Skip to main content
Biochemical Journal logoLink to Biochemical Journal
. 1978 Aug 15;174(2):491–496. doi: 10.1042/bj1740491

Modeccin, the toxin of Adenia digitata. Purification, toxicity and inhibition of protein synthesis in vitro.

A Gasperi-Campani, L Barbieri, E Lorenzoni, L Montanaro, S Sperti, E Bonetti, F Stirpe
PMCID: PMC1185939  PMID: 708401

Abstract

1. Modeccin, the toxin of Adenia digitata (Modecca digitata), was purified from the roots of this plant by affinity chromatography on Sepharose 4B. 2. This toxin is a protein with mol.wt. 57000, which on treatment with 2-mercaptoethanol can be dissociated into two subunits of mol.wts. 25000 and 32000. 3. Modeccin inhibits protein synthesis in vitro in a lysate of rabbit reticulocytes and in Ehrlich ascites cells; the effect on cells is decreased in the presence of lactose. 4. Dissociation of modeccin into subunits decreases the toxicity to animals and the inhibition of protein synthesis in cells, but enhances the inhibition of protein synthesis in the lysate system.

Full text

PDF
491

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ALLEN E. H., SCHWEET R. S. Synthesis of hemoglobin in a cell-free system. I. Properties of the complete system. J Biol Chem. 1962 Mar;237:760–767. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Derenzini M., Bonetti E., Marionozzi V., Stirpe F. Toxic effects of ricin: studies on the pathogenesis of liver lesions. Virchows Arch B Cell Pathol. 1976 Feb 11;20(1):15–28. doi: 10.1007/BF02890323. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. PUCK T. T., CIECIURA S. J., FISHER H. W. Clonal growth in vitro of human cells with fibroblastic morphology; comparison of growth and genetic characteristics of single epithelioid and fibroblast-like cells from a variety of human organs. J Exp Med. 1957 Jul 1;106(1):145–158. doi: 10.1084/jem.106.1.145. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Refsnes K., Haylett T., Sandvig K., Olsnes S. Modeccin--a plant toxin inhibiting protein synthesis. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1977 Dec 21;79(4):1176–1183. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(77)91130-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Stirpe F., Gasperi-Campani A., Barbieri L., Lorenzoni E., Montanaro L., Sperti S., Bonetti E. Inhibition of protein synthesis by modeccin, the toxin of Modecca digitata. FEBS Lett. 1977 Dec 20;85(1):65–67. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(78)81249-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Waller G. R., Ebner K. E., Scroggs R. A., Das Gupta B. R., Corcoran J. B. Studies on the toxic action of ricin. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1966 Mar;121(3):685–691. doi: 10.3181/00379727-121-30861. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Weber K., Osborn M. The reliability of molecular weight determinations by dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. J Biol Chem. 1969 Aug 25;244(16):4406–4412. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Biochemical Journal are provided here courtesy of The Biochemical Society

RESOURCES