Antibody Structure and Function in Immunology and Cancer Research

https://www.assaygenie.com/human-fc-r...

https://www.assaygenie.com/anti-lambd...

Main Themes
Antibody Structure and Function: This article provides a comprehensive overview of antibody structure, emphasizing the roles of heavy chains, light chains, and constant regions in antigen recognition and immune response modulation.
Types of Light Chains: The article details the two types of light chains, kappa (κ) and lambda (λ), highlighting their contributions to antibody diversity and antigen binding specificity.
Tumor-Associated Antigens (TAAs): The article delves into the significance of TAAs in cancer immunology, classifying them into three types: overexpressed antigens, mutated antigens, and cancer-testis antigens. It emphasizes the role of TAAs as targets for antibody-mediated therapies.

Most Important Ideas or Facts
Antibody Structure:

Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins composed of heavy and light chains.
The Fab region (variable domains of heavy and light chains) binds to antigens.
The Fc region (constant domains of heavy chains) mediates effector functions.
The constant region determines the antibody's isotype (e.g., IgA, IgG), influencing its interactions with the immune system.

Light Chains:

Two types: kappa (κ) and lambda (λ), present in a 2:1 ratio in humans.
Contribute to the antigen-binding site, providing specificity and diversity.
"The primary function of light chains is to contribute to the antigen-binding sites of an antibody, enabling it to specifically recognize and bind to antigens."

Tumor-Associated Antigens (TAAs):

Proteins expressed on tumor cells that can be targeted by the immune system.
Three main types:Overexpressed antigens: "Normal cellular proteins that are present at much higher levels in cancer cells compared to their normal counterparts." (e.g., HER2/neu in breast cancer)
Mutated antigens: Arise from tumor cell mutations, producing abnormal proteins recognized as foreign (e.g., EGFRvIII in glioblastoma)
Cancer-testis antigens: Normally expressed only in male germline cells but aberrantly expressed in tumors (e.g., MAGE-A3 in melanoma)