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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.
Sixty CDRs can be found on a pentameric IgM molecule, which is composed of five antibodies and has increased avidity as a result of the collective affinity of all antigen-binding sites combined. Since most sequence variation associated with immunoglobulins and T cell receptors are found in the CDRs, these regions are sometimes referred to as ...
Antibodies of different classes activate distinct effector mechanisms in response to an antigen (triggering different elements of the innate immune system). They appear at different stages of an immune response, differ in structural features, and in their location around the body. [1] Isotype expression reflects the maturation stage of a B cell ...
Other types of light chains can be found in lower vertebrates, such as the Ig-Light-Iota chain of Chondrichthyes and Teleostei. [3] [4] Camelids are unique among mammals as they also have fully functional antibodies which have two heavy chains, but lack the light chains usually paired with each heavy chain. [5]
Heavy chains μ and ε have a constant region composed of four domains. [4] a variable region that differs between different B cells, but is the same for all immunoglobulins produced by the same B cell or B cell clone. The variable domain of any heavy chain is composed of a single immunoglobulin domain. These domains are about 110 amino acids ...
These are the six different human immunoglobulin antibodies that anti-human immunoglobulin antibodies can recognize via laboratory testing. Anti-antibodies for human purposes are able to recognize IgM, IgA, IgE, IgD, and IgG. To detect all isotypes of human antibodies, anti-human kappa and lambda light chain antibodies are available. [2]
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]
These daughter cells either become plasma cells or memory cells. The memory B cells remain inactive here; later, when these memory B cells encounter the same antigen due to reinfection, they divide and form plasma cells. On the other hand, the plasma cells produce a large number of antibodies which are released freely into the circulatory system.