The ~dea that striking specificity of serological reactions results from possession by antibody and antigen of mutually complementary combining regions was suggested in period around 1930 by Brelnl and Haurowltz (1930). Alexander (1931) and Mudd (1932). There is some intimation of it m early work of Ehrhch and Bordet. Refinement of th~s idea and detailed experimental verification of many of features of refined theory of molecular complementariness of antigen and antibody were carried out in a series of studies in Cahfornla Institute of Technology during a period of about ten years, beginning in 1939 Dan H. Campbell played an important part in this work. I had become interested m biological problems when Thomas Hunt Morgan came to Calffornm Institute of Technology in 1929, bringing with him a number of very able younger biologists I had been working on structure of inorgamc and organic substances, usmg techniques of X-ray diffraction by crystals, electron diffraction by gas molecules, and analysis of magnetic properties of substances. In 1934 I became interested in general problem of structure of proteins, especially hemoglobin. Charles D Coryell and I discovered remarkable changes in magnetic moment of iron atom in hemoglobin accompanying adt we accordingly feel that complementarmess should be g~ven primary considerahon in discussion of specific attraction between molecules and enzymatic synthesis of molecules. We mentioned that the case might occur in which two complementary structures happened to be identical; however, in this case also stability of complex of two molecules would be due to their complementarmess rather than their identity. Eaght years later (Pauhng. 1948) I &scussed matter of gene replication in more detad: 'I beheve that genes serve as templates on which are molded enzymes that are responsible for chemical characters of orgamsms, and that they also serve as templates for production of replicas of themselves, The detailed mechamsm by means of which a gene or a virus molecule produces replicas of Is not yet known In general use of a gene or virus as a template would lead to formation of a molecule not with identical structure but w~th complementary structure It might happen, of course, that a molecule could be at same time identical with and complementary to template on which it is molded However, this case seems to me to be too unlikely to be valid in general, except in following way If structure that serves as a template (the gene or wrus molecule) consists of, say, two parts, which are themselves complementary in structure, then each of these parts can serve as mold for production of a replica of other parL and complex of two complementary parts thus can serve as mold for production of duplicates of itself Between 1940 and 1948 idea of molecular complementarlness as bas~s of speclfiClt~ of serological reactions and of biological mteractlons in
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Feb 1, 1985
Shen Bao-Gen + 3
