Mannose receptor-mediated uptake of ricin toxin and ricin A chain by macrophages. Multiple intracellular pathways for a chain translocation

The role of the high mannose carbohydrate chains in the mechanism of action of ricin toxin was investigated. Ricin is taken up by two routes in macrophages, by binding to cell surface mannose receptors, or by binding of the ricin galactose receptor to cell surface glycoproteins. Removal of carbohydrate from ricin by periodate oxidation led to a large loss in toxicity via both routes of uptake by an effect on the B chain not due to a loss of galactose binding affinity. These data suggest that the carbohydrate chains of ricin B chain may be required for full toxicity. The pathway of uptake of ricin by the macrophage mannose receptor was found to differ in several respects from uptake via the galactose-specific pathway. Analysis of intoxication of macrophages by ricin in the presence of ammonium chloride suggested that mannose receptor bound ligand passes through acidic vesicles prior to translocation, unlike galactose bound ligand. Intoxication by ricin via galactose-specific uptake was potentiated by swainsonine but not by castanospermine, suggesting that ricin may be attacked by an endogenous mannosidase within the cell, and that ricin passes through either a lysosomal or a Golgi compartment prior to translocation.     

Identification of peanut agglutinin receptors related to the state of tumoral liver cell differentiation.

The relationship between cell differentiation/tumorisation and plasma membrane glycoproteins was approached using peanut agglutinin (PNA) a lectin specific for the Gal-beta(1,3)GalNAc sequence and a homologous cell system consisted of normal rat hepatocytes (HyC) and a poorly differentiated hepatoma (ZHC). This work is focused on the molecular nature of PNA receptors. PNA bound strongly to ZHC, but bound very weakly, if at all to hepatocytes. After sialidase treatment this binding was slightly enhanced in ZHC and HyC. The total number of binding sites on ZHC was 9.6 x 10(6)/cell and 1.2 x 10(7)/cell before and after sialidase treatment respectively. In contrast, this number could not be calculated on HyC, even after sialidase treatment. The PNA receptors were isolated and identified from ZHC using affinity chromatography on immobilized PNA and lectin overlay. Two bands were revealed after SDS-PAGE of PNA receptors: a major one with a relative molecular mass of 160 kDa and a minor one of 110 kDa. The latter disappeared after sialidase treatment of ZHC suggesting the possibility that these two bands could be less and more sialylated forms of the PNA receptors, respectively. In contrast no PNA receptors could be detected on HyC. These PNA receptors could be considered O-linked glycoproteins containing the Gal-beta(1,3)GalNAc disaccharide because: i) PNA carbohydrate specificity toward this disaccharide found in this glycoprotein type; ii) their carbohydrate composition with Gal and GalNAc but not man residues; iii) their sensitivity to alkaline treatment; and iv) strong inhibition of PNA binding to ZHC with the Gal-beta(1,3)GalNAc structure. The absence of PNA receptors on HyC appeared to be related to the absence of this glycoprotein containing the disaccharide but not to the change or failure of glycosylation of the polypeptide chain of PNA receptors. The relationship between the presence of PNA receptors and differentiation/tumorisation phenomena as well as the mechanism that induced the expression of these receptors are discussed.     

Cell surface and intracellular functions for ricin galactose binding.

The role of the two galactose binding sites of ricin B chain in ricin toxicity was evaluated by studying a series of ricin point mutants. Wild-type (WT) ricin and three ricin B chain point mutants having mutations in either 1) the first galactose binding domain (site 1 mutant, Met in place of Lys-40 and Gly in place of Asn-46), 2) the second galactose binding domain (site 2 mutant, Gly in place of Asn-255), or 3) both galactose binding domains (double site mutant containing all three amino acid replacements formerly stated) were expressed in Xenopus oocytes and then reassociated with recombinant ricin A chain. The different ricin B chains were mannosylated to the same extent. Cytotoxicity of these toxins was evaluated when cell entry was mediated either by galactose-containing receptors or through an alternate receptor, the mannose receptor of macrophages. WT ricin and each of the single domain mutants was able to kill Vero cells following uptake by galactose containing receptors. Lactose blocked the toxicity of each of these ricins. Site 1 and 2 mutants were 20-40 times less potent than WT ricin, and the double site mutant had no detectable cytotoxicity. WT ricin, the site 1 mutant, and the site 2 mutant also inhibited protein synthesis of mannose receptor-containing cells. Ricin can enter these cells through either a cell-surface galactose-containing receptor or through the mannose receptor. By including lactose in the cell medium, galactose-containing receptor-mediated uptake is blocked and cytotoxicity occurs solely via the mannose receptor. WT ricin, site 1, and site 2 mutants were cytotoxic to macrophages in the presence of lactose with the relative potency, WT greater than site 2 mutant greater than site 1 mutant. The double site mutant lacked cytotoxicity either in the absence or presence of lactose. Thus, even for mannose receptor-mediated toxicity of ricin, at least one galactose binding site remains necessary for cytotoxicity and two galactose binding sites further increases potency. These results are consistent with the model that the ricin B chain galactose binding activity plays a role not only in cell surface binding but also intracellularly for ricin cytotoxicity.     

