title: How antibodies recognize virus proteins.
abstract: Numerous studies have addressed the nature of antibody-antigen interaction, but only recently have three-dimensional structures of complexes of antibodies with protein antigens been reported, one with lysozyme and one with the influenza virus antigen neuraminidase. Both structures show that there are epitopes involving about 16 amino acids on surface loops of the antigen. In the lysozyme complex the interaction of the components is rigid, but there is a degree of structural flexibility in the formation of the complex with neuraminidase. In this article, Peter Colman, Graeme Laver and their colleagues discuss some speculative implications of the results currently available.
authors.affiliation: CSIRO, Division of Protein Chemistry, 343 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Colman
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Air
authors.affiliation: St Jude Children's Research Hospital, PO Box 318, Memphis, TN 38101, USA.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Webster
authors.affiliation: CSIRO, Division of Protein Chemistry, 343 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Varghese
authors.affiliation: CSIRO, Division of Protein Chemistry, 343 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia.
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Lentz
authors.affiliation: CSIRO, Division of Protein Chemistry, 343 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Tulloch
authors.affiliation: Influenza Research Unit, JCSMR, GPO Box 334, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Laver