ABSTRACT
This book is intended as a guide for scientists who are new to the toxin field. It presents aspects of molecular biology as applied to the investigation of toxins, especially the three best-studied examples: diphtheria toxin, Pseudomonas exotoxin, and ricin, or Ricinus, toxin. The toxin field has an elegant history dating back to the nineteenth century. It encompasses three main areas: protein chemistry—the purification and structure-function analysis of the toxins; molecular biology—the cloning, manipulation, and expression of the toxin genes; and clinical medicine—the attempt to direct the lethal power of these toxins against diseased cells. The primary purpose of gene cloning is to produce a particular gene in sufficient quantity to study. Frequently, this serves the secondary goal of producing that gene’s product. There are two different kinds of probes for identifying a specific clone: polynucleotides and antibodies.
