The binding sites of inhibitory monoclonal antibodies on acetylcholinesterase - Identification of a novel regulatory site at the putative "back door"

We investigated the target sites of three inhibitory monoclonal antibodies on Electrophorus acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Previous studies showed that Elec-403 and Elec-410 are directed to overlapping but distinct epitopes in the peripheral site, at the entrance of the catalytic gorge, whereas Elec-4 08 binds to a different region. Using Electrophorus/rat AChE chimeras, we i dentified surface residues that differed between sensitive and insensitive AChEs: the replacement of a single Electrophorus residue by its rat homolog was able to abolish binding and inhibition, for each antibody. Reciprocall y, binding and inhibition by Elec-403 and by Elec-410 could be conferred to rat AChE by the reverse mutation. Elec-410 appears to bind to one side of the active gorge, whereas Elec-403 covers its opening, explaining why the A ChE-Elec-410 complex reacts faster than the AChE-Elec-403 or AChE-fasciculi n complexes with two active site inhibitors, m-(N,N,N-trimethyltammonio)tri fluoro-acetophenone and echothiophate. Elec-408 binds to the region of the putative "back door," distant from the peripheral site, and does not interf ere with the access of inhibitors to the active site. The binding of an ant ibody to this novel regulatory site may inhibit the enzyme by blocking the back door or by inducing a conformational distortion within the active site .