Ricin uses arginine 235 as an anchor residue to bind to P-proteins of the ribosomal stalk

Ricin toxin A chain (RTA) binds to stalk P-proteins to reach the α–sarcin/ricin loop (SRL) where it cleaves a conserved adenine. Arginine residues at the RTA/RTB interface are involved in this interaction. To investigate the individual contribution of each arginine, we generated single, double and triple arginine mutations in RTA. The R235A mutation reduced toxicity and depurination activity more than any other single arginine mutation in yeast. Further reduction in toxicity, depurination activity and ribosome binding was observed when R235A was combined with a mutation in a nearby arginine. RTA interacts with the ribosome via a two-step process, which involves slow and fast interactions. Single arginine mutations eliminated the fast interactions with the ribosome, indicating that they increase the binding rate of RTA. Arginine residues form a positively charged patch to bind to negatively charged residues at the C-termini of P-proteins. When electrostatic interactions conferred by the arginines are lost, hydrophobic interactions are also abolished, suggesting that the hydrophobic interactions alone are insufficient to allow binding. We propose that Arg235 serves as an anchor residue and cooperates with nearby arginines and the hydrophobic interactions to provide the binding specificity and strength in ribosome targeting of RTA.