Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Antibody structure and function
- What are they?
- Made of glycoproteins (proteins and carbohydrates) found in serum and tissue fluids.
- We can make an antibody to match a foreighn molecule.
- They bind specifically to the antigen that induced their formation.
- There are 5 classes
- IgG
- 4 subclasses of ɣ1-ɣ4 H chains
- IgG1
- 70% of normal IgG serum in humans
- IgG2
- 20% of normal IgG serum in humans
- IgG3
- 8% of normal IgG serum in humans
- IgG4
- 2% of normal IgG serum in humans
- In a mouse these are IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b and IgG3
- 75% of normal serum. Ig 12mg/ml
- Basic monomer structure
- Mr 150,000 - Can get
out of the serum more
easily than IgM. Can get
to the tissues and so
provides immunity for
most of the body.
- Performance
- Predominant Ab of secondary immune response
- Extravascular - good at giving protection throughout your tissues.
- Fixes complement IgG3>1>2>4 (IgG2 and 4 very weak at fixing complement)
- Good opsonin
- Placetal transfer IgG1, 3 and 4. Immunity for an unborn child
- Where do they bind?
- IgG binds to special Fc receptors on lymphocytes, monocytes and macrophages.
- IgM
- µ Heavy chain
- Makes up 10% of normal
human serum Ig
1.8mg/ml
- Pentamer composed of 5 basic Ig monomers
- There it has 10 antigen binding sites.
- Mr 970,000
- 10 L chains (identical), 10
H chains (identical), means there are 10 identical antigen binding sites. There is 1 J chain.
- monomers are joined by disulphide bonds.
- Performance
- Predominant Ab of the
primary immune response
(on first encounter, you
produce IgM)
- Most efficient complement fixing antibody
- makes holes in cell/pathogen membranes
- Sticks things to the pathogen
surface to be detected and
engulfed by macrophages.
- Good opsonin
- coats the pathogen so they can be phagocytosed
- Half life 5 days
- not found extravascularly
- Cannot really get out of the serum because of its size. This is a
limitation as it can't reach the tissues.
- Found at B lymphocyte cell surface as
a membrane bound monomer. Here it
acts as a cell surface receptor in
antigen recognition. Consists of 2 L and
H chains. This property is shared with
IgD.
- IgA
- 2 subclasses: α1 and α2 heavy chains.
- 10% of normal serum
- it is mainly monomeric in normal serum
- Mr 160,000
- Predominant Ig in secretions eg
saliva and colostrum and in the gut
where it is present as a dimer (of
two Ig monomers, one J chain and
one secretory component
polypeptide.
- also found in the lungs, eyes and on our skin.
- Secretory component wrapped
around the molecule to protect
against digestion.
- J chain links and holds the chains together
- IgD
- δ heavy chain
- Very low levels in serum
(at least 1000 fold lower
than IgG
- Basic monomer structure
- Mr 175-185,000
- often co-expressed with IgM
- Acts in signal
transduction
following
antigen binding
leading to B cell
proliferation
- IgE
- ε heavy chain
- Lowest serum concentrations
of any immunoglobulin 0.0003
mg/ml
- Basic monomer structure
- Mr 190,000
- However heavy chain consists of 5 domains
- Binds to Fc receptors (specific to IgE) on mast cells and
basophils. Contact with antigens subsequently leads to the
release of pro-inflammatory agents
- Major player in allergy responses and worm infections
- Basic Structure
- Y shaped molecule
- 2 identical light chains either λ
or K (never one of each) ~ 220AA
- Two identical heavy chains ~ 450AA
Anmerkungen:
- Covalent and non covalent forces hold it together
- There are two identical antigen binding sites (labelled Ag in the picture).
- will bind to
exactly the same
antigen (specific)
- How did
immunologists
first study this
molecule?
- Broke down the
structure into its
functional parts.
- Cleaving using...
- PAPAIN
- Cleaves polypeptide to the left of the disulphide bond
(this bond holds the two heavy chains together). Splits
the antibody into two fragments, Fab and Fc.
- PEPSIN
- Cleaves polypeptide to the right of the disulphide bond, antibody arms still
bound together which is called F(ab')2 fragment and has the Fc fragment left
over. The Fc fragment is the carboxy half and is called the Fc region because it
is crystallisable.
- Where are they different?
- there are 3 regions of variability and these
are called HVR. They are positioned at 30,
50 and 90 AA
- The CDR makes up the shape of the antigen binding site
- The FDR holds the domains together.
- β regions are the FDRs.
At the ends of these are
the CDRs. There are 3
CDRs in the light chain
and three in the heavy
chain.
- They need to have the correct forces in order to have high affinity
- Not all antibodies of different species have two binding sites.