Idiotype (immunology)
In immunology, an idiotype is the characteristic variable region of a specific antibody or a specific T cell receptor .
properties
Every antibody or every T cell receptor has a characteristic composition that determines its affinity for a particular epitope of an antigen . This binding of the epitope takes place on the variable region of an antibody or T-cell receptor. Due to its characteristic composition, the variable region in turn has different characteristic epitopes, which are referred to as idiotopes . Anti- idiotypic antibodies can be generated against these characteristic epitopes , which bind to them and competitively prevent binding of the bound antibody to its epitope . In some cases, the epitope-binding sites on an anti-idiotypic antibody are analogous to the epitope of the bound antibody. The hypothesis of the regulation of the antibody response by anti-idiotypic antibodies ( Network Hypothesis ) was put forward by Niels Jerne in 1974 .
literature
- Charles Janeway , et al .: Immunobiology . 6th ed. ISBN 0-8153-4101-6 . The 5th English edition is available online on the pages of the NCBI Bookshelf (online) .
- ES Golub: Idiotypes and the network hypothesis. In: Cell (1980), Volume 22, Issue 3, pp. 641-642. doi: 10.1016 / 0092-8674 (80) 90536-X . PMID 7460006 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Detlev Ganten, Klaus Ruckpaul: Molecular medical principles of rheumatic diseases. Springer-Verlag, 2013. ISBN 9783642558030 . Pp. 168-169.