%0 Book Section
%T Fungal ribotoxins: structure, function and evolution
publisher Caister Academic Press
%D 2009
%U 978-1-904455-44-8
%@ https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/53872
%X Ribotoxins are a family of fungal extracellular ribonucleases which inactivate ribosomesby specifically cleaving a single phosphodiester bond located at the universallyconserved sarcin/ricin loop of the large rRNA. The subsequent inhibition of proteinbiosynthesis is followed by cell death via apoptosis. Ribotoxins are also able to interactwith membranes containing acid phospholipids, their cytotoxicity being preferentiallydirected towards cells showing altered membrane permeability, e.g. transformed orvirus infected cells. Many features of their cytotoxic action and their ribonucleolyticmechanism have been elucidated by comparison with other extracellular non toxicfungal RNases, best represented by RNase T1. The study of structure-functionrelationships in ribotoxins is of particular interest, since they are postulated as potentialtherapeutic agents against different human pathologies. The production ofhypoallergenic variants with application in several Aspergillus-related allergicsyndromes and the construction of immunotoxins against different carcinomas arepromising examples of such potential therapeutic utilisation.
%~