Preliminary X-ray analysis of a human V_H fragment at 1.8 Å resolution

Small antibody fragments are more useful than full-size antibodies for achieving efficient biodistribution. As a first step towards the design of a clinically desirable antibody fragment, the crystallization of a human V_H fragment has been achieved. The fragment was derived from the single-chain antibody scFvM12, which recognizes a cancer-specific hypoglycosylated form of mucin. The V_H fragment was obtained by in-drop digestion of the scFvM12 with a low concentration of the broad-spectrum protease subtilisin Carlsberg. The crystal belongs to the monoclinic space group C2. The crystal diffracted to 1.8 Å resolution when analysed at 100 K using a rotating-anode X-ray generator.