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Each antibody binds to a specific antigen in a highly specific interaction analogous to a lock and key.. An antibody (Ab) or immunoglobulin (Ig) is a large, Y-shaped protein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily which is used by the immune system to identify and neutralize antigens such as bacteria and viruses, including those that cause disease.
An antibody is made up of two heavy chains and two light chains. The unique variable region allows an antibody to recognize its matching antigen. [73] A B cell identifies pathogens when antibodies on its surface bind to a specific foreign antigen. [74] This antigen/antibody complex is taken up by the B cell and processed by proteolysis into ...
Scheme of the complement system. The complement system, also known as complement cascade, is a part of the humoral, innate immune system and enhances (complements) the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to clear microbes and damaged cells from an organism, promote inflammation, and attack the pathogen's cell membrane. [1]
Humoral immunity is also referred to as antibody-mediated immunity. The study of the molecular and cellular components that form the immune system , including their function and interaction, is the central science of immunology .
Secondary antibodies are especially efficient in immunolabeling. Secondary antibodies bind to primary antibodies, which are directly bound to the target antigen(s). In immunolabeling, the primary antibody's Fab domain binds to an antigen and exposes its Fc domain to secondary antibody. Then, the secondary antibody's Fab domain binds to the ...
In addition to the formed antibodies in the body there remains a small number of memory T and B cells that make up the cellular component of the immunological memory. They stay in blood circulation in a resting state and at the subsequent encounter with the same antigen these cells are able to respond immediately and eliminate the antigen.
Immunochemistry is also used to describe the application of immune system components, in particular antibodies, to chemically labelled antigen molecules for visualization. Various methods in immunochemistry have been developed and refined, and used in scientific study, from virology to molecular evolution .
An immune complex, sometimes called an antigen-antibody complex or antigen-bound antibody, is a molecule formed from the binding of multiple antigens to antibodies. [1] The bound antigen and antibody act as a unitary object, effectively an antigen of its own with a specific epitope .