- influences B-cell proliferation

- produces cytokines

T helper cells

- Neutralization

- Opsonization

- Complement Activation

Antibody Function

- migrates in the gamma globulin fraction of a serum electrophoresis

- makes up 80% of the antibody concentration

IgG

- protein that moves the most on an electrophoresis (serum protein separation)

Albumin

- region of the immunoglobulin that distinguishes between the five classes of Ig's

- made up of specific amino acid sequences

Constant Heavy Chain

- Ig's that activate complement

IgG & IgM

- soluble Ig's that originated from the BcR's (pre-activation)

sIgM & sIgD

- hypervariable regions within the paratope that provide specific recognition for antigens

- provides for idiotypic variation

- surrounded by 4 framework regions (FR1, FR2, FR3, FR4)

complementary-determinary regions (CDRs)

- amino acid primarily involved in the disulfide bonds of immunoglobulin

Cysteine

- bonds that hold the light and heavy chains of Ig's together

Interchain disulfide bonds

- approximate # of aa's in the looped domains of Ig's that are held together by intra-chain disulfide bonds

90

- terminus that was bound to B-cell lymphocytes (on the heavy chains)

C-terminus

- term used to describe the identical nature of the two binding (variable/N-terminus region) arms of the Ig's

Bivalent

- amino acid that provides for the flexibility of the hinge region of Ig's

- usually found in poly- forms

Proline

- "tail" of the antibody

- consists of the two heavy chains

- contains the complement binding region

- facilitates transport antibodies across membranes

- the region which distinguishes between antibody classes

Fc

- describes one arm of the antibody molecule

- binding location for the antigen

Fab (fragment antigen binding)

F(ab)2

- the receptors of the heavy chain part of the antibody that binds macrophages, PMNs, NK cells

Fc receptors

- Ig variant that distinguishes based upon the amino acid composition of the heavy chains

Isotypic

- Ig variant that distinguishes based upon small (1 or 2) amino acid differences found in C regions of Abs of different individuals of the same species

- serve as genetic markers (Gm for IgG, Am for IgA)

Allelic

- variant that distinguishes with the variable region of Igs (CDRs)

Idiotypic

- type of antibody used to inhibit specific immune responses by recognizing the binding sites of other Abs or TcRs

- used clinically in IVIG (intra-venous Immune Globulin) therapy

Anti-idiotypic (a-Ids)

- on cleavage, creates 3 pieces of antibody (2 Fabs and an Fc)

- worse of the two Ab enzymes

Papain

- on cleavage, creates 2 Ab fragments (Fab2 and an Fc group of subfragments)

Pepsin

- part of the Ab arm that has only two classes (kappa & lambda)

- never contains both classes, either/or only

Light Chain

- excreted in urine in patients with Multiple Myeloma

- gamm globulins that normally don't show up in urine

- consist of lambda and kappa light chains of antibodies

Bence-Jones proteins

- caused from a malignant proliferation of plasma cells secreting large amounts of a single type of Ig

Multiple Myeloma

- type of Ig that patrols mucosal surfaces

- has a secretory component that protects if from enzymatic degredation

IgA