5.5 Antibodies

Question 1

what are antibodies?

Answer 1

proteins with a complimentary binding site to only one antigen

Question 2

what structure does an antibody have?

Answer 2

quaternary

Question 3

how does an antibody have a quaternary structure?

Answer 3

it has 4 polypeptide chains

Question 4

what polypeptide chains does an antibody have?

Answer 4

2 light chains
2 heavy chains

Question 5

what regions does an antibody have?

Answer 5

constant region
variable region

Question 6

what’s the variable region?

Answer 6

the region that contains the binding sites
different in every antibody

Question 7

why are variable regions different in every antibody?

Answer 7

because they have different primary structures
therefore different tertiary structures due to different bond placements

Question 8

what’s the constant region?

Answer 8

region that is the same and shared by all antibodies

Question 9

what forms when antigens and antibodies bind?

Answer 9

antigen-antibody complex

Question 10

how do antibodies lead to destruction of pathogens?

Answer 10

• antibodies can bind to multiple antigens at a time
• clumps pathogens together = agglutination
• increases toxins produces
  = attracts more pathogens = increased rate of phagocytosis
• can engulf more pathogens at one time