Publication Abstract from PubMed
Antibodies are the archetypal molecules of the Ig-fold superfamily. Their highly conserved beta-sheet architecture has evolved to avoid aggregation by protecting edge strands. However, the crystal structure of a human V kappa domain described here, reveals an exposed beta-edge strand which mediates assembly of a helical pentadecameric oligomer. This edge strand is highly conserved in V kappa domains but is both shortened and capped by the use of two sequential trans-proline residues in V lambda domains. We suggest that the exposure of this beta-edge in V kappa domains may explain why light-chain deposition disease is mediated predominantly by kappa antibodies.
Beta-edge interactions in a pentadecameric human antibody V kappa domain.,James LC, Jones PC, McCoy A, Tennent GA, Pepys MB, Famm K, Winter G J Mol Biol. 2007 Mar 30;367(3):603-8. Epub 2006 Nov 3. PMID:17292396[1]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
