Ribosome-inactivating proteins in cereals

Abstract

Plants constitutively accumulate proteins that are either toxic or inhibitory against pathogens, including ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) and N-glycosidases that depurinate the universally conserved a-sarcin loop of large rRNAs. Cereal RIPs share a high similarity with all the other RIPs; however, they retain characteristic features forming a distinct class which diversified significantly during evolution. They appear involved in several different physiological roles, such as defense against pathogens and/or involved in regulatory and developmental processes. RIPs from cereals generally have low activity against plant ribosomes. In this chapter are reported recent advances in research related to cereal RIPs, with particular emphasis to the maize RIP (b-32) expressed in transgenic plants as an antifungal protein and reliable tool in crop disease management programs. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010.