Label-free fluorescence detection of the depurination activity of ribosome inactivating protein toxins.

Development of a simple label-free fluorescence hybridization assay to monitor the depurination activity of toxic ribosome inactivating proteins by using a fluorescent ligand that specifically pseudo base pairs with a cytosine residue opposite an abasic site is described. This method could be potentially implemented in screening platforms for the discovery of small molecules that inhibit the activity of these toxins. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012