Antibody-Mediated Catalysis in Infection and Immunity.

ABSTRACT: The existence of catalytic antibodies has been known for decades. Natural antibodies capable of cleaving nucleic acid, protein, and polysaccharide substrates have been described. Although the discovery of catalytic antibodies initially aroused great interest because of their promise for the development of new catalysts, their enzymatic performance has been disappointing due to low reaction rates. However, in the areas of infection and immunity, where processes often occur over much longer times and involve high antibody concentrations, even low catalytic rates have the potential to influence biological outcomes. In this regard, the presence of catalytic antibodies recognizing host antigens has been associated with several autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, naturally occurring catalytic anti

SUBMITTER: Bowen A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5563562 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature