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95-405: 16069 ENSG00000132465 ENSMUSG00000067149 P01591 P01592 NM_144646 NM_152839 NP_653247 NP_690052 The Joining (J) chain is a protein component that links monomers of antibodies IgM and IgA to form polymeric antibodies capable of secretion. The J chain is well conserved in the animal kingdom , but its specific functions are yet to be fully understood. It
190-429: A paraprotein . Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is a plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by the secretion of a myeloma protein into the blood and may lead to multiple myeloma. Common variable immunodeficiency is thought to be due to a problem in the differentiation from lymphocytes to plasma cells. The result is a low serum antibody level and risk of infections. Primary amyloidosis (AL)
285-472: A "sandwich" shape, the immunoglobulin fold , held together by a disulfide bond. Secreted antibodies can occur as a single Y-shaped unit, a monomer . However, some antibody classes also form dimers with two Ig units (as with IgA), tetramers with four Ig units (like teleost fish IgM), or pentamers with five Ig units (like shark IgW or mammalian IgM, which occasionally forms hexamers as well, with six units). IgG can also form hexamers, though no J chain
380-523: A B cell changes during cell development and activation. Immature B cells, which have never been exposed to an antigen, express only the IgM isotype in a cell surface bound form. The B lymphocyte, in this ready-to-respond form, is known as a " naive B lymphocyte ." The naive B lymphocyte expresses both surface IgM and IgD. The co-expression of both of these immunoglobulin isotypes renders the B cell ready to respond to antigen. B cell activation follows engagement of
475-399: A B cell that does not require the involvement of a T cell) can happen anywhere in the body and results in short-lived cells that secrete IgM antibodies. The T cell-dependent processes are subdivided into primary and secondary responses: a primary response (meaning that the T cell is present at the time of initial contact by the B cell with the antigen) produces short-lived cells that remain in
570-600: A Y shape. In humans and most other mammals , an antibody unit consists of four polypeptide chains ; two identical heavy chains and two identical light chains connected by disulfide bonds . Each chain is a series of domains : somewhat similar sequences of about 110 amino acids each. These domains are usually represented in simplified schematics as rectangles. Light chains consist of one variable domain V L and one constant domain C L , while heavy chains contain one variable domain V H and three to four constant domains C H 1, C H 2, ... Structurally an antibody
665-405: A deficiency in complement activation, suggesting additional in vivo regulatory mechanisms. Another consequence of pentameric IgM reduced complement activation is its allowance of J chain positive pIgM to bind antigen without causing excessive damage to epithelial membranes through complement activation. The J chain facilitates IgA dimerization by linking two monomer secretory tails. Structurally,
760-441: A distinct epitope of an antigen. Although a huge repertoire of different antibodies is generated in a single individual, the number of genes available to make these proteins is limited by the size of the human genome. Several complex genetic mechanisms have evolved that allow vertebrate B cells to generate a diverse pool of antibodies from a relatively small number of antibody genes. The chromosomal region that encodes an antibody
855-542: A given microbe – that is, the ability of the microbe to enter the body and begin to replicate (not necessarily to cause disease) – depends on sustained production of large quantities of antibodies, meaning that effective vaccines ideally elicit persistent high levels of antibody, which relies on long-lived plasma cells. At the same time, many microbes of medical importance have the ability to mutate to escape antibodies elicited by prior infections, and long-lived plasma cells cannot undergo affinity maturation or class switching. This
950-408: A huge number of antibodies, each with different paratopes , and thus different antigen specificities. The rearrangement of several subgenes (i.e. V2 family) for lambda light chain immunoglobulin is coupled with the activation of microRNA miR-650, which further influences biology of B-cells. RAG proteins play an important role with V(D)J recombination in cutting DNA at a particular region. Without
1045-417: A loss of the conserved cysteine residues that link the J chain and Ig secretory tail. Sharks do not express IgA and thus use J chain expression solely for the polymerization of IgM. This makes sharks an intriguing model organism in studying J chain regulation and polymerization without the confounding variables of mucosal secretion. Antibodies An antibody ( Ab ) or immunoglobulin ( Ig )
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#17328025676381140-440: A manifestation of immunological memory. In the course of an immune response, B cells can progressively differentiate into antibody-secreting cells or into memory B cells. Antibody-secreting cells comprise plasmablasts and plasma cells , which differ mainly in the degree to which they secrete antibody, their lifespan, metabolic adaptations, and surface markers. Plasmablasts are rapidly proliferating, short-lived cells produced in
1235-400: A mast cell, triggering its degranulation : the release of molecules stored in its granules. Binds to allergens and triggers histamine release from mast cells and basophils , and is involved in allergy . Humans and other animals evolved IgE to protect against parasitic worms , though in the present, IgE is primarily related to allergies and asthma. Although The antibody isotype of
