An Enlightening Structure-Function Relationship

摘要

Small-molecule cofactors are widely used in biological systems to augment or alter the function of a biomolecular partner. For example, cofactors participate in electron-transfer reactions catalyzed by redox enzymes. In 2000, Simeonov et al. inverted this paradigm, reporting a system in which proteins (specifically, monoclonal antibodies) acted as cofactors for activating the fluorescence of a small molecule (a trans-stilbene derivative) (1). The resulting complexes have since been used to make fluorescent biosensors for various analytes. On page 1232 of this issue, Debler et al. (2) reveal a fascinating relation between the structure of the antibody-stilbene complex and the mechanism by which emission is enhanced.