Role of lipids in the retrograde pathway of ricin intoxication

The plant toxin ricin binds to both glycosphingolipids and glycoproteins with terminal galactose and is transported to the Golgi apparatus in a cholesterol-dependent manner. To explore the question of whether glycosphingolipid binding of ricin or glycosphingolipid synthesis is essential for transport of ricin from the plasma membrane to the Golgi apparatus, retrogradely to the endoplasmic reticulum or for translocation of the toxin to the cytosol, we have investigated the effect of ricin and the intracellular transport of this toxin in a glycosphingolipid-deficient mouse melanoma cell line (GM95), in the same cell line transfected with ceramide glucosyltransferase to restore glycosphingolipid synthesis (GM95-CGlcT-KKVK) and in the parental cell line (MEB4). Ricin transport to the Golgi apparatus was monitored by quantifying sulfation of a modified ricin molecule, and toxicity was studied by measuring protein synthesis. The data reveal that ricin is transported retrogradely to the Golgi apparatus and to the endoplasmic reticulum and translocated to the cytosol equally well and apparently at the same rate in cells with and without glycosphingolipids. Importantly cholesterol depletion reduced endosome to Golgi transport of ricin even in cells without glycosphingolipids, demonstrating that cholesterol is required for Golgi transport of ricin bound to glycoproteins. The rate of retrograde transport of ricin was increased strongly by monensin and the lag time for intoxication was reduced both in cells with and in those without glycosphingolipids. In conclusion, neither glycosphingolipid synthesis nor binding of ricin to glycosphingolipids is essential for cholesterol-dependent retrograde transport of ricin. Binding of ricin to glycoproteins is sufficient for all transport steps required for ricin intoxication.