Modification of the carbohydrate in ricin with metaperiodate and cyanoborohydride mixtures: effect on binding, uptake and toxicity to parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells of rat liver

The carbohydrate in the toxic glycoprotein ricin was chemically modified by simultaneous treatment with sodium metaperiodate and sodium cyanoborohydride. This treatment causes oxidative cleavage of the sugar residues and reduction of the aldehyde groups which are formed to primary alcohols. The modification markedly decreased the rapid removal of ricin from the blood by hepatic non-parenchymal cells with only a relatively small increase in accumulation of the toxin by parenchymal cells. Binding, uptake and toxicity of the modified ricin in primary monolayer cultures of hepatic non-parenchymal cells were all decreased to a much greater extent than in parenchymal cells. The results indicate that native ricin binds to non-parenchymal cells by a dual recognition process which involves both interaction of cell receptors with the mannose-containing oligosaccharides of the toxin and binding of ricin to galactose-containing glycoproteins and glycolipids on the cells. However, uptake and toxicity of native ricin in non-parenchymal cells appears to result principally from entry of the toxin through the mannose recognition pathway. By contrast, uptake and toxicity of the expressed essentially through the galactose-recognition route.     

Studies on the galactose-binding site of ricin and the hybrid toxin man6P-ricin

N-acetylimidazole (NAI) was used to O-acetylate the plant seed toxin ricin. O-acetylation of one to two tyrosine residues per molecule of ricin inhibited ricin binding to Sepharose 4B and decreased toxicity by 90% in a protein synthesis inhibition assay in HeLa cells. Lactose, known to block the binding site on the ricin B subunit, protected ricin from NAI modification of binding or toxicity. Thus NAI, under these conditions, can be a lactose site-specific inhibitor. The lactose site-specific modification of the hybrid toxin, Man6P-ricin, performed under the same conditions, exhibited the same 90% inhibition of Man6P receptor-mediated toxicity as the galactose-containing receptor-mediated toxicity of either Man6P-ricin or ricin. Thus the ricin B chain lactose-binding site appears to be essential for the high potency of Man6P-ricin via the new cell type-specific Man6P receptor. Treatment of fibroblasts with neuraminidase exposes galactose residues, thus increasing the sensitivity to ricin eight fold. The Man6P receptor-mediated toxicity of Man6P-ricin is not affected by this treatment, although the galactose-inhibited route is potentiated eight fold. The Man6P-ricin hybrid appears to require the ricin B chain galactose-binding site to enter the cytosol after initially binding to the Man6P receptor. These data provide some insights into the proper design of hybrid toxins. We discuss a number of possible models for hybrid toxin entry.     

Cell surface receptors and their dynamics on toxin-treated malignant cells

The binding, mobility, and mode of cell entry of the plant toxin ricin (or RCAII) were investigated on susceptible and partially resistant murine cell lines. When susceptible cells (SV40-transformed 3T3 fibroblast cells and BW5147 lymphoma cells) were examined, ricin bound rapidly, induced endocytosis, and entered the cell cytoplasm via broken endocytotic vesicles to inhibit cell protein synthesis, as found previously (1). Addition of lactose within 15 min after initial ricin binding prevented toxicity. After this time lactose addition no longer blocked the inhibition of protein synthesis. In a partially resistant lymphoma (BW5147/RCA3) that shows only a slight reduction in the total number of ricin-binding sites, ricin bound rapidly to the cell surface, but was endocytosed significantly less at low ricin doses compared to its parental line, indicating a possible difference in cell surface behavior. The exposed surface proteins on the BW5147 parental and BW5147/RCA3 resistant lines were examined by ¹²⁵I-labeling utilizing lactoperoxidase-catalyzed iodination. The radiolabeled components were solubilized and separated by slab gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. Autoradiograms of the slab gels indicated that two surface components of approximately 80,000 and 35,000 mol wt were much less exposed or were missing on the resistant line.     

