title: Characterization of epitopes recognized by monoclonal antibodies: experimental approaches supported by freely accessible bioinformatic tools.
abstract: Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been used successfully both in research and for clinical purposes. The possible use of protective mAbs directed against different microbial pathogens is currently being considered. The fine definition of the epitope recognized by a protective mAb is an important aspect to be considered for possible development in epitope-based vaccinology. The most accurate approach to this is the X-ray resolution of mAb/antigen crystal complex. Unfortunately, this approach is not always feasible. Under this perspective, several surrogate epitope mapping strategies based on the use of bioinformatics have been developed. In this article, we review the most common, freely accessible, bioinformatic tools used for epitope characterization and provide some basic examples of molecular visualization, editing and computational analysis.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology and Virology Unit, 'Vita-Salute San Raffaele' University, 20132 Milan, Italy. Electronic address: clementi.nicola@hsr.it.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Clementi
authors.forename: Nicasio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castelli
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clementi
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burioni
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods*; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D000939:Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000939:Epitopes