Understanding the Significance and Implications of Antibody Numbering and Antigen-Binding Surface/Residue Definition.

Monoclonal antibodies are playing an increasing role in both human and animal health. Different strategies of protein and chemical engineering, including humanization techniques of non-human antibodies were applied successfully to optimize clinical performances of antibodies. Despite the emergence of techniques allowing the development of fully human antibodies such as transgenic Xeno-mice, antibody humanization remains a standard procedure for therapeutic antibodies.

Creating hybrid proteins by insertion of exogenous peptides into permissive sites of a class A beta-lactamase.

Insertion of heterologous peptide sequences into a protein carrier may impose structural constraints that could help the peptide to adopt a proper fold. This concept could be the starting point for the development of a new generation of safe subunit vaccines based on the expression of poorly immunogenic epitopes. In the present study, we characterized the tolerance of the TEM-1 class A beta-lactamase to the insertion of two different peptides, the V3 loop of the gp120 protein of HIV, and the thermostable STa enterotoxin produced by enterotoxic Escherichia coli.

Development of a 1-step enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the rapid diagnosis of bovine respiratory syncytial virus in postmortem specimens.

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is associated with severe respiratory disease in cattle. BRSV infection frequently leads to the death of young infected animals. The presence of BRSV in postmortem specimens is routinely detected using indirect immunofluorescence (IIF).

Crystal structure of the Mycobacterium fortuitum class A beta-lactamase: structural basis for broad substrate specificity.

beta-Lactamases are the main cause of bacterial resistance to penicillins and cephalosporins. Class A beta-lactamases, the largest group of beta-lactamases, have been found in many bacterial strains, including mycobacteria, for which no beta-lactamase structure has been previously reported. The crystal structure of the class A beta-lactamase from Mycobacterium fortuitum (MFO) has been solved at 2.

Acidophilic adaptation of family 11 endo-beta-1,4-xylanases: modeling and mutational analysis.

Xyl1 from Streptomyces sp. S38 belongs to the low molecular mass family 11 of endo-beta-1,4-xylanases. Its three-dimensional structure has been solved at 2.