CREATION OF A RIBONUCLEASE ABZYME THROUGH SITE-DIRECTED MUTAGENESIS

The development of abzymes (antibody/enzymes) is one method of creatin g reagents with novel catalytic activity. To date, most abzymes have b een obtained by immunization with transition state analogs. We have ch osen to start with an existing antibody and convert it into an enzyme by the addition of catalytic residues to the binding site. We have int roduced a histidine residue into antibody Jel 103 and converted it int o an abzyme that cleaves poly(rl) with a kinetic efficiency of about 1 00 M(-1)sec(-1).