Toxins in Nature - Natural Products Chemistry: Sources, Separations, and Structures - page 157

(a)
(b)
FIGURE 14.4 Examples of toxic plant species. (a) Cicuta species . (b) The plant Aconitum
napellus . (Courtesy of Steven Foster.) (Continued.)
composed of 267 amino acids as a polypeptide arranged into alpha-helices
and beta-sheets. The Ricin B chain is composed of 262 amino acids that
is able to bind terminal galactose residues on cell surfaces. These toxic
albumins can be deliberately harvested from the plant and made into the
warfare agent known as ricin.