10.12.2012 Views

netLibrary - eBook Summary Structure-based Drug Design by ...

netLibrary - eBook Summary Structure-based Drug Design by ...

netLibrary - eBook Summary Structure-based Drug Design by ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Document<br />

Page 438<br />

proteins. One potential disadvantage to using antibodies is the possibility of over interpreting the<br />

blocking results because of steric hindrance. A large antibody molecule may inhibit function through<br />

binding to a distant site and covering up a functional site. These approaches have all been used with<br />

success on a variety of proteins, but are best used in combination. For example, the information obtained<br />

from synthetic peptides and antibodies can significantly narrow down the region for site-directed<br />

mutagenesis studies. The entire sequence is narrowed to a segment, which reduces the size of the<br />

“haystack” in which the needle is hidden.<br />

Even though these approaches are powerful methods for determining functional sites on proteins, they<br />

are limited if not coupled with some form of structural determination. As Figure 2 illustrates, molecular<br />

biology and synthetic peptide/antibody approaches are not only interdependent, they are tied in with<br />

structural determination. Structural determination methods can take many forms, from the classic x-ray<br />

crystallography and NMR for three-dimensional determination, to two-dimensional methods such as<br />

circular dichroism and Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy, to predictive methods and modeling.<br />

A structural analysis is crucial to the interpretation of experimental results obtained from mutational and<br />

synthetic peptide/antibody techniques.<br />

Figure 2<br />

Flow diagram of structure/function studies.<br />

http://legacy.netlibrary.com/nlreader/nlReader.dll?bookid=12640&filename=Page_438.html [4/9/2004 12:10:42 AM]

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!