1330-434: A mature, fully differentiated plasma cell. Differentiation of mature B cells into plasma cells is dependent upon the transcription factors Blimp-1 / PRDM1 , BCL6 , and IRF4 . Unlike their precursors, plasma cells cannot switch antibody classes , cannot act as antigen-presenting cells because they no longer display MHC-II, and do not take up antigen because they no longer display significant quantities of immunoglobulin on
1425-444: A part of a virus that is essential for its invasion). More narrowly, an antibody ( Ab ) can refer to the free (secreted) form of these proteins, as opposed to the membrane-bound form found in a B cell receptor. The term immunoglobulin can then refer to both forms. Since they are, broadly speaking, the same protein, the terms are often treated as synonymous. To allow the immune system to recognize millions of different antigens,
1520-458: A plasma cell), these antibodies frequently have a very high affinity for their antigen. Plasma cells can only produce a single kind of antibody in a single class of immunoglobulin. In other words, every B cell is specific to a single antigen, but each cell can produce several thousand matching antibodies per second. This prolific production of antibodies is an integral part of the humoral immune response . The current findings suggest that after
1615-442: A role in the survival of LLPC. LLPC can also be found, to a lesser degree, in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), where they produce IgA antibodies and contribute to mucosal immunity. Recent findings suggest that plasma cells in the gut do not necessarily need to be generated de novo from active B cells but there are also long-lived PC, suggesting the existence of a similar survival niche. Tissue specific niches that allow for
1710-462: A secondary immune response, undergoing class switching, affinity maturation, and differentiating into antibody-secreting cells. Antibodies are central to the immune protection elicited by most vaccines and infections (although other components of the immune system certainly participate and for some diseases are considerably more important than antibodies in generating an immune response, e.g. herpes zoster ). Durable protection from infections caused by
1805-432: A specific antigen is present in the body and triggers B cell activation. The BCR is composed of surface-bound IgD or IgM antibodies and associated Ig-α and Ig-β heterodimers , which are capable of signal transduction . A typical human B cell will have 50,000 to 100,000 antibodies bound to its surface. Upon antigen binding, they cluster in large patches, which can exceed 1 micrometer in diameter, on lipid rafts that isolate
1900-564: A specific environment in the bone marrow, the plasma cell survival niche. Removal of an LLPC from its survival niche results in its rapid death. A survival niche can only support limited number of LLPC, thus the niche's environment must protect its LLPC cells but be able to accept new arrivals. The plasma cell survival niche is defined by a combination of cellular and molecular factors and though it has yet to be properly defined, molecules such as IL-5 , IL-6 , TNF-α , stromal cell-derived factor-1α and signalling via CD44 have been shown to play
1995-429: A strong survival signal during interactions with other cells, whereas those with low affinity antibodies will not, and will die by apoptosis . Thus, B cells expressing antibodies with a higher affinity for the antigen will outcompete those with weaker affinities for function and survival allowing the average affinity of antibodies to increase over time. The process of generating antibodies with increased binding affinities
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#17328025676382090-473: A well-developed Golgi apparatus makes plasma cells well-suited for secreting immunoglobulins. Other organelles in a plasma cell include ribosomes, lysosomes, mitochondria, and the plasma membrane. Terminally differentiated plasma cells express relatively few surface antigens, and do not express common pan-B cell markers, such as CD19 and CD20 . Instead, plasma cells are identified through flow cytometry by their additional expression of CD138 , CD78 , and
2185-539: Is a 137 residue polypeptide, encoded by the IGJ gene . The J chain is a glycoprotein of molecular weight 15 kDa. Its secondary structure remains undetermined but is believed to adopt either a single β-barrel or two-domain folded structure with standard immunoglobulin domains. The J chain's primary structure is unusually acidic having a high content of negatively charged amino acids. It has 8 cysteine residues, 6 of which are involved in intramolecular disulfide bonds while
2280-437: Is a large, Y-shaped protein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily which is used by the immune system to identify and neutralize antigens such as bacteria and viruses , including those that cause disease. Antibodies can recognize virtually any size antigen with diverse chemical compositions from molecules. Each antibody recognizes one or more specific antigens . Antigen literally means "antibody generator", as it
2375-522: Is also partitioned into two antigen-binding fragments (Fab), containing one V L , V H , C L , and C H 1 domain each, as well as the crystallisable fragment (Fc), forming the trunk of the Y shape. In between them is a hinge region of the heavy chains, whose flexibility allows antibodies to bind to pairs of epitopes at various distances, to form complexes ( dimers , trimers, etc.), and to bind effector molecules more easily. In an electrophoresis test of blood proteins , antibodies mostly migrate to
