Ricin toxin from castor is a dimeric toxin and initially synthesized as a toxoid but found to be processed in castor beans during the course of seed development.As the protein is localized in the cellular sub components, protein bodies of seed endosperm, researchers from UK have made their experimental investigation on concerned cell organelles of storage function for the detection of molecular factor with catalytic potential to transform the inactive toxin to its lethally active phase.Protein profiling was adopted after isolation and fractionation of crude mixtures from protein bodies to identify the specific target and the results confirmed the materialistic presence of an acid endopeptidase enzyme.The functional relevance for this enzyme over toxin transformation was evaluated by in vitro assays where active toxin release was noticed  from its precursors.

Scientists from this study were able to detect a key candidate acting as an accelerator of ricin toxicity and offered us a solution to target the molecular components in castor with flexibility for producing non toxic seeds instead of a restricted direct focus over the toxin.However it is vital to understand the specificity in this toxin-catalyst association for precise targeting to improve the application potential of castor crop.

For reference: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0168945285901116

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