J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 265, Issue 4, 1885-1889, Feb, 1990
Structural similarities among enzyme pterin binding sites as demonstrated by a monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibody
I Jennings and R Cotton
Olive Miller Protein Laboratory, Murdoch Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
BALB/c mice were immunized with a synthetic co-factor of the aromatic amino
acid hydroxylases, 6,7-dimethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin, conjugated to
albumin. Hybridoma cell lines isolated from the immunized mice secreted
monoclonal antibodies reacting specifically with the pterin molecule and
monoclonal antibodies which were found to bind phenylalanine hydroxylase.
Several lines of evidence were consistent with the anti-phenylalanine
hydroxylase antibodies being anti-idiotype antibodies mimicking the pterin
molecule and binding to the pterin binding site of phenylalanine
hydroxylase. (a) An anti-idiotype monoclonal antibody, NS7, when
reimmunized into mice produced anti- pterin antibodies consistent with NS7
being an internal image anti- idiotypic antibody. (b) NS7 antibody was
prevented from binding to phenylalanine hydroxylase when a competitive
inhibitor of phenylalanine hydroxylase enzyme activity,
6,7-dimethyl-7,8-dihydropterin, was bound to phenylalanine hydroxylase. (c)
NS7 antibody was shown to bind to a wide range of pterin-requiring enzymes:
phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan hydroxylases, dihydropteridine
reductase, dihydrofolate reductase, and sepiapterin reductase. Thus the NS7
antibody has successfully mimicked a common portion of the pterin cofactors
utilized by these enzymes and demonstrated structure homology in their
pterin binding sites despite their diverse function and little amino acid
sequence homology except among the three aromatic amino acid hydroxylases.