Antibody modeling using the Prediction of ImmunoGlobulin Structure (PIGS) web server

Predicting the structure of antibodies on the basis of their sequences is a key objective in medical and biotechnology research. Marcatili et al. describe the use of their online system PIGS for the automated modeling of the 3D structure of antibodies. Antibodies (or immunoglobulins) are crucial for defending organisms from pathogens, but they are also key players in many medical, diagnostic and biotechnological applications. The ability to predict their structure and the specific residues involved in antigen recognition has several useful applications in all of these areas. Over the years, we have developed or collaborated in developing a strategy that enables researchers to predict the 3D structure of antibodies with a very satisfactory accuracy. The strategy is completely automated and extremely fast, requiring only a few minutes (∼10 min on average) to build a structural model of an antibody. It is based on the concept of canonical structures of antibody loops and on our understanding of the way light and heavy chains pack together.