2470-459: Is believed to occur in the early stages of lymphoid cell differentiation as it is expressed in both B and T cell precursors. As cells develop, it seems that expression of the μ-chain becomes necessary for J chain synthesis. The J chain gene is transcriptionally regulated through canonical Pax5 repression. As Pax5 is a common transcriptional regulator, the J chain is still expressed in plasma cells that secrete monomeric antibodies. In such cells it
2565-429: Is believed to provide no function and is quickly degraded. In plasma cells that secrete monomeric IgA, a Pax5-independent mechanism is likely to prevent IgA dimerization. The J chain is likely to have evolutionarily arisen in early jaw-boned vertebrates. Groups of bony fish including teleosts have since lost J chain expression. Xenopus are able to polymerize mucosal IgX in the absence of J chain, perhaps due to
2660-453: Is broken by the activity of a series of enzymes at two selected S-regions. The variable domain exon is rejoined through a process called non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) to the desired constant region (γ, α or ε). This process results in an immunoglobulin gene that encodes an antibody of a different isotype. Plasma cell Plasma cells , also called plasma B cells or effector B cells , are white blood cells that originate in
2755-415: Is called affinity maturation . Affinity maturation occurs in mature B cells after V(D)J recombination, and is dependent on help from helper T cells . Isotype or class switching is a biological process occurring after activation of the B cell, which allows the cell to produce different classes of antibody (IgA, IgE, or IgG). The different classes of antibody, and thus effector functions, are defined by
2850-448: Is closer to human IgG2 than human IgG1 in terms of its function. The term humoral immunity is often treated as synonymous with the antibody response, describing the function of the immune system that exists in the body's humors (fluids) in the form of soluble proteins, as distinct from cell-mediated immunity , which generally describes the responses of T cells (especially cytotoxic T cells). In general, antibodies are considered part of
2945-544: Is compensated for through memory B cells: novel variants of a microbe that still retain structural features of previously encountered antigens can elicit memory B cell responses that adapt to those changes. It has been suggested that long-lived plasma cells secrete B cell receptors with higher affinity than those on the surfaces of memory B cells, but findings are not entirely consistent on this point. Antibodies are heavy (~150 k Da ) proteins of about 10 nm in size, arranged in three globular regions that roughly form
J chain - Misplaced Pages Continue
3040-419: Is facilitated by the polymeric Ig receptor (pIgR). A basal protein of the pIgR known as secretory component (SC) recognizes Ig ready for secretion. The binding between the secretory component and secretory Ig is facilitated by the antibody's J chain which makes physical contact with the secretory component in order to change the transporter's conformation to an open state. The complex is then transcytosed and
3135-507: Is large and contains several distinct gene loci for each domain of the antibody—the chromosome region containing heavy chain genes ( IGH@ ) is found on chromosome 14 , and the loci containing lambda and kappa light chain genes ( IGL@ and IGK@ ) are found on chromosomes 22 and 2 in humans. One of these domains is called the variable domain, which is present in each heavy and light chain of every antibody, but can differ in different antibodies generated from distinct B cells. Differences between
3230-458: Is present, ensuring that antibody levels to the antigen in question do not fall to 0, provided the plasma cell stays alive. The rate of antibody secretion, however, can be regulated, for example, by the presence of adjuvant molecules that stimulate the immune response such as TLR ligands. Long-lived plasma cells can live for potentially the entire lifetime of the organism. Classically, the survival niches that house long-lived plasma cells reside in
3325-430: Is required. IgA tetramers and pentamers have also been reported. Antibodies also form complexes by binding to antigen: this is called an antigen-antibody complex or immune complex . Small antigens can cross-link two antibodies, also leading to the formation of antibody dimers, trimers, tetramers, etc. Multivalent antigens (e.g., cells with multiple epitopes) can form larger complexes with antibodies. An extreme example
3420-625: Is reversible, and the antibody's affinity towards an antigen is relative rather than absolute. Relatively weak binding also means it is possible for an antibody to cross-react with different antigens of different relative affinities. The main categories of antibody action include the following: More indirectly, an antibody can signal immune cells to present antibody fragments to T cells , or downregulate other immune cells to avoid autoimmunity . Activated B cells differentiate into either antibody-producing cells called plasma cells that secrete soluble antibody or memory cells that survive in
3515-410: Is the clumping, or agglutination , of red blood cells with antibodies in blood typing to determine blood groups : the large clumps become insoluble, leading to visually apparent precipitation . The membrane-bound form of an antibody may be called a surface immunoglobulin (sIg) or a membrane immunoglobulin (mIg). It is part of the B cell receptor (BCR), which allows a B cell to detect when
