Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Analysis of Histone Antibody Specificity with Peptide Microarrays
09:47

Analysis of Histone Antibody Specificity with Peptide Microarrays

Published on: August 1, 2017

Structural classification of CDR-H3 in antibodies

H Shirai1, A Kidera, H Nakamura

  • 1Department of Bioinformatics, Biomolecular Engineering Research Institute, Suita, Osaka, Japan.

FEBS Letters
|December 9, 1996
PubMed

Insights

The antibody heavy chain's third complementarity determining region (CDR-H3) shows sequence-structure rules. These findings aid in antibody structural modeling and design.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Structural Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • The third complementarity determining region of the antibody heavy chain (CDR-H3) exhibits significant sequence and length variability.
  • Unlike other CDRs, CDR-H3 lacks established canonical structures, complicating sequence-structure relationship predictions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and define rules governing the conformational dependence of CDR-H3 on its amino acid sequence.
  • To provide a basis for improved antibody structural modeling and design.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 55 CDR-H3 segments from experimentally determined crystal structures.
  • Derivation of sequence-based rules for CDR-H3 conformation.

Main Results:

  • Several key rules were identified that partly explain CDR-H3 conformation based on amino acid sequence.
  • The derived rules are physically plausible and offer insights into CDR-H3 structural determinants.

Conclusions:

  • The established rules offer a significant advancement in understanding CDR-H3 structure-sequence relationships.
  • These findings are expected to be valuable for the rational design and modeling of antibodies.

More Related Videos

High-resolution Melting PCR for Complement Receptor 1 Length Polymorphism Genotyping: An Innovative Tool for Alzheimer's Disease Gene Susceptibility Assessment07:26

High-resolution Melting PCR for Complement Receptor 1 Length Polymorphism Genotyping: An Innovative Tool for Alzheimer's Disease Gene Susceptibility Assessment

Published on: July 18, 2017

Stability and Structure of Bat Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I with Heterologous β2-Microglobulin11:17

Stability and Structure of Bat Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I with Heterologous β2-Microglobulin

Published on: March 10, 2021

Related Concept Videos

Antibody Structure01:10

Antibody Structure

Overview
Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins (Ig), are essential players of the adaptive immune system. These antigen-binding proteins are produced by B cells and make up 20 percent of the total blood plasma by weight. In mammals, antibodies fall into five different classes, which each elicits a different biological response upon antigen binding.
The Y-Shaped Structure of Antibodies Consists of Four Polypeptide Chains
Antibodies consist of four polypeptide chains: two identical heavy...
Gene Families01:57

Gene Families

Gene families consist of groups of genes proposed to have originated from a common ancestor. Typically these arise through events in which a gene or genes are mistakenly duplicated during cell division. Unlike their parent genes (which are subject to selection pressure to maintain function), these gene copies do not need to preserve their sequences and may evolve at a relatively faster rate.
Occasionally these regions can be adapted to take on new roles within the organism, becoming novel genes...
Naming Enantiomers02:21

Naming Enantiomers

The naming of enantiomers employs the Cahn–Ingold–Prelog rules that involve assigning priorities to different substituent groups at a chiral center. Each enantiomer, being a distinct molecule, is assigned a unique name by the Cahn–Ingold–Prelog (CIP) rules, also called the R–S system. The prefix R- or S- attached to the chiral centers in an enantiomer is dependent on the spatial arrangement of the four substituents on the chiral center. The R–S system essentially comprises three steps:...
Prochirality02:05

Prochirality

The concept of prochirality leads to the nomenclature of the individual faces of a molecule and plays a crucial role in the enantioselective reaction. It is a concept where two or more achiral molecules react to produce chiral products. A typical process is the reaction of an achiral ketone to generate a chiral alcohol. Here, the achiral reactant reacts with an achiral reducing agent, sodium borohydride, to generate an equimolar mixture of the chiral enantiomers of the product. For example, an...
Structure of Cadherins01:25

Structure of Cadherins

The cadherins were one of the first cell adhesion molecules discovered; the term “cadherins”   is based on their calcium-dependent adhering properties. The first cadherins discovered on the epithelial, neuronal, and placental cells were named E-cadherin, P-cadherin, and N-cadherin, respectively. These classical cadherins share sequence and structural similarities. Other cadherins, including those involved in cell signaling, are grouped into non-classical cadherins. This diversity of cadherins...