Antibody thiamin

The addition of cofactors to antibodies is a sure means to confer a catalytic activity to them insofar as this cofactor is responsible for the activity. Indeed for many enzymes, the interaction with cofactors such as thiamins, flavins, pyridoxal phosphate, and ions or metal complexes is absolutely essential for the catalysis. It is thus a question there of building a new biocatalyst with two partners the cofactor responsible for the catalytic activity, and the antibody which binds not only the cofactor but also the substrate that it positions in a specific way one with respect to the other, and can possibly take part in the catalysis thanks to some of its amino acids. 

Enzymes use nonpeptidyl catalytic auxiliaries termed cofactors to gain additional chemical functionality. These include metal ions, hemes, thiamine, flavins, and pyri-doxal. To expand the scope of antibody catalysis, the introduction of cofactors into an antibody-combining site could be a powerful tool to improve catalysis. The diversity of the immune response should allow one to use not only the natural cofactors but also a host of unnatural cofactors unavailable to enzymes. 

Kumar, M., anT Axelrod, A.E. (1978). Cellular antibody synthesis in thiamin, riboflavin, biotin and folic acid-deficient rats. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 157 421-423. 

In confirmation of previous findings, these studies have emphasized the failure of inanition to modify the antibody response. The lack of correlation between growth inhibition and suppression of antibody response was again apparent. This was strikingly evidenced in the thiamine and folic acid deficiencies. Thus, despite the more marked growth-inhibitory effect of the thiamine deficiency, the antibody response of the thiamine-deficient rats was much greater than that of the folic acid-deficient animals. 

Axelrod, A. E, and Hopper, S. (1960) Effects of pantothenic acid, pyridoxine and thiamine deficiencies upon antibody formation to influenza virus PR-8 in rats, J. Nutr., 72 325. 

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