3610-463: Is the presence of an antigen that drives the formation of an antigen-specific antibody. Each tip of the "Y" of an antibody contains a paratope that specifically binds to one particular epitope on an antigen, allowing the two molecules to bind together with precision. Using this mechanism, antibodies can effectively "tag" a microbe or an infected cell for attack by other parts of the immune system, or can neutralize it directly (for example, by blocking
3705-529: Is thought to be, in part, the result of natural antibodies circulating in the serum of the recipient binding to α-Gal antigens expressed on the donor tissue. Virtually all microbes can trigger an antibody response. Successful recognition and eradication of many different types of microbes requires diversity among antibodies; their amino acid composition varies allowing them to interact with many different antigens. It has been estimated that humans generate about 10 billion different antibodies, each capable of binding
3800-443: Is traditionally associated with mucosal sites, some plasma cells in bone marrow also produce IgA. LLPC in bone marrow have been observed producing IgM . Plasmacytoma , multiple myeloma , Waldenström macroglobulinemia , heavy chain disease , and plasma cell leukemia are cancers of the plasma cells. Multiple myeloma is frequently identified because malignant plasma cells continue producing an antibody, which can be detected as
3895-454: Is triggered by cytokines; the isotype generated depends on which cytokines are present in the B cell environment. Class switching occurs in the heavy chain gene locus by a mechanism called class switch recombination (CSR). This mechanism relies on conserved nucleotide motifs, called switch (S) regions , found in DNA upstream of each constant region gene (except in the δ-chain). The DNA strand
J chain - Misplaced Pages Continue
3990-548: The Interleukin-6 receptor . In humans, CD27 is a good marker for plasma cells; naïve B cells are CD27−, memory B-cells are CD27+ and plasma cells are CD27++. The surface antigen CD138 (syndecan-1) is expressed at high levels. Another important surface antigen is CD319 (SLAMF7). This antigen is expressed at high levels on normal human plasma cells. It is also expressed on malignant plasma cells in multiple myeloma. Compared with CD138, which disappears rapidly ex vivo,
4085-416: The adaptive immune system , though this classification can become complicated. For example, natural IgM, which are made by B-1 lineage cells that have properties more similar to innate immune cells than adaptive, refers to IgM antibodies made independently of an immune response that demonstrate polyreactivity- they recognize multiple distinct (unrelated) antigens. These can work with the complement system in
4180-736: The iota (ι) chain, are found in other vertebrates like sharks ( Chondrichthyes ) and bony fishes ( Teleostei ). In most placental mammals , the structure of antibodies is generally the same. Jawed fish appear to be the most primitive animals that are able to make antibodies similar to those of mammals, although many features of their adaptive immunity appeared somewhat earlier. Cartilaginous fish (such as sharks) produce heavy-chain-only antibodies (i.e., lacking light chains) which moreover feature longer chain pentamers (with five constant units per molecule). Camelids (such as camels, llamas, alpacas) are also notable for producing heavy-chain-only antibodies. The antibody's paratope interacts with
4275-475: The lymphoid organs as B cells and secrete large quantities of proteins called antibodies in response to being presented specific substances called antigens . These antibodies are transported from the plasma cells by the blood plasma and the lymphatic system to the site of the target antigen (foreign substance), where they initiate its neutralization or destruction. B cells differentiate into plasma cells that produce antibody molecules closely modeled after
4370-451: The spleen and lymph nodes , the activated B cell begins to differentiate into more specialized cells. Germinal center B cells may differentiate into memory B cells or plasma cells. Most of these B cells will become plasmablasts (or "immature plasma cells"), and eventually plasma cells, and begin producing large volumes of antibodies. Some B cells will undergo a process known as affinity maturation . This process favors, by selection for
4465-437: The "classical" complement system. This results in the killing of bacteria in two ways. First, the binding of the antibody and complement molecules marks the microbe for ingestion by phagocytes in a process called opsonization ; these phagocytes are attracted by certain complement molecules generated in the complement cascade. Second, some complement system components form a membrane attack complex to assist antibodies to kill
4560-614: The BCRs from most other cell signaling receptors. These patches may improve the efficiency of the cellular immune response . In humans, the cell surface is bare around the B cell receptors for several hundred nanometers, which further isolates the BCRs from competing influences. Antibodies can come in different varieties known as isotypes or classes . In humans there are five antibody classes known as IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, and IgM, which are further subdivided into subclasses such as IgA1, IgA2. The prefix "Ig" stands for immunoglobulin , while
