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Other types of antibodies include those that neutralize the toxins of antigens ( antitoxins) and those that cause precipitation of antigens in a fluid medium ( precipitins). Opsonins coat the outside of bacteria, making them more attractive to phagocytes. This activity is assisted by complement, which interacts with the antigen-antibody complex in such a way that the cell ruptures and there is dissolution ( lysis) of the cell body. Those antibodies that cause bacterial cells to dissolve or liquefy are called bacteriolysins. Some cause clumping together of bacterial cells ( agglutination) and are called agglutinins.
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(Examples are the ABO antibodies anti-A, anti-B, and anti-A,B.)Īntibodies can be classified according to their mode of action as they react to and set about defending the body against foreign invaders. An antibody present in an individual without known prior exposure to the corresponding red cell antigen is termed an isoagglutinin. Fortunately, the immune response of antibody and complement can be transferred passively from one individual to another, as for example the transfer of maternal antibody across the placental barrier to the fetus, who has not yet developed a mature immune system. The developmental process of antibody production begins when stem cells are transformed into B lymphocytes this transformation usually is completed a few months after birth, at which time the lymphocytes migrate to lymphoid tissue primarily located in the lymph nodes, although they are also found in the spleen, gastrointestinal tract, and bone marrow.Īntibody production, its interaction with a specific antigen, and the activation of complement (C), an interrelated group of eleven proteins, are the major components of the humoral system of immunity.Īntibody-mediated immunity. Abbreviated Ab.Īntibodies are synthesized by the plasma cells formed when antigen-specific groups ( clones) of B lymphocytes respond to the presence of antigen. The antigen-antibody reaction begins as soon as substances interpreted as foreign invaders gain entrance into the body. This antigen-specific property of the antibody is the basis of the antigen-antibody reaction that is essential to an immune response. An immunoglobulin molecule having a specific amino acid sequence that gives each antibody the ability to adhere to and interact only with the antigen that induced its synthesis.