6: Antibody structure Flashcards
3 main functions of antibodies
- opsonization
- complement activation
- neutralization
opsonization examples (2)
- phagocytosis
- eosinophil dumps toxic products to kill parasite
- coating antigen with antibody enhances phagocytosis
complement activation
series of proteins activated by antibody binding to surface –> punch holes in bacteria
-inflammation and cell lysis
neutralization
secreting products onto virus/bacteria to block adhesion to mucosa
what is adaptive/acquired immunity
the specific response to antigenic challenge
what is adaptive immunity mediated by
antigen-specific lymphocytes and/or their products
5 steps of the immune response
- innate immunity
- early induced response
- late adaptive response
- protective immunity
- immunological memory
steps of innate immunity
innate immunity –> infection –> recognition by non-specific effectors –> pathogen clearance
steps of early induced response
early induced response –> infection –> recruitment of effector cells –> activation of effector cells –> pathogen clearance
steps of late adaptive response
late adaptive response –> infection –> antigen transport to lymphoid organs –> recognition by native b and t cells –> clonal expansion of b and t cells –> pathogen clearance
steps of protective immunity
-protective immunity –> re-infection –> recognition by preformed antibody and effector t cells –> pathogen clearance
steps of immunological memory
immunological memory –> re-infection –> recognition by memory b and t cells –> rapid expansion to effector cells –> pathogen clearance
when does antibody production initiate
3-7 days after initial exposure if the innate immune processes fail to clear it rapidly
what are antibodies
antigen-specific products of b cells –> principal mediators of adaptive immunity
antibody structure
- 2 identical heavy chains, 2 identical light chains
- variable and constant regions
- 2 binding sites on top of light chains
how do antibodies interact with antigens
non-covalently
how are antibodies divided into isotypes (classes)
different constant regions –> heavy chain weight gives different properties (heavy chain is the constant region)