4655-513: The F V region. It is the subregion of Fab that binds to an antigen. More specifically, each variable domain contains three hypervariable regions – the amino acids seen there vary the most from antibody to antibody. When the protein folds, these regions give rise to three loops of β-strands , localized near one another on the surface of the antibody. These loops are referred to as the complementarity-determining regions (CDRs), since their shape complements that of an antigen. Three CDRs from each of
4750-458: The Fc region and influence interactions with effector molecules. The N-terminus of each chain is situated at the tip. Each immunoglobulin domain has a similar structure, characteristic of all the members of the immunoglobulin superfamily : it is composed of between 7 (for constant domains) and 9 (for variable domains) β-strands , forming two beta sheets in a Greek key motif . The sheets create
4845-489: The Fc region of an antibody, while the complement system is activated by binding the C1q protein complex. IgG or IgM can bind to C1q, but IgA cannot, therefore IgA does not activate the classical complement pathway . Another role of the Fc region is to selectively distribute different antibody classes across the body. In particular, the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) binds to the Fc region of IgG antibodies to transport it across
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#17328025676384940-444: The J chain joins two antibody monomers asymmetrically by forming intermolecular disulfide bonds and bringing hydrophobic β-sandwiches on each molecule together. This multimerization mechanism involves chaperone proteins including binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP) and MZB1 each sequentially recruiting distinct factors of the polymerized antibody. Mucosal membrane antibody secretion from the basal membrane to apical epithelial cells
5035-489: The MHC II-antigen molecule and cause activation of the B cell. This is a type of safeguard to the system, similar to a two-factor authentication method. First, the B cells must encounter a foreign antigen and are then required to be activated by T helper cells before they differentiate into specific cells. Upon stimulation by a T cell, which usually occurs in germinal centers of secondary lymphoid organs such as
5130-491: The V, D and J gene segments exist, and are tandemly arranged in the genomes of mammals . In the bone marrow, each developing B cell will assemble an immunoglobulin variable region by randomly selecting and combining one V, one D and one J gene segment (or one V and one J segment in the light chain). As there are multiple copies of each type of gene segment, and different combinations of gene segments can be used to generate each immunoglobulin variable region, this process generates
5225-533: The ability to bind antigen with higher affinity, the activation and growth of B cell clones able to secrete antibodies of higher affinity for the antigen. The most immature blood cell that is considered of plasma cell lineage is the plasmablast. Plasmablasts secrete more antibodies than B cells, but less than plasma cells. They divide rapidly and are still capable of internalizing antigens and presenting them to T cells. A cell may stay in this state for several days, and then either die or irrevocably differentiate into
5320-450: The adaptive immune system is regulated by interactions between idiotypes. The Fc region (the trunk of the Y shape) is composed of constant domains from the heavy chains. Its role is in modulating immune cell activity: it is where effector molecules bind to, triggering various effects after the antibody Fab region binds to an antigen. Effector cells (such as macrophages or natural killer cells ) bind via their Fc receptors (FcR) to
5415-410: The antibody (also known as effector functions), in addition to some other structural features. Antibodies from different classes also differ in where they are released in the body and at what stage of an immune response. Between species, while classes and subclasses of antibodies may be shared (at least in name), their functions and distribution throughout the body may be different. For example, mouse IgG1
5510-686: The antibody generates a large cavalry of antibodies with a high degree of variability. This combination is called V(D)J recombination discussed below. Somatic recombination of immunoglobulins, also known as V(D)J recombination , involves the generation of a unique immunoglobulin variable region. The variable region of each immunoglobulin heavy or light chain is encoded in several pieces—known as gene segments (subgenes). These segments are called variable (V), diversity (D) and joining (J) segments. V, D and J segments are found in Ig heavy chains , but only V and J segments are found in Ig light chains . Multiple copies of
5605-562: The antigen's epitope. An antigen usually contains different epitopes along its surface arranged discontinuously, and dominant epitopes on a given antigen are called determinants. Antibody and antigen interact by spatial complementarity (lock and key). The molecular forces involved in the Fab-epitope interaction are weak and non-specific – for example electrostatic forces , hydrogen bonds , hydrophobic interactions , and van der Waals forces . This means binding between antibody and antigen
5700-421: The antigen-binding sites at both tips of the antibody come in an equally wide variety. The rest of the antibody structure is much less variable; in humans, antibodies occur in five classes , sometimes called isotypes : IgA , IgD , IgE , IgG , and IgM . Human IgG and IgA antibodies are also divided into discrete subclasses (IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4; IgA1 and IgA2). The class refers to the functions triggered by
