Jatropha curcas L. Seed Cake Residue as an Alternative Source for Obtaining Curcin: A Type 1 Ribosome-Inactivating Protein

Cloning and Expression of Curcin, a Ribosome-Inactivating Protein from the Seeds of Jatropha curcas

Curcin, a ribosome-inactivating protein with a molecular weight of about 28.2 kD, which strongly inhibits the protein synthesis in rabbit reticulocyte lysate system with an IC50 value of about (0.19 ± 0.01) nmol/L, was purified from the seeds of Jatropha curcas L. The protein has the activity of rRNA N-glycosidase. Degenerate primers were designed based on the N-terminal partial sequence from p...

Different functions and expression profiles of curcin and curcin-L in Jatropha curcas L.

To date, two types of ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) have been found in Jatropha curcas. One is curcin, which has been isolated from the endosperm, and the other is curcin-L, which is expressed in leaves upon stress treatment. Phylogenetic analysis of the predicted amino acid sequences of the RIPs in plants revealed that these belong to a major subfamily and are close to trichosanthin (T...

Bio-detoxification of Jatropha curcas seed cake by Pleurotus ostreatus

The detoxification of Jatropha curcas seed cake is of major interest for the biodiesel industry to add economic value to this residue and also to reduce the environmental damage caused by its inappropriate disposal. In this context, the treatment of this residue with white rot fungus, Pleurotus ostreatus, can be a viable alternative because it produces enzymes capable of degrading different lig...

Detoxification experiments with the seed oil from Jatropha curcas L

Due to its large number of potential utilizations Jatropha curcas L. (physic nut, purging nut), a tropical plant cultivated in many Latin American, Asian and African countries, has become topic of various research projects. Nutritional as well as technical applications, however, are restricted due to the plant’s toxicity. The seed oil contains phorbol esters, a family of compounds known to caus...

Physic nut, Jatropha curcas L