Antibody:Antigen interactions Flashcards
Is the innate immune system specific?
No, it is non-specific
Is the adaptive immune system specific?
Yes
Are antibodies part of the innate or adaptive immune system?
Adaptive
How many immunoglobulin domains are there?
12
Describe the basic structure of antibodies
- Made up of 4 polypeptide chains
- 2 light chains, 2 heavy chains
- 4 interchain disulfide bonds
Which enzyme can cleave antibodies?
Papain
What are the two regions papain cleaves antibodies into?
Fab and Fc
What is the function of the Fab section of antibodies?
Binds to antigen
What is the function of the Fc section of antibodies?
Binds to receptors on the surface of specialised cells
What is the structure of the domains of the antibody?
They are all Beta sandwiches
How many types of light chain are there?
2
How many types of heavy chain are there?
5
How many classes of antibody are there?
5
How many of the Ig domains have hypervariable regions?
2
What is the advantage of antibodies cross-linking antigens?
- Increases the molecular weight
- Produces a large aggregrate pulled out of solution
- Allows this to be recognised by the immune system
Where are the hypervariable regions located on antibodies?
On the tips of the Fab regions
What is the range of KDs between antibodies and antigens?
From 10-7 to 10-11 M
What does the Fc region allow?
For binding to be easily detected
How are specific antibodies produced?
- By injecting an animal with the protein of interest
- Blood serum is collected a few weeks later
- The serum will contain the antibodies to the protein
Outline how antibodies can be used in a Western blot
- A mixture of proteins is separated according to their molecular weight using gel electrophoresis
- The antibody is added to the gel then washed with buffer, it only binds to the protein of interest
- The signal from the reporter molecule is deteced and indicates the prescence of protein
Give an advantage of Western blots
They can be used to detect tiny amounts of protein