Differences in endocytosis and intracellular sorting of ricin and viscumin in 3T3 cells

Ricin and viscumin are heterodimeric protein toxins. Their A-chain is enzymatically active and removes an adenine residue from the 28S rRNA, the B-chain has lectin activity and binds to terminal galactose residues of cell surface receptors. The toxins reveal a high degree of identity in their amino acid sequences. Nevertheless, uptake into 3T3 cells occurs via different receptors and endocytotic pathways. This has been revealed by enzyme linked based analysis of ricin competition with viscumin, and by fluorochrome-labeled toxins (viscumin-FITC, ricin-Alexa 568), which were added simultaneously or separately to living cells. Then the uptake was followed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Ricin immediately is delivered to the tubular and vesicular structures of endosomes in the perinuclear area while viscumin becomes endocytosed into small vesicles preferentially in the cell periphery. After about 60 min both these toxins may be found in tubo-vesicular structures of endosomes where the sorting process can directly be observed. The fact that this sorting takes place is a strong argument for the assumption that the toxins are bound to membrane proteins, either to their original receptors or to other proteins inside the endosomal compartment exhibiting terminal galactose residues. The toxins are biologically fully active as has been proven by binding and by toxicity experiments, thus the differences in targeting do not arise from labeling.     

Effects of neuraminidase on lectin binding by wild-type and ricin-resistant strains of hamster fibroblasts.

The nature of cell surface receptors for ricin on wild-type and ricin-resistant variants of baby hamster kidney fibroblasts has been studied. Neuraminidase stimulated ricin binding threefold by wild-type cells, and increased their susceptibility to ricin toxicity as measured by inhibition of [3H]leucine uptake (LD30 fell from 5.0 to 0.5 microgram/mL). Basal ricin binding by ricin-resistant variants (10-300% that of wild type) was also stimulated (2- to 17-fold) by neuraminidase in all seven clonal strains examined; susceptibility to ricin was greatly increased by neuraminidase in these variants. Neuraminidase did not affect the binding of concanavalin A by wild type or a ricin-resistant variant, but decreased the binding of wheat-germ agglutinin by 90% in both cell types. The trivial binding of peanut agglutinin by wild type and a ricin-resistant variant was markedly enhanced (14- to 22-fold) by neuraminidase. Neither collagenase (50 U/mL) nor Pronase (0.0001%) affected ricin binding by wild type or a ricin-resistant variant. These data suggest the existence of "exposed" and "cryptic" oligosaccharide receptors for ricin on the cell membrane glycoproteins of baby hamster kidney fibroblasts. The cryptic ricin receptors probably include at least the sequence D-galactosyl-beta-(1 replaced by 3)-N-acetylhexosamine substituted by sialic acid residues. Exposed and cryptic ricin receptors appear to be different and under separate genetic control.     

Ricin toxicity to microglial and monocytic cells.

Microglial cells, like macrophages, are very sensitive to ricin, a galactose-specific toxic lectin belonging to the family of ribosome-inactivating proteins. This toxin can be taken up by most cells through the binding of its B chain to galactose-containing molecules on the cell membrane. In macrophagic cell types it can be internalised also by mannose receptors which are present on the surface of these cells. Endocytosis of the toxin by either pathway was evaluated by ricin toxicity to primary cultures of rat microglial cells and to a microglial N11 cell line in the presence or absence of lactose and mannan, which compete for the endocytosis via the ricin lectin chain or cellular mannose receptors, respectively. Results were compared with those obtained in cultures of mouse macrophages, human monocytes, and a monocytic JM cell line. All cultures were protected from ricin toxicity more by lactose than by mannan, indicating that ricin endocytosis via its lectin B chain is prevalent over that mediated by cellular mannose receptors. However, a partial protection by mannan was observed in all cases but not-stimulated N11 cells, either in the form of direct protection or of significant additional protection over that afforded by lactose. Mannose receptor expression by N11 cells was negative before, and positive after, treatment with endotoxin, as assessed by the specific binding of 125I-mannose-bovine serum albumin. Moreover, a partial protection from ricin toxicity by mannan was induced in the N11 microglial line after stimulation, consistently with an inducible expression of the mannose receptor by activated cells switched towards a microglial phenotype.     

