The human immunoglobulin G (IgG) class is the most prevalent antibody in serum, with the
IgG1 subclass being the most abundant. Two glycans are conserved in the Fc region in IgG,
however their structural importance on intact IgG1 has been unclear. We subjected
glycosylated and deglycosylated human IgG1 to analytical ultracentrifugation, small angle X-
ray and neutron scattering, and atomistic modelling. Changes in the cross-sectional radius of
gyration and the distance distribution P(r) curve revealed that the Fab-Fc separation has been
perturbed following deglycosylation. Atomistic scattering modelling based on Monte Carlo
simulations resulted in good X-ray and neutron curve fits. Molecular views of the 100 best-fit
models showed that the glycosylated Fc region has a restricted range of conformations
relative to the Fab regions, while those in deglycosylated IgG1 showed a broader spectrum of
Fc conformations. These more flexible Fc conformations account for the loss of binding to
the FcγR receptor in deglycosylated IgG1.