The very basic structure of an immunoglobulin (antibody) molecule can be demonstrated under following points: Polypeptide chains: Antibody molecules have a common structure of four polypeptide chains, having two different sizes. These are a pair of identical high molecular weight chains called Heavy chains (H-chains) and a pair of identical low molecular weight chains called Light chains (L-chains). Each light [...]
In this article we will discuss about:- 1. Meaning of Antibodies 2. Structure of Antibodies 3. Classes 4. Mechanism of Formation. Meaning of Antibodies: Antibodies, the magic bullets of the immune system, are glycoproteins formed in response to antigenic stimulation and counteract with antigens with great specificity. The antibodies are found in the serum fraction of the blood and are [...]
The following points highlight the top six applications of monoclonal antibodies. The applications are: 1. Cancer Therapy: Immuno-Toxicology 2. Bone Marrow Transplantation 3. Organ Transplantation 4. Protein Purification 5. Disease Diagnosis 6. Gene Cloning and Expression. Application # 1. Cancer Therapy: Immuno-Toxicology: Generally, most of the tumour (cancer) cells contain additional or new antigens on their surface in comparison to [...]