Structural Evaluation of a Mimicry-Recognizing Paratope: Plasticity in Antigen–Antibody Interactions Manifests in Molecular Mimicry

Structural evaluation of a mimicry-recognizing paratope: plasticity in antigen-antibody interactions manifests in molecular mimicry.

Molecular mimicry manifests antagonistically with respect to the specificity of immune recognition. However, it often occurs because different Ags share surface topologies in terms of shape or chemical nature. It also occurs when a flexible paratope accommodates dissimilar Ags by adjusting structural features according to the antigenic epitopes or differential positioning in the Ag combining si...

Paratope plasticity in diverse modes facilitates molecular mimicry in antibody response.

The immune response against methyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside mimicking 12-mer peptide (DVFYPYPYASGS) was analyzed at the molecular level towards understanding the equivalence of these otherwise disparate Ags. The Ab 7C4 recognized the immunizing peptide and its mimicking carbohydrate Ag with comparable affinities. Thermodynamic analyses of the binding interactions of both molecules suggested that...

Response Facilitates Molecular Mimicry in Antibody Paratope Plasticity in Diverse Modes

Molecular mimicry

EditoriAL EditoriAL Over the course of evolution, microorganisms have developed innovative survival strategies to thrive in their hosts. 1 The human body is home to many species of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other invertebrate parasites. Some of these organisms that live and thrive in humans are com-mensals and are harmless. They may be also beneficial to the host as they provide certain nut...

Molecular Mimicry: Structural and Physiological Investigations

Introduction Independent molecules are expected to possess distinct three-dimensional structures. However, it is becoming increasingly evident that diverse biological molecules, particularly proteins, do not have entirely unrelated structural architectures, even when their functions are independent. It is apparent that the protein structural repertoire is generated from a finite number of struc...