Week 3 Flashcards
Structure of antibodies
- looks like Y
- consists of heavy chain and light chain
- tops of heavy and light chain on N terminus is variable region
- rest is constant region
Fragments of Ag
- 2 Fab pieces (arms of Y)
- 1 Fc portion (stem of Y)
Importance of hinge in Ig
-flexible hinge allows for it to bind to many different arrangement of antigens with both arms
Ig isotypes
- defined by differences in heavy chain C regions
- differences in length of the heavy-chain C regions, the locations of the disulfide bonds linking the chains, presence of a hinge region (IgG, IgA, and IgD), differ in distribution of carbs on heavy chain
Membrane vs secreted forms of Ig isotypes
- all membrane bound Ig are monomers
- secreted Ig differs; IgD, IgE, and IgG are always monomers; IgA forms monomers and dimers; and IgM forms only pentamers
V domains
- hypervariable region
- 3 regions (loops) surrounded by 4 framework regions
- loops are also called complementary determining regions
- contribute to antigen specificity
Epitopes
- what is it?
- how many?
- types?
- specific parts of an antigen that binds antibody
- antigens will contain multiple epitopes that vary in shape and physical properties
- linear: continuous AA; discontinuous: AA from different parts of antigen that are brought together when chain folds
What affects affinity of Ig to antigen?
-can be altered by small differences in shape and chemical properties of binding site
Monoclonal antibodies
-identical antibodies made by a hybridoma
hybridoma
- modern method for making antibodies
- fusion of b-cell to tumor cell that will grow and produce antibodies indefinitely
- the hybridoma that produces the antibody with the desired specificity is chosen
Flow cytometry
-used to analyze the cell populations in peripheral blood and detect perturbations caused by disease
monoclonal antibodies as treatment
- first
- new types
- first used to help with kidney rejection, but used mouse antibodies and humans were forming antibodies against C region of mouse antibodies
- chimeric (mouse V region and human C region); humanized (all human except for CDR loop); human (made in mice with huan Ig genes or using human hybridomas)
Formation of Ig
- heavy-chain locus on chromosome 14,
- 2 light-chain locus one on chromosome 2, and other on chromosome 22.
- 3 gene segments at each locus, L (leading), V (variable), C (constant)
V region of light chain
-2 gene segments (variable and joining)
V region of heavy chain
-2 gene segments (variable, joining, diversity)
Diversity in binding site of Ag
-random gene segment recombination lead sto diversity
somatic recombination
- random combination of portions of variable region allowing for diversity in the binding site of the antigen.
- for light chain there is only one recombination-between V and J
- for heavy chain there is 2 recombinations, one between J and D, the other between V and D
RSS role in recombination
- Recombination signal sequences
- sequences that flank 3’ end of V region (7), (9) and (7)both sides of D segment and 5’ end of J region (9)
- function is to act as recognition sites for enzymes to know where to cut and rejoin the DNA as well as ensure that the DNA gets put back into correct order (V-D-J)
12/23 rule
-ensure correct order by having the heptamer only bind to the nonamer RSS
VDJ recombinase
-set of enzymes needed in order to recombine the 3 segments
RAG complex
-consists of RAG1, RAG2, and high-mobility group of proteins
how recombination occurs
- RAG complex will bind to one of RSS sequences and will pull the other RSS towards it.
- RAG cleaves the DNA on the heptamer side making a clean break
- The RSS is then aligned and RAG complex holds in place while DNA repair enzymes rejoin the two ends (non-homologous end joining) forming a coding joint
- The small amount of DNA cut out has its ends joined together forming a circle and is called a signaling joint and has no function
Recombination and extra bases
- there are random nucleotides added in coding joints which creates more diversity
- when DNA is cleaved by RAG complex it makes a single stranded end (DNA hairin)
Transcription of recombined genes
- rearrangement of the V, D, and J segments brings a gene promoter and an enhancer into closer juxtaposition enabling the gene to be transcribed
- separate exons encode the constant portion of the antibody which decides what kind of Ig it will be