Fish Immunology (1+1)

Unit 8- Antibody (Immunoglobulin)

8.1. Introduction
All antibodies are proteins known as immunoglobulins. An antibody is defined as “an immunoglobulin capable of specific combination with the antigen that caused its production in a susceptible animal.” Antibodies are produced by plasma cells which are differentiated by B cells, in response to the foreign proteins, called antigens. The part of the antigen to which an antibody binds is called the epitope. The epitope is a short amino acid sequence that the antibody is able to recognize. Antibodies contain four polypeptide chains and are arranged in Y-shape.