5795-401: The bacterium directly (bacteriolysis). To combat pathogens that replicate outside cells, antibodies bind to pathogens to link them together, causing them to agglutinate . Since an antibody has at least two paratopes, it can bind more than one antigen by binding identical epitopes carried on the surfaces of these antigens. By coating the pathogen, antibodies stimulate effector functions against
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#17328025676385890-434: The bloodstream, they are said to be part of the humoral immune system . Circulating antibodies are produced by clonal B cells that specifically respond to only one antigen (an example is a virus capsid protein fragment). Antibodies contribute to immunity in three ways: They prevent pathogens from entering or damaging cells by binding to them; they stimulate removal of pathogens by macrophages and other cells by coating
5985-424: The body for years afterward in order to allow the immune system to remember an antigen and respond faster upon future exposures. At the prenatal and neonatal stages of life, the presence of antibodies is provided by passive immunization from the mother. Early endogenous antibody production varies for different kinds of antibodies, and usually appear within the first years of life. Since antibodies exist freely in
6080-477: The bone marrow, though it cannot be assumed that any given plasma cell in the bone marrow will be long-lived. However, other work indicates that survival niches can readily be established within the mucosal tissues- though the classes of antibodies involved show a different hierarchy from those in the bone marrow. B cells can also differentiate into memory B cells which can persist for decades similarly to long-lived plasma cells. These cells can be rapidly recalled in
6175-430: The cell surface. However, continued exposure to antigen through those low levels of immunoglobulin is important, as it partly determines the cell's lifespan. The lifespan, class of antibodies produced, and the location that the plasma cell moves to also depends on signals, such as cytokines , received from the T cell during differentiation. Differentiation through a T cell-independent antigen stimulation (stimulation of
6270-430: The cell-bound antibody molecule with an antigen, causing the cell to divide and differentiate into an antibody-producing cell called a plasma cell . In this activated form, the B cell starts to produce antibody in a secreted form rather than a membrane -bound form. Some daughter cells of the activated B cells undergo isotype switching , a mechanism that causes the production of antibodies to change from IgM or IgD to
6365-423: The classical complement pathway leading to lysis of enveloped virus particles long before the adaptive immune response is activated. Antibodies are produced exclusively by B cells in response to antigens where initially, antibodies are formed as membrane-bound receptors, but upon activation by antigens and helper T cells, B cells differentiate to produce soluble antibodies. Many natural antibodies are directed against
6460-403: The constant (C) regions of the immunoglobulin heavy chain. Initially, naive B cells express only cell-surface IgM and IgD with identical antigen binding regions. Each isotype is adapted for a distinct function; therefore, after activation, an antibody with an IgG, IgA, or IgE effector function might be required to effectively eliminate an antigen. Class switching allows different daughter cells from
6555-476: The depletion of B cells does not appear to have an effect on the production of high-affinity antibodies by the LLPC. Prolonged depletion of B cells (with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody treatment that affects B cells but not PC) also did not affect antibody titres. LLPC secrete high levels of IgG independently of B cells. LLPC in bone marrow are the main source of circulating IgG in humans. Even though IgA production
6650-410: The disaccharide galactose α(1,3)-galactose (α-Gal), which is found as a terminal sugar on glycosylated cell surface proteins, and generated in response to production of this sugar by bacteria contained in the human gut. These antibodies undergo quality checks in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which contains proteins that assist in proper folding and assembly. Rejection of xenotransplantated organs
6745-414: The diversity of the antibody pool and impacts the antibody's antigen-binding affinity . Some point mutations will result in the production of antibodies that have a weaker interaction (low affinity) with their antigen than the original antibody, and some mutations will generate antibodies with a stronger interaction (high affinity). B cells that express high affinity antibodies on their surface will receive
6840-583: The earliest phases of an immune response to help facilitate clearance of the offending antigen and delivery of the resulting immune complexes to the lymph nodes or spleen for initiation of an immune response. Hence in this capacity, the function of antibodies is more akin to that of innate immunity than adaptive. Nonetheless, in general antibodies are regarded as part of the adaptive immune system because they demonstrate exceptional specificity (with some exception), are produced through genetic rearrangements (rather than being encoded directly in germline ), and are
6935-602: The early phases of the immune response (classically described as arising extrafollicularly rather than from the germinal center ) which have the potential to differentiate further into plasma cells. The literature is sloppy at times and often describes plasmablasts as just short-lived plasma cells- formally this is incorrect. Plasma cells, in contrast, do not divide (they are terminally differentiated ), and rely on survival niches comprising specific cell types and cytokines to persist. Plasma cells will secrete huge quantities of antibody regardless of whether or not their cognate antigen
