins from Saponaria officinalis

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Part of the book series: Plant Cell Monographs ((CELLMONO,volume 18))

Abstract

Saporins are ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) extracted from different tissues of the soapwort plant (Saponaria officinalis L.). While the biosynthesis of these proteins and their roles in planta have received little attention, saporins have been extensively used for the production of targeted toxins for therapeutical and research applications. The biochemical features of one group of closely related saporin isoforms, collectively named SO6, have been characterized in considerable detail. In this chapter, we summarize available information on the saporin family of proteins, including their catalytic activity, 3D-structure, and biosynthetic and intoxication pathway(s), emphasizing the differences between the different family members and the characteristics that distinguish saporin from the catalytic subunit of the prototype Type II RIP ricin. The use of heterologous systems for the production of saporin and saporin-based chimeric toxins is also described.

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Acknowledgments

Our work is partially supported by the charity Leukaemia Busters (www.leukaemiabusters.org.uk).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto di Biologia e Biotecnologia Agraria, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via Bassini 15, 20133, Milano, Italy

    Alessio Lombardi, Richard S. Marshall, Maria Serena Fabbrini & Aldo Ceriotti

  2. Istituto di Biologia e Patologia Molecolari, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, c/o Università “Sapienza” di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Roma, Italy

    Carmelinda Savino

Authors
  1. Alessio Lombardi
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  2. Richard S. Marshall
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  3. Carmelinda Savino
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  4. Maria Serena Fabbrini
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  5. Aldo Ceriotti
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aldo Ceriotti .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV47AL, United Kingdom

    J. Michael Lord

  2. Dept. Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV47AL, United Kingdom

    Martin R. Hartley

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Lombardi, A., Marshall, R.S., Savino, C., Fabbrini, M.S., Ceriotti, A. (2010). Type I Ribosome-Inactivating Proteins from Saponaria officinalis . In: Lord, J., Hartley, M. (eds) Toxic Plant Proteins. Plant Cell Monographs, vol 18. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12176-0_4

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