![]() ![]() ![]() While still at the B-cell progenitor stage in the bone marrow, B cells randomly rearrange their variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) genes to form the blueprint for the variable regions of their antibodies. Diversity in the specificity of antibodies is initially generated at the earliest stages of B-cell development. what the antibody recognises, is determined by the shape of its variable region ( Figure 1) a particular antibody will bind to a protein that has a region with a complementary structure to the antibody’s own variable region. The specificity of a particular antibody, i.e. The variable regions are responsible for binding of a specific protein called an antigen. Both the heavy chain and the light chain comprise a variable and a constant region. Figure 1. Schematic diagram of an antibody molecule composed of two heavy chains and two light chains. Given that each B cell can only produce antibody with one specificity, and that there are an enormous variety of organisms that can infect us, the immune system needs to generate vast numbers of B cells that each produce a different antibody. The binding of specific antibody to its target can prevent viruses from entering cells or aid phagocytes in identifying and destroying the bacteria or viruses. One of the major roles that B cells play in an immune response is the production of antibodies, that specifically recognise and bind to proteins on the invading bacteria or virus particles. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |