Biochemistry 3380G Lecture Notes - Western Blot, Eosinophil, Antigen
6 Dec 2012
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Document Summary
The immune response is triggered by foreign macromolecules (like proteins and carbohydrates), which are known as antigens. Immunoglobulins are soluble proteins that recognize and tag antigens for destruction. These soluble antibodies are found in the blood, lymph and other bodily fluids and are made by b lymphocytes. There are multiple types of immunoglobulins (such as a, d, e, g, and m), but immunoglobulin g (igg) is the main form found in the blood. There are billions of different iggs that can be manufactured by an individual. Different iggs have similar sequences, except in certain regions: variable regions (allow antibodies to bind to many different antigens) and hypervariable regions (allow antibodies to have high specificity for certain antigens). Both the heavy and light chains (2 of each to form a tetramer) of the antibody contribute to its specificity for an antigen.
