Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
An epitope, also known as antigenic determinant, is the part of an antigen that is recognized by the immune system, specifically by antibodies, B cells, or T cells. The part of an antibody that binds to the epitope is called a paratope .
Paratopes make up the parts of the B-cell receptor that bind to and make contact with the epitope of an antigen. [2] All the B-cell receptors on any one individual B cell have identical paratopes. [2] The uniqueness of a paratope allows it to bind to only one epitope with high affinity and as a result, each B cell can only respond to one epitope.
Antibody-antigen interactions are highly specific and those that have high affinity will interact with increased bond strength and trigger downstream immune responses. The strength of the bond between the epitope of the antigen and the paratope of the antibody will determine the affinity of the interaction. [1]
He defined idiotype as the set of epitopes on the V region of an antibody molecule, where epitope means an antigenic determinant. He also defined the " paratope " to be that part of an antibody variable region that binds to an antigen.
The variable domain contains the paratope (the antigen-binding site), comprising a set of complementarity-determining regions, at the amino terminal end of the monomer. Each arm of the Y thus binds an epitope on the antigen.
An epitope that can be attacked by many different B cells is said to be highly immunogenic. In these cases, the binding affinities for respective epitope-paratope pairs vary, with some B cell clones producing antibodies that bind strongly to the epitope, and others producing antibodies that bind weakly. [1]
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
The variable (V) regions near the tip of the antibody can differ from molecule to molecule in countless ways, allowing it to specifically target an antigen (or more exactly, an epitope). In contrast, the constant (C) regions only occur in a few variants, which define the antibody's class.