Purification and Physicochemical Properties of Ricins and Agglutinins from Ricinus communis

Abstract
Toxin ricins (2) and 2 agglutinins [human red blood cells] were purified from the seeds of R. communis by an improved procedure based on ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. One of the 2 purified ricins binds to Sepharose 4B while the other does not. The physicochemical properties of the 4 Ricinus lectins are presented and the possible relationships of these Ricinus lectins to those previously described are discussed.