Crystal structure determination of anti-DNA Fab A52

A52 is a murine monoclonal antibody isolated from autoimmune New Zealand Black/New Zealand White F1 mice that recognizes single and double stranded DNA. This mouse strain spontaneously develops systemic lupus erythematosus-like symptoms and has served as a model for that disease for many years. The 1.62 Å crystal structure of the A52 Fab fragment reveals an H3 complementarity determining region with four closely spaced arginine residues, creating a positively charged surface to accommodate bound DNA.