The Study of Enzyme Conformation with Antibody

Abstract

As an example of the usefulness of antibodies for the study of enzyme conformation the interaction of antibody with rabbit muscle phosphorylase was discussed. It was concluded that the effects of antibody were indirect and probably conformational in nature since antibody neither combined with the modifier nor the substrate sites on the enzyme and that antibody blocked the interaction between these sites. The study of the antibody-phosphorylase interaction and recent work with other antibody-protein systems raised the question: Why do antibodies react in certain cases preferentially with the regulatory rather than the catalytic region of enzymes? In seeking an answer to this question, a working hypothesis was developed, which suggests possibilities for the selection of antibodies with greater capabilities for recognizing allosteric transitions.