Identifying an epitope, the region of the antigen in contact with an antibody, is useful in both basic and pharmaceutical research, as well as in vaccine design. Solution NMR spectroscopy is particularly well suited to the residue level characterization of intermolecular interfaces, including antibody-antigen interactions, and thus to epitope identification. Here, we describe the use of NMR for residue level characterization of protein epitopes, focusing on experimental protocols and practical considerations, highlighting advantages and drawbacks of the approach.
Keywords: Antibody; Antigen; Chemical shift mapping; Chemical shift perturbation; Epitope mapping; Solution NMR.