Secretion of a potential virulence factor, a fungal ribonucleotoxin, during human aspergillosis infections

Abstract

We show by cloning and nucleotide sequence analysis that the 18kDa antigen found in the urine of patients suffering from aspergillosis is related to the fungal protein toxins restrictocin and mitogillin. These are inhibitors of translation which act by catalytic inactivation of eukaryotic ribosomes; they may be implicated in the pathogenesis of the disease.