%0 Journal Article
%A Carreras Sangrà, Nelson
%A Álvarez García, Elisa
%A Herrero Galán, Elías
%A Tomé, Jaime
%A Lacadena García-Gallo, Francisco Javier
%A Alegre Cebollada, Jorge
%A Oñaderra, Mercedes
%A Gavilanes, José G.
%A Martínez Del Pozo, Álvaro
%T The therapeutic potential of fungal ribotoxins
%D 2008
%@ 1389-2010
%U https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/52957
%X Ribotoxins constitute a family of toxic extracellular fungal RNases that exert a highly specific activity on aconserved region of the larger molecule of rRNA, known as the sarcin–ricin loop. This cleavage of a single phosphodiesterbond inactivates the ribosome and leads to protein synthesis inhibition and cell death. In addition to this ribonucleolyticactivity, ribotoxins can cross lipid membranes in the absence of any known protein receptor. This ability is dueto their capacity to interact with acid phospholipid-containing membranes. Both activities together explain their cytotoxiccharacter, being rather specific when assayed against some transformed cell lines. The determination of high-resolutionstructures of some ribotoxins, the characterization of a large number of mutants, and the use of lipid model vesicles andtransformed cell lines have been the tools used for the study of their mechanism of action at the molecular level. The presentknowledge suggests that wild-type ribotoxins or some modified variants might be used in human therapies. Productionof hypoallergenic mutants and immunotoxins designed against specific tumors stand out as feasible alternatives totreat some human pathology in the mid-term future.
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