Monoclonal antibodies as catalysts and templates for organic chemical reactions

The motives for mimicking enzymes are twofold: 1) to gain information and deeper understanding which will be relevant to biochemical catalysis, and 2) to extend the chemistry of living organisms in order to be able to invent new reactions--reactions that enzymes either cannot perform, or can perform only with difficulty. It has taken a long time for the bridge of catalytic antibodies to be erected and join organic chemistry and immunology. This is certainly in part because of differences in language, approach, and goals. Increasingly, many researchers in both disciplines are coming closer as a result of the unifying nature of molecular biology. The importance of the basic questions being addressed as well as the tremendous potential for application in diverse areas ensures that the recent initial results will be greatly expanded in the future. Concurrent developments in biology, chemistry, and physical techniques may also have great impact on the use of catalytic antibodies. Chimeric antibodies, where the binding site (variable region or hypervariable region) is derived from a mouse and chosen at will, while the majority of the antibody molecule is human-derived, may allow wide human application. Bifunctional antibodies with two different catalytic reactions taking place in each antibody molecule may be considered. The accurate depiction of the details of antigen-antibody interaction from x-ray crystallography and the prediction of structure will greatly assist those planning experiments. The future of "dial-a-property" catalytic antibodies looks promising and exciting.