Interaction between ricin and Zajdela ascitic hepatoma cells

The binding to and toxicity of ricin on Zajdela hepatoma ascites cells were studied. The kinetic analysis of [125I]-ricin binding to hepatoma cells indicated that maximal specific binding was reached within 30 min. at 4 degrees C and 60 min. at 25 degrees C and that toxin binding to hepatoma cells was saturable. When the binding data were plotted according to the method of Scatchard, curvilinear graphs were obtained suggesting that hepatoma cells have both high and low affinity receptors for ricin. The number of high and low affinity receptors was identical at 4 and 25 degrees C, i.e., 8 x 10(5) and 1.2 x 10(7) sites per cell respectively. However, the capacity of hepatoma cells to bind ricin is stronger at 4 degrees C than at 25 degrees C. The toxic activity of ricin was totally abolished in the presence of lactose suggesting that ricin binding to cells occurs through binding sites containing galactosyl residues.     

Features of the modulating effect of complexes of ribosome-inactivating proteins type II with sugars on respiratory burst of neturophils, caused by a chemotactic peptide

It was shown that agents inducing phagocytosis (zymosan, lectins) cause changes in the number of receptors responsible for fast neutrophil reaction (chemotaxis or respiratory burst) or inhibit the binding of the agonist to its receptor. Among lectins are ribosome-inactivating proteins of type II ricin and agglutinin ricin, which penetrate the cell by binding to mannose and galactose receptors. It was shown that ribosome-inactivating proteins of type II can exhibit the properties of the antagonist of the receptor N-formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine. Ricin is more effective in modulating the respiratory burst induced by the chemotactic peptide than agglutinin ricin. The modulating effect of ribosome-inactivating proteins of type II on neutrophils is likely to be mediated by their interaction with galactose rather than mannose receptors. Presumably, the affinity of ribosome-inactivating proteins to galactose receptors increases with increasing amount of saccharides bound to the protein molecule. The modulating effect of ribosome-inactivating proteins of type II on the respiratory burst of neutrophils induced the chemotactic peptide is due to the structural peculiarities of these proteins.     

Milk inhibits the biological activity of ricin

Ricin is a highly toxic protein produced by the castor plant Ricinus communis. The toxin is relatively easy to isolate and can be used as a biological weapon. There is great interest in identifying effective inhibitors for ricin. In this study, we demonstrated by three independent assays that a component of reconstituted powdered milk has a high binding affinity to ricin. We discovered that milk can competitively bind to and reduce the amount of toxin available to asialofetuin type II, which is used as a model to study the binding of ricin to galactose cell-surface receptors. Milk also removes ricin bound to the microtiter plate. In parallel experiments, we demonstrated by activity assay and by immuno-PCR that milk can bind competitively to 1 ng/ml ricin, reducing the amount of toxin uptake by the cells, and thus inhibit the biological activity of ricin. The inhibitory effect of milk on ricin activity in Vero cells was at the same level as by anti-ricin antibodies. We also found that (a) milk did not inhibit ricin at concentrations of 10 or 100 ng/ml; (b) autoclaving 10 and 100 ng/ml ricin in DMEM at 121 °C for 30 min completely abolished activity; and (c) milk did not affect the activity of another ribosome inactivating protein, Shiga toxin type 2 (Stx2), produced by pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7. Unlike ricin, which is internalized into the cells via a galactose-binding site, Stx2 is internalized through the cell surface receptor glycolipid globotriasylceramides Gb3 and Gb4. These observations suggest that ricin toxicity may possibly be reduced at room temperature by a widely consumed natural liquid food.     

Proteolytic cleavage of ricin A chain in endosomal vesicles. Evidence for the action of endosomal proteases at both neutral and acidic pH

Macrophages actively internalize macromolecules into endosomal vesicles containing proteases. The plant toxin, ricin A chain delivered into this pathway by receptor-mediated endocytosis, was found to be exquisitely sensitive to cleavage by these proteases. Proteolytic fragments of ricin A chain were generated within cells as early as 2-3 min after internalization. Toxin proteolysis was initiated in early endosomal vesicles, and transport to lysosomes was not required. As endosomes transit the cell, their lumenal pH drops from neutral to acidic. Previous studies in macrophages had suggested that endosomal proteolysis is dependent on vesicle acidification. Isolated endosomal vesicles containing ricin A chain catalyzed the cleavage of this protein in vitro; however, proteolysis was observed at both neutral and acidic pH. Experiments using isolated endosomes demonstrated that both cysteine and aspartyl proteases were responsible for the cleavage of ricin A chain. The cysteine protease, cathepsin B, catalyzed toxin proteolysis in endosomes between pH 4.5 and 7.0 while aspartyl protease activity was maximal below pH 5.5. Radiolabeling the lumenal contents of macrophage endosomes confirmed that both the cysteine protease, cathepsin B, and the aspartyl protease, cathepsin D, were present in these vesicles. These proteases were not present on the plasma membrane but were found in early endosomes indicating they are derived from an intracellular source. The presence of proteases with different pH optima in early endosomes suggests that processing in these vesicles may be regulated by changes in endosomal pH. This result represents an important difference in protein processing in endosomes versus lysosomes and provides new insights into the function of endosomal proteases.     

