Antibody


Antibody: An immunoglobulin, a specialized immune protein, produced because of the introduction of an antigen into the body, and which possesses the remarkable ability to combine with the very antigen that triggered its production.

The production of antibodies is a major function of the immune system and is carried out by a type of white blood cell called a B cell (B lymphocyte). Antibodies can be triggered by and directed at foreign proteins, microorganisms, or toxins. Some antibodies are autoantibodies and home in against our own tissues.

The term “antibody” dates to 1901. Prior to that time, an “antibody” referred to any of a host of different substances that served as “bodies” (foot soldiers) in the fight against infection and its ill effects.

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    Antibody cross reactivity: The ability of an antibody to react with similar antigenic sites on different proteins.

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    Antibody, antinuclear: An unusual antibody that is directed against structures within the nucleus of the cell. Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) are found in patients whose immune system is predisposed to cause inflammation against their own body tissues. Antibodies that are directed against one’s own tissues are referred to as autoantibodies. The propensity for the immune system […]

  • Antibody, antithyroglobulin

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  • Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity

    Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity: An immune response in which antibody, by coating target cells, makes them vulnerable to attack by immune cells. Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity is commonly abbreviated ADCC.

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