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Updated: May 29, 2026

A Simple Fluorescence-based Reporter Assay to Identify Cellular Components Required for Ricin Toxin A Chain (RTA) Trafficking in Yeast
Published on: December 15, 2017
Interaction of ricin and Shiga toxins with ribosomes
1Department of Plant Biology and Pathology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, 59 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8520, USA. tumer@aesop.rutgers.edu
Abstract:
Ricin and Shiga toxins designated as ribosome inactivating proteins (RIPs) are RNA N-glycosidases that depurinate a specific adenine (A₄₃₂₄ in rat 28S rRNA) in the conserved α-sarcin/ricin loop of the large rRNA, inhibiting protein synthesis. Evidence obtained from a number of studies suggests that interaction with ribosomal proteins plays an important role in the catalytic activity and ribosome specificity of RIPs. This review summarizes the recent developments in identification of the ribosomal proteins that interact with ricin and Shiga toxins and the principles governing these interactions.
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