Synthetic polypeptides antibodies against

Studies of the specificities of experimentally induced antipolynucleotide antibodies have yielded some information on the antigenic determinants which could exist in a molecule of nucleic acid. Like the antibodies to proteins or synthetic polypeptides, antibodies to polynucleotides can be directed against different antigenic determinants derived from sequential regions as well as conformational factors in the molecule. Since antibodies in which the specificity is associated with the heterocyclic bases are obtained by use of single-stranded polynucleotides or certain components of nucleic acids it is thus evident that the bases themselves can be included among the antigenic determinants of polynucleotides. 

Early investigations supporting the concept that exposed haptenic determinants are immunodominant were carried out by Sela and his collaborators, who prepared antibodies against a number of synthetic polypeptides of high molecular weight with the general structure illustrated in Fig. 2.5. The backbone of the polymer consists of poly-L-lysine. The... 

Another tactic to foil the survival efforts of evolving pathogens was unveiled in 2007. A synthetic polyamide (polypeptide. Section 26-4) was built that causes the immune system to prepare antibodies against resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, responsible for nearly 100,000 infections and 20,000 deaths each year. Such substances have the potential to give rise to entirely novel vaccination strategies that could save thousands of lives. 

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