tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623912.post1969443912077631996..comments2010-05-30T01:09:09.890-04:00Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05349466286549537039noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623912.post-90095604882319843022008-02-24T19:17:00.000-05:002008-02-24T19:17:00.000-05:00Nice comments, folks.<BR/><BR/>Now you've got me imagining a frankly impossible doomsday scenario in which oats and barley and other important food crops that lack the lectin delivery subunit (Betty) suddenly start producing it, poisoning millions and creating a food shortage crisis. Maybe I'll write a terrible sci fi novella!<BR/><BR/>Ashutosh, it's possible to make powdered ricin. Then it's nice and easy to inhale.<BR/><BR/>Toast, that's a good question. I'm generally more familiar with non-proteinaceous toxins, but I imagine that a good number of bacterial toxins use a similar one part to enter the cell and the other to kill it approach.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05349466286549537039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623912.post-52431192435346861092008-02-10T22:10:00.000-05:002008-02-10T22:10:00.000-05:00So, how common is the Albert/Betty motif in natural toxins? I know that Shiga toxin is a polygamist with 5 Betty for every 1 Albert, and that the Betty bind to Gb3 and get Albert inside the cell to bind to the 26S subunit of ribosomes. But does this often happen in other toxins too?Toaster Sunshinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10388782618295656406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623912.post-80440344673096068262008-02-08T22:03:00.000-05:002008-02-08T22:03:00.000-05:00"inhaled"?Ashutoshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993805391653267639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623912.post-78716278309084976482008-02-06T20:25:00.000-05:002008-02-06T20:25:00.000-05:00The prospects of using natural protein toxins as practical poisons are quite captivating - they are quite hard to detect directly. The problem is that these proteins can induce formation of highly specific antibodies and also they are not absorbed orally well. (Ricin becomes incredibly more potent when injected or inhaled).milkshakehttp://orgprepdaily.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37623912.post-82055496557470364932008-02-06T12:18:00.000-05:002008-02-06T12:18:00.000-05:00Oats also possess a very potent RIP that also targets the same 26S subunit. Fortunately it lacks a lectin domain or subunit such as Abrin or Ricin. Over 20 years ago, I investigated its potential use as an immunotoxin to replace Ricin A chain (plus get around the ricin-based immunotoxin patent).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com