Binding and catalysis: A thermodynamic study on a catalytic antibody system

Binding versus catalysis: Attempts to obtain efficient catalysts by using conventional screening methods raise a question concerning the connection between binding and catalysis. To address this issue, we have determined the thermodynamic parameters for the binding of several phosphonates to the esterolytic antibody 17E8 (see scheme). Our results suggest that there may be thermodynamic differences between a binding site selected from a screen for tight transition-state-analogue binding and one that is designed for efficient catalysis.