title: Correlation between segmental mobility and the location of antigenic determinants in proteins.
abstract: Most continuous antigenic determinants of tobacco mosaic virus protein (TMVP), myoglobin and lysozyme correspond to those surface regions in the protein structure, as determined by X-ray crystallography, which possess a run of high-temperature factors along the polypeptide backbone, that is, a high segmental mobility. The mobility of an antigenic determinant may make it easier to adjust to a pre-existing antibody site not fashioned to fit the exact geometry of a protein. The correlation found between temperature factors and antigenicity is better than that between hydrophilicity and antigenicity.
mesh_terms: D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009038:Motion; D009113:Muramidase / Q000276:immunology; D009211:Myoglobin / Q000276:immunology; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D014027:Tobacco Mosaic Virus / Q000276:immunology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D009211:Myoglobin; D011506:Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D009113:Muramidase