Ribosome-Inactivating Proteins: A Family of Plant Proteins That Do More Than Inactivate Ribosomes

Many plants contain proteins that are commonly designated as ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs). Based on the structure of the genes and the mature proteins a novel system is proposed to unambiguously classify all RIPs in type-1, type-2, and type-3 RIPs. In addition, the concept of one- and two-chain type-1 RIPs is introduced. After an overview of the occurrence, molecular structure, and amino acid sequences of RIPs, the formation of the mature proteins from the primary translation products of the corresponding mRNAs is elaborated in detail in a section dealing with the biosynthesis, posttranslational modifications, topogenesis, and subcellular location of the different types of RIPs. Details about the three-dimensional structure of type-1 RIPs and the A and B chains of type-2 RIPs are discussed in a separate section. Based on the data given in the previous sections, the phylogenic and molecular evolution of RIPs is critically assessed and a novel model is proposed for the molecular evolution ...