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Title
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Crystal structure of a camel single-domain VH antibody fragment in complex with lysozyme.
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Authors
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A.Desmyter,
T.R.Transue,
M.A.Ghahroudi,
M.H.Thi,
F.Poortmans,
R.Hamers,
S.Muyldermans,
L.Wyns.
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Ref.
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Nat Struct Biol, 1996,
3,
803-811.
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PubMed id
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Abstract
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The Camelidae is the only taxonomic family known to possess functional
heavy-chain antibodies, lacking light chains. We report here the 2.5 A
resolution crystal structure of a camel VH in complex with its antigen,
lysozyme. Compared to human and mouse VH domains, there are no major backbone
rearrangements in the VH framework. However, the architecture of the region of
VH that interacts with a VL in a conventional FV is different from any
previously seen. Moreover, the CDR1 region, although in sequence homologous to
human CDR1, deviates fundamentally from the canonical structure. Additionally,
one half of the CDR3 contacts the VH region which in conventional
immunoglobulins interacts with a VL whereas the other half protrudes from the
antigen binding site and penetrates deeply into the active site of lysozyme.
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