X-Ray Crystallographic Studies of Antibody–Peptide Complexes

The three-dimensional structures of six Fab-peptide complexes have been determined by X-ray crystallography. The peptide antigens range in size from 8 to 19 residues and include a cyclic peptide with unusual amino acid side chains. The structures were all determined by molecular replacement techniques using known Fab structures as models and have been refined to medium or high resolution. These structures not only have improved our general understanding of antibody-antigen recognition but have aided in the determination of the sequence and structural characteristics of peptide epitopes. The peptide structures provide a framework to aid in the design of peptide vaccines or small peptide-like drugs to inhibit viral function.