Selective metabolic labelling of intracellular parasite proteins using ricin

The characterization of protein synthesis by eukaryotic intracellular parasites is inherently difficult because it may represent only a small fraction of host cell protein synthesis. Here, Mark Carrington, Yael Shochat and Anne Gurnett describe a method for overcoming this problem through the use of the toxin ricin to inhibit host cell protein synthesis specifically.