7030-489: The expression of CD319 is considerably more stable. After leaving the bone marrow, the B cell acts as an antigen-presenting cell (APC) and internalizes offending antigens, which are taken up by the B cell through receptor-mediated endocytosis and processed. Pieces of the antigen (which are now known as antigenic peptides ) are loaded onto MHC II molecules, and presented on its extracellular surface to CD4+ T cells (sometimes called T helper cells ). These T cells bind to
7125-403: The extramedullary regions of lymph nodes; a secondary response produces longer-lived cells that produce IgG and IgA, and frequently travel to the bone marrow. For example, plasma cells will likely secrete IgG3 antibodies if they matured in the presence of the cytokine interferon-gamma . Since B cell maturation also involves somatic hypermutation (a process completed before differentiation into
7220-632: The formation of a pentameric IgM and an IgA dimer. IgM pentamers are most commonly found with a single J chain, but some studies have seen as many as 4 J chains associated to a single IgM pentamer. The J chain is incorporated late in the formation of IgM polymers and thermodynamically favors the formation of pentamers as opposed to hexamers. In J chain-knockout (KO) mice, the hexameric IgM polymer dominates. These J chain negative IgM hexamers are 15-20 times more effective at activating complement than J chain positive IgM pentamers. However, J chain-KO mice have been shown have low concentrations of hexameric IgM and
7315-414: The genes encoding the variable domains of the heavy and light chains undergo a high rate of point mutation , by a process called somatic hypermutation (SHM). SHM results in approximately one nucleotide change per variable gene, per cell division. As a consequence, any daughter B cells will acquire slight amino acid differences in the variable domains of their antibody chains. This serves to increase
7410-846: The heavy and light chains together form an antibody-binding site whose shape can be anything from a pocket to which a smaller antigen binds, to a larger surface, to a protrusion that sticks out into a groove in an antigen. Typically though, only a few residues contribute to most of the binding energy. The existence of two identical antibody-binding sites allows antibody molecules to bind strongly to multivalent antigen (repeating sites such as polysaccharides in bacterial cell walls , or other sites at some distance apart), as well as to form antibody complexes and larger antigen-antibody complexes . The structures of CDRs have been clustered and classified by Chothia et al. and more recently by North et al. and Nikoloudis et al. However, describing an antibody's binding site using only one single static structure limits
7505-769: The invading microbe. The activation of natural killer cells by antibodies initiates a cytotoxic mechanism known as antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) – this process may explain the efficacy of monoclonal antibodies used in biological therapies against cancer . The Fc receptors are isotype-specific, which gives greater flexibility to the immune system, invoking only the appropriate immune mechanisms for distinct pathogens. Humans and higher primates also produce "natural antibodies" that are present in serum before viral infection. Natural antibodies have been defined as antibodies that are produced without any previous infection, vaccination , other foreign antigen exposure or passive immunization . These antibodies can activate
7600-462: The last, gamma globulin fraction. Conversely, most gamma-globulins are antibodies, which is why the two terms were historically used as synonyms, as were the symbols Ig and γ . This variant terminology fell out of use due to the correspondence being inexact and due to confusion with γ (gamma) heavy chains which characterize the IgG class of antibodies. The variable domains can also be referred to as
7695-557: The other antibody isotypes, IgE, IgA, or IgG, that have defined roles in the immune system. In mammals there are two types of immunoglobulin light chain , which are called lambda (λ) and kappa (κ). However, there is no known functional difference between them, and both can occur with any of the five major types of heavy chains. Each antibody contains two identical light chains: both κ or both λ. Proportions of κ and λ types vary by species and can be used to detect abnormal proliferation of B cell clones. Other types of light chains, such as
7790-587: The pathogen in cells that recognize their Fc region. Those cells that recognize coated pathogens have Fc receptors, which, as the name suggests, interact with the Fc region of IgA, IgG, and IgE antibodies. The engagement of a particular antibody with the Fc receptor on a particular cell triggers an effector function of that cell; phagocytes will phagocytose , mast cells and neutrophils will degranulate , natural killer cells will release cytokines and cytotoxic molecules; that will ultimately result in destruction of
7885-455: The pathogen; and they trigger destruction of pathogens by stimulating other immune responses such as the complement pathway . Antibodies will also trigger vasoactive amine degranulation to contribute to immunity against certain types of antigens (helminths, allergens). Antibodies that bind to surface antigens (for example, on bacteria) will attract the first component of the complement cascade with their Fc region and initiate activation of
