Ribosome-inactivating proteins

Abstract

The designation of ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs; reviews in refs. 1-4) has been applied to plant proteins that enzymatically damage ribosomes in a catalytic manner, thus inhibiting protein synthesis (Table 1). The first identified RIPs were two potent toxins, known for more than a century: ricin, from the seeds of Ricinus communis, and abrin, from the seeds of Abrus precatorius. © 2005 Humana Press Inc.