Binding of Lactose and Galactose to Native and Iodinated Ricin D

The binding of lactose and galactose to native and iodinated ricin D was investigated by equilibrium dialysis and ultraviolet difference spectroscopy. The results provided direct evidence that native ricin D has two independent saccharide binding sites with different affinities, of which the high-affinity (HA-) binding site is able to bind with both lactose and galactose while the low-affinity (LA-) binding site binds only with lactose. In contrast, the iodinated ricin D possesses only one binding site both for lactose and galactose with high affinity.

By UV-difference spectroscopic analysis we found that there is one tyrosyl residue at or near the HA-binding site in ricin D which may be involvled in binding with saccharide. This tyrosyl residue was not iodinated in the presence of lactose but was iodinated in the absence of lactose and was perturbed by an addition of lactose even after iodination.

From these results, it was inferred that the binding site abolished by the iodination is the LA-binding site and this may be due to the conformational alteration of the LA-binding site caused by the iodination of the tyrosyl residue(s) present near the LA-binding site.     

Receptor-mediated interaction of ricin with the lipid bilayer of ganglioside GM1-liposomes

The interaction of ricin with ganglioside GM1 or glycoprotein containing liposomes was investigated. At neutral pH, ricin bound to galactose moieties on the surface of the liposomes to form ricin-liposomes complexes, but did not associate with their lipid bilayers. When these ricin-liposomes complexes were exposed to a pH below 5, ricin bound to GM1-liposomes became associated with the lipid bilayer, whereas ricin bound to glycoprotein-liposomes (containing human erythrocyte Band 3) was only rarely associated. Association of ricin with the lipid bilayer of GM1-liposomes did not occur in the presence of lactose, which inhibits the binding of ricin to ganglioside GM1. Using a hydrophobic probe, 8-amino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid (ANS), it was revealed that an acidity below pH 5 resulted in exposure of hydrophobic regions on the ricin molecule. These results strongly suggest that association of ricin with the lipid bilayer of GM1-liposomes at acidic pH is mediated by the binding of ricin to ganglioside GM1 at neutral pH and occurs through interaction between the exposed hydrophobic region on the ricin molecule and the lipid bilayer of GM1-liposomes at low pH.     

The intracellular movement and cycling of ricin

The binding, internalization and recycling of the plant toxin ricin, was studied using electron microscopy and biochemical techniques. For the electron microscope study, ricin was visualized using a gold-labeled second antibody, in the cells of the EJ human bladder carcinoma line growing in monolayer culture. The labeled antibody/toxin complex was found to enter the cell in coated pits and to accumulate in endosomes and to a lesser extent in vesicles associated with the Golgi system. The complex recycled to the cell surface partly in uncoated vesicles, but largely in multivesicular bodies which appeared to exocytose their contents to the extracellular space. Twenty hours after the initial contact with ricin as much as 50% of the cellular label was found on the cell surface mainly associated with shed vesicles. When cells were treated with unlabeled ricin holotoxin and then after 20 h stained post-fixation, ricin molecules, partly associated with vesicles, were present on the cell surface. Biochemical studies showed that ricin was internalized by cells and then released in an intact form to the extracellular space. It was found that less than 10% of the released material had been degraded during its passage through the cells, which is in accord with the low level of label found in the lysosomal system during the morphological study.     

