Antibody-Crystal Interactions
Crystals are also involved in many pathological conditions: some
types of arthritis, atherosclerosis and kidney stones are common
examples. The organism, exposed to the crystals, reacts with its
defence system, the immune system, producing specific antibodies.
Antibodies that interact specifically with surfaces such as those
of cholesterol crystals were thus produced, selected and investigated.
These same antibodies recognize cholesterol in organized domains
also under the form monolayers at the air-water interface and in
cell membranes. Molecular recognition is based on complementarity
between the antibody binding site and defined crystal surface features.
Understanding the rules of these interactions is of fundamental,
as well as potentially applicative interest.
