Abstact

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a naturally secreted regulatory hormone that influences blood pressure and vascular water retention in human physiology. The plasma BNP concentration is a clinically recognized biomarker for various cardiovascular diseases. Quantitative detection of BNP can be achieved in immunoassays using the high-affinity monoclonal IgG1 antibody 106.3, which binds an epitope spanning residues 5-13 of the mature bioactive peptide. To understand the structural basis of this molecular recognition, we crystallized the Fab fragment complexed with the peptide epitope and determined the three-dimensional structure by X-ray diffraction to 2.1 A resolution. The structure reveals the detailed interactions that five of the complementarity-determining regions make with the partially folded peptide. Thermodynamic measurements using fluorescence spectroscopy suggest that the interaction is enthalpy driven, with an overall change in free energy of binding, DeltaG = -54 kJ/mol, at room temperature. The parameters are interpreted on the basis of the structural information. The kinetics of binding suggest a diffusion-limited mechanism, whereby the peptide easily adopts a bound conformation upon interaction with the antibody. Moreover, comparative analysis with alanine-scanning results of the epitope explains the basis of selectivity for BNP over other related natriuretic peptides.