One step Purification and Characterisation of Abrin Toxin from Abrus Precatorius Seeds

  • Swati Banger DRDO-Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior - 474 002, India
  • Rita Singh DRDO-Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior - 474 002, India
  • Nagesh Tripathi DRDO-Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior - 474 002, India
  • Vijai Pal DRDO-Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior - 474 002, India
  • Ajay Kumar Goel DRDO-Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior - 474 002, India
Keywords: Abrin; Chromatography; ELISA; Extraction; Purification

Abstract

Abrin is a plant toxin obtained from Abrus precatorius seeds. It belongs to the type II ribosomal inactivating proteins (RIPs) consisting of two chains namely, catalytically active A chain and sugar binding B chain linked by a single disulphide bond.  Due to high toxicity of abrin, its exposure or consumption can lead to serious public health problems. In the present work, we have extracted and purified the abrin toxin from Abrus precatorius seeds. The toxin was purified using a single step anion exchange chromatography. The purified protein was characterized by SDS-PAGE and MALDI- TOF to confirm its purity. The toxicity of purified abrin toxin was also confirmed by injecting the toxin in mice.  The purified protein was further used to raise antibodies in mice and characterized by indirect Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay. The results of present study established the use of single step ion exchange chromatography to purify abrin toxin for further development of its detection system.

Author Biographies

Swati Banger, DRDO-Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior - 474 002, India

Ms Swati Banger, received the MSc from Jiwaji University, Gwalior, M.P., India, in 2015. Currently working as DBT-SRF at DRDO-Defence Research & Development Establishment and pursuing PhD from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. She is working on development of detection systems for BW agents.

Rita Singh, DRDO-Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior - 474 002, India

Ms Rita Singh received Master from Jiwaji University, Gwalior, M.P. India in 2014. Currently working as SRF at DRDO - Defence Research & Development Establishment and pursuing PhD from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. She is working on development of detection systems for BW agents.

Nagesh Tripathi, DRDO-Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior - 474 002, India

Dr Nagesh Tripathi received his PhD (Chemical Engineering) from National Institute of Technology, Rourkela. Presently, he is Scientist ‘D’ at the DRDO-Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior. His research interest includes scale up of biomolecules including recombinant proteins, activated carbon spheres and development of chemical protective suit. 

Vijai Pal, DRDO-Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior - 474 002, India

Dr Vijai Pal did his MSc (Biotechnology) from CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, in 2000 and PhD from Jiwaji University, Gwalior, in 2016. Presently, he is working as Scientist ‘E’ at DRDO-Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior on development of diagnostic/detection systems for biothreat agents. He has published more than 30 research paper in Journals, besides one book and has filed one Indian Patent.

Ajay Kumar Goel, DRDO-Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior - 474 002, India

Dr Ajay Kumar Goel received his PhD (Microbiology) from CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, in 1999. Currently working as a Scientist ‘F’ and Head, Bioprocess Technology Division, DRDO-Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior. He has more than 100 research paper, 6 patent, radio talks, books and several overseas presentations to his credit. His current research interest includes development of detection
and protection systems for potential biothreat agents.

Published
2019-10-21
How to Cite
Banger, S., Singh, R., Tripathi, N., Pal, V., & Goel, A. (2019). One step Purification and Characterisation of Abrin Toxin from Abrus Precatorius Seeds. Defence Life Science Journal, 4(4), 231-235. https://doi.org/10.14429/dlsj.4.14967
Section
Special Issue Paper