7980-603: The placenta, from the mother to the fetus. In addition to this, binding to FcRn endows IgG with an exceptionally long half-life relative to other plasma proteins of 3-4 weeks. IgG3 in most cases (depending on allotype) has mutations at the FcRn binding site which lower affinity for FcRn, which are thought to have evolved to limit the highly inflammatory effects of this subclass. Antibodies are glycoproteins , that is, they have carbohydrates (glycans) added to conserved amino acid residues. These conserved glycosylation sites occur in
8075-437: The presence of these proteins, V(D)J recombination would not occur. After a B cell produces a functional immunoglobulin gene during V(D)J recombination, it cannot express any other variable region (a process known as allelic exclusion ) thus each B cell can produce antibodies containing only one kind of variable chain. Following activation with antigen, B cells begin to proliferate rapidly. In these rapidly dividing cells,
8170-607: The process of affinity maturation in germinal centers, plasma cells develop into one of two types of cells: short-lived plasma cells (SLPC) or long-lived plasma cells (LLPC). LLPC mainly reside in the bone marrow for a long period of time and secrete antibodies, thus providing long-term protection. LLPC can maintain antibody production for decades or even for the lifetime of an individual, and, unlike B cells, LLPC do not need antigen restimulation to generate antibodies. Human LLPC population can be identified as CD19 CD38 CD138 cells. The long-term survival of LLPC are dependent on
8265-480: The receptors of the precursor B cell. Plasma cells are large lymphocytes with abundant cytoplasm and a characteristic appearance on light microscopy . They have basophilic cytoplasm and an eccentric nucleus with heterochromatin in a characteristic cartwheel or clock face arrangement. Their cytoplasm also contains a pale zone that on electron microscopy contains an extensive Golgi apparatus and centrioles . Abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum combined with
8360-445: The remaining two function to bind the Fc tailpiece regions of IgA or IgM antibodies, the α chain and μ chain respectively. An N-linked carbohydrate resulting from N-glycosylation is also essential in the protein's incorporation to antibody polymers. There is no known protein family with significant homology to the J chain. The J chain regulates the multimerization of IgM and IgA in mammals. When expressed in cells, it favors
8455-437: The same activated B cell to produce antibodies of different isotypes. Only the constant region of the antibody heavy chain changes during class switching; the variable regions, and therefore antigen specificity, remain unchanged. Thus the progeny of a single B cell can produce antibodies, all specific for the same antigen, but with the ability to produce the effector function appropriate for each antigenic challenge. Class switching
8550-478: The secretory component proteolytically cleaved from the receptor releasing the antibody to the apical side of the epithelial cell and to the lumen at large. This mechanism is thought to be largely conserved between the secretion of IgM and IgA. J chain was originally believed to only be expressed in antibody-secreting plasma cells , however, the J chain has been seen to be expressed in earlier stages of B cell differentiation prior to Ig expression. J chain expression
8645-444: The suffix denotes the type of heavy chain the antibody contains: the heavy chain types α (alpha), γ (gamma), δ (delta), ε (epsilon), μ (mu) give rise to IgA, IgG, IgD, IgE, IgM, respectively. The distinctive features of each class are determined by the part of the heavy chain within the hinge and Fc region. The classes differ in their biological properties, functional locations and ability to deal with different antigens, as depicted in
8740-456: The survival of LLPC have been also described in nasal-associated lymphoid tissues (NALT), human tonsillar lymphoid tissues and human mucosa or mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues (MALT). Originally it was thought that the continuous production of antibodies is a result of constant replenishment of short-lived plasma cells by memory B cell re-stimulation. Recent findings, however, show that some PC are truly long-lived. The absence of antigens and
8835-440: The table. For example, IgE antibodies are responsible for an allergic response consisting of histamine release from mast cells , often a sole contributor to asthma (though other pathways exist as do exist symptoms very similar to yet not technically asthma). The antibody's variable region binds to allergic antigen, for example house dust mite particles, while its Fc region (in the ε heavy chains) binds to Fc receptor ε on
8930-430: The understanding and characterization of the antibody's function and properties. To improve antibody structure prediction and to take the strongly correlated CDR loop and interface movements into account, antibody paratopes should be described as interconverting states in solution with varying probabilities. In the framework of the immune network theory , CDRs are also called idiotypes. According to immune network theory,
9025-412: The variable domains are located on three loops known as hypervariable regions (HV-1, HV-2 and HV-3) or complementarity-determining regions (CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3). CDRs are supported within the variable domains by conserved framework regions. The heavy chain locus contains about 65 different variable domain genes that all differ in their CDRs. Combining these genes with an array of genes for other domains of
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