MPO-ANCA Binding Site on MPO Molecule Estimated from Epitope Mapping Study and Molecular Modeling

Abstract

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) has been identified as one of the major target of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA), and ANCA with specificity for MPO is called MPO-ANCA. Binding of MPO-ANCA to MPO is a trigger for many inflammatory diseases, but the details of the interaction between two molecules are unknown. We used the result of an epitope mapping study and molecular modeling techniques to identify the MPO-ANCA binding site of MPO. The structural features of MPO suggest that the most likely region for the interaction on the molecule lies adjacent to the peroxidase active site.