Identification and characterization of a monoclonal antibody recognizing a galactose-binding domain of the toxin ricin

A monoclonal antibody raised against purified ricin B chain, 75/3B12, blocked ricin toxicity 30- to 100-fold in vitro. The 75/3B12 IgG and F(ab')2 blocked ricin binding to cell surface galactose-containing receptors. The 75/3B12 Fab bound ricin D with a Ka of 10(7) M-1, and this binding was blocked by asialofetuin, lactose, and N-acetylgalactosamine--molecules which interact with the ricin galactose-binding site--but not by fetuin, sucrose, or glucose. The 75/3B12 Fab contained no detectable carbohydrate and, according to several lines of evidence, did not bind ricin via Ig carbohydrate determinants. The monoclonal antibody appears to recognize a galactose-binding site on ricin D via the variable region of the antibody. The 75/3B12 Fab bound ricin E only 1/50 as well as ricin D and bound the Ricinus agglutinin only 1/80 as well as ricin D. The antibody specificity indicates that structural differences exist in the galactose-binding sites of the Ricinus communis lectins. Abrin and other lectins which bind galactose or N-acetylgalactosamine were not significantly bound by the monoclonal antibody. In vitro, the antibody blocked the nontarget toxicity of immunotoxins similarly to lactose. However, in vivo, unlike lactose, the 75/3B12 antibody protected mice from ricin toxicity.     

Lipid requirements for entry of protein toxins into cells

The plant toxin ricin and the bacterial toxin Shiga toxin both belong to a group of protein toxins having one moiety that binds to the cell surface, and another, enzymatically active moiety, that enters the cytosol and inhibits protein synthesis by inactivating ribosomes. Both toxins travel all the way from the cell surface to endosomes, the Golgi apparatus and the ER before the ribosome-inactivating moiety enters the cytosol. Shiga toxin binds to the neutral glycosphingolipid Gb3 at the cell surface and is therefore dependent on this lipid for transport into the cells, whereas ricin binds both glycoproteins and glycolipids with terminal galactose. The different steps of transport used by these toxins have specific requirements for lipid species, and with the recent developments in mass spectrometry analysis of lipids and microscopical and biochemical dissection of transport in cells, we are starting to see the complexity of endocytosis and intracellular transport. In this article we describe lipid requirements and the consequences of lipid changes for the entry and intoxication with ricin and Shiga toxin. These toxins can be a threat to human health, but can also be exploited for diagnosis and therapy, and have proven valuable as tools to study intracellular transport.     

Effects of Iodination on Cytoagglutination by and Toxicity of Ricinus communis Lectins

Iodinations of two Ricinus communis lectins, ricin D and hemagglutinin (CBH), with potassium iodide at pH 7.0 and 0°C led to inactivation of the cytoagglutinating activity on sarcoma 180 ascites tumor cells as well as the toxicity to HeLa cells of ricin D, whereas the cytoagglutinating activity of CBH was affected slightly. In the presence of lactose, which binds to ricin D, one tyrosyl residue in the B-chain of ricin D was protected from iodination and 40% of the cytoagglutinating activity was retained. This protection against iodination was not observed in the presence of glucose, which does not bind to ricin D. This suggested that the protected tyrosyl residue in the B-chain of ricin D may be situated at or near the saccharide binding site and directly involved in the binding to the saccharide moieties of the cellular receptors.

Adsorption of the iodinated ricin D to Sepharose 4B indicated that one of the two saccharide binding sites in ricin D is still intact and participates in the binding to saccharide: ricin D was altered from divalent to monovalent by the iodination.

We found from binding experiments with ¹²⁵I-labeled iodinated ricin D to HeLa cells, that the low toxicity of the iodinated ricin D may be attributed mainly to its decreased internalization into the cells and that the divalent binding of ricin D to the cellular receptors is important for this internalization.     

Extended binding site of ricin B lectin for oligosaccharide recognition

The plant lectin ricin B chain binds oligosaccharide with more affinity than the mono- or disaccharide ligands. The experiments indicated that a biantennary oligosaccharide could bind itself to any of the crystallographically established 1st or 2nd binding sites. After manual docking of either terminal galactose residues of the oligosaccharide in the 1st and 2nd binding sites of Ricin B and simulating the systems over nanosecond trajectories in implicit solvent, it was observed that the protein bound the oligosaccharide strongly through both its 1st and 2nd binding sites. Not only were the terminal galactose residues, several other residues of the oligosaccharide were involved in the binding scheme. Average gas phase energies were calculated molecular mechanically, solvation energies were calculated by Generalized Born model and the normal mode analysis was used to calculate the entropic contribution of binding. The entropy/enthalpy compensation has been observed for the protein-oligosaccharide interactions. The binding was found to be enthalpically favorable and compensating for the unfavorable entropic contribution. Comparison of the calculated free energy with the experimental data clearly suggests that binding is mono-dentate rather than bi-dentate through a single Gal-containing antenna.