Antibodies Flashcards
What do antibodies react with?
Specific antigens
Where are antibodies produced?
BCells
Part of the antibody
- Variables region
- Constant region
- Antigen Binding Site
- Heavy chain
- Light chain
- Receptor binding site
What is an antibody made from?
4 polypeptide chains
- long chains are called heavy chains
- short chains are called light chains
What is a variable regions?
Since the binding sites differ.
The sequence of amino acids gives each variable region it’s specific 3D shape.
What is the constant region?
The remainder of the antibody is called the constant region, it binds to cells such as BCells
Antigen-antibody complex
Each binding site is complementary to a specific antigen
Do antibodies destroy antigens?
No, they don’t directly destroy antigens
How do antibodies lead to antigen destruction?
Agglutination
Markers
What is agglutination?
Clumps bacterial cells together
Easier for phagocytes to locate and engulf as they are less spread out
How do markers lead to the destruction to antigens?
Stimulates the phagocytes
Phagocytes can easier engulf the pathogen as it is attached
What are polyclonal antibodies
Produced by a variety of BCells, pathogens can have many antigens on their surface that can activate many BCells, each of these will clone copies and will produce different antibodies
What are monoclonal antibodies
Produced by one type of BCell
A single type of antibody is isolated and cloned on mass
