Analysis of idiotypic and anti-idiotypic antibodies as models of receptor and ligand

Antibodies to small bioactive ligands and peptides may mimic the binding characteristics of the natural receptor; in turn, the anti-idiotypic antibodies generated against the binding sites of such anti-ligand antibodies may mimic some aspects of small bioactive ligands and peptides. Among the several levels of investigation of such antibody-receptor networks are (a) the quantitative structure-activity relationships of ligand binding to antibody as compared with natural receptor; (b) the molecular modeling of antibody-receptor binding sites and the genomic basis for such structures; and (c) the characteristics of the molecular mimicry exhibited by 'mimetopes' on anti-idiotypic antibodies. To illustrate the analysis encountered at each of these levels, we discuss here antibody and anti-idiotype systems that are directed to small neuroactive ligands and their receptors.