The uncatalyzed epoxide hydrolysis was slow and did not deprive the antibody of substrate. Observations of enzymic polyene cyclizations suggest that subtle changes in the substrate structure may lead to multiring formation under the influence of the current catalyst. The stereoselective formation of monocyclic ring systems reflects the ability of the antibody catalysts to exert control over the initiation process. Thus, the step that requires particular enzymic assistance in biosynthetic oxidosqualene cyclization has been catalyzed by an antibody. However, propagation of cyclization for this particular class of substrates did not occur.
Experiments are ongoing to accomplish such propagation.
Furthermore, under these stringent conditions, the proficiency of 6G6 actually increases because of a decrease in the observed K m of the substrate and alleviates inhibition by the phenolic product. Second, the generality of the hydrolysis reaction that 6G6 can catalyze was revealed in experiments with several panels of substrate analogs. However, 6G6 can chirally discriminate at the sulfoxide center. Finally, the naphthyl moiety of naproxen is not an essential recognition element for 6G6. Therefore, the development of a simple, portable, and inexpensive immunoassay kit would be valuable for monitoring treaty compliance and for detecting MPA during military operations.