BRAINCAKEAntibody Structure
Antibodies are small, soluble Y-shaped proteins made up four polypeptide chains. They are called immunoglobulins (Ig) and there are various types. The most common is IgG.
There are a pair of shorter polypeptides known as light chains and a pair of longer polypeptide chains known as heavy chains.
The chains are linked together by disulfide bridges.
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Key terms in this lesson
- disulfide bridge
- A strong covalent bond formed between two sulfhydryl (-SH) groups of cysteine residues in a polypeptide.
- pathogen
- A microorganism, such as a virus, bacterium, fungus or protoctist, that causes disease.
- antigen
- A protein or glycoprotein, usually on a cell surface, that is recognised as foreign by the immune system and triggers an immune response.
- B-lymphocyte
- A type of white blood cell, matured in the bone marrow, responsible for the humoral immune response and antibody production.
More in Cell Recognition and the Immune System
- Cell-Mediated Immunity
- Cytotoxic T-cells
- Humoral Immunity
- Primary and Secondary Immune Response
- Antibody Function
- Monoclonal Antibodies
- Drug Delivery and Therapy
- Medical Diagnosis
All 30 lessons in Cell Recognition and the Immune System · All AQA AS-level Biology topics