Antigenic Determinants and Antibody Combining Sites
1975; Elsevier BV; Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/b978-0-12-635503-1.50009-7
Autores Tópico(s)Toxin Mechanisms and Immunotoxins
ResumoA variety of natural and synthetic substances is capable of eliciting an immune response in mammals, underscoring the diversity and survival value of the immune mechanism, as well as its unappealing profile: allergy, graft rejection, and autoimmunity. The most potent antigens are complex macromolecules and little was understood about the specificity of antibodies until such molecules were chemically modified. Investigation of the antigenic specificity and cross-reactivity of a variety of purified plant proteins led to infer that the specificity of the induced antibodies was dependent on the chemical structure of portions of the antigen molecule. This chapter reviews what is known about antigenic determinants, which are defined as the structural components of antigen molecules against which the specificity of antibodies is directed, as well as what is known about the combining sites of the antibodies themselves. It is believed that antigenic determinants and antibody combining sites possess a configurational complementarity, which might be envisioned as a “lock-and-key” arrangement.
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