Skip to main content Skip to Search Box
Definition: antibody from Philip's Encyclopedia

Protein synthesized in the blood in response to the entry of "foreign" substances or organisms into the body. Each episode of bacterial or viral infection prompts the production of a specific antibody to fight the disease in question. After the infection has cleared, the antibody remains in the blood to fight off any future invasion.

antibody

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Protein molecule produced in the blood by lymphocytes in response to the presence of foreign or invading substances ( antigens ); such substances include the proteins carried on the surface of infecting micro-organisms. Antibody production is only one aspect of immunity in vertebrates. Each antibody acts against only one kind of antigen, and combines with it to form a ‘complex’. This action may render antigens harmless, or it may destroy micro-organisms by setting off chemical changes that cause them to self-destruct. In other cases, the formation of a complex will cause antigens to form clumps that can then be detected and engulfed by white blood cells, such as macrophages and phagocytes . Each bacterial or viral infection will bring about the manufacture of a specific antibody, which will then fight the disease. Many diseases can only be contracted once because antibodies remain in the blood after the infection has passed, preventing any further invasion. Vaccination boosts a…
5,833 results

Full text Article Antibody

From Brenner's Encyclopedia of Genetics
Refined structure of the IgG2a...
Abstract An antibody is a protein (immunoglobulin) produced by B lymphocytes that recognizes and binds to a particular foreign ‘antigen’, be they invading viruses, bacteria, or parasites. Keywords Antibodies Antigen Antibodies are Y-shaped immunoglobulin protein molecules formed by white blood cells…
| 513 words , 2 images
Key concepts:

Full text Article Antibodies

From Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Antibodies are large Y-shaped, gamma globulin protein molecules (that is, various individual amino acids connected in a row; what is described as a polymer of amino acids) produced by B cells. They are produced when the body's immune system detects antigens, which are harmful microorganisms. …
| 1,929 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article antibody

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Protein molecule produced in the blood by lymphocytes in response to the presence of foreign or invading substances ( antigens ); such substances include the proteins carried on the surface of infecting micro-organisms. Antibody production is only one aspect of immunity in vertebrates. Each antibody…
| 305 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article antibodies

From Library of Health and Living: The Encyclopedia of Nutrition and Good Health
Also known as: antibody (singular) A class of proteins produced by the immune system to combat viruses, bacteria, and fungi and to neutralize foreign substances. Antibodies are made in response to foreign substances by B cells, a type of lymphocyte or white cell found in bone marrow or the lymphatic…
| 392 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article antibody

From The American Heritage Student Science Dictionary
antibody
A protein produced in the blood or tissues in response to the presence of a specific foreign antigen. Antibodies provide immunity against certain microorganisms and toxins by binding with them and often by deactivating them. Also called immunoglobulin. antibodies Antibodies are complex, Y-shaped…
| 204 words , 1 image
Key concepts:

Full text Article antibody

From Penguin Dictionary of Biology
Member of the IMMUNOGLOBULIN SUPERFAMILY of glycoproteins secreted by mature vertebrate B CELLS , binding selectively to epitopes of antigens and clumping them (agglutination) prior to phagocytic engulfment. Antibodies travel via the lymph to the blood, and viruses coated in antibody cannot enter…
| 585 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article antibody

From Science Encyclopedia: Encyclopedia of Chemistry
Also known as: immunoglobulin (Ig) A soluble immunoglobulin blood protein produced by the B cells, which are white blood cells that develop in the bone marrow (also known as B lymphocytes, plasma cells) in response to an antigen (a foreign substance). Antibodies are produced in response to disease…
| 507 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article antibody

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
protein produced by the immune system (see immunity ) in response to the presence in the body of antigens: foreign proteins or polysaccharides such as bacteria, bacterial toxins , viruses, or other cells or proteins. Such antigens are capable of inflicting damage by chemically combining with natural…
| 218 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Monoclonal Antibodies

From Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Monoclonal antibodies are proteins produced in the laboratory from a single clone of a B cell, the type of cells of the immune system that make antibodies. Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins (Igs), are proteins that help identify foreign substances to the immune system, such as a bacteria or…
| 489 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Monoclonal Antibodies

From Brenner's Encyclopedia of Genetics
Antibodies (synonym immunoglobulins) are tetrameric protein molecules composed of two identical heavy chains (H chains) and two identical light chains (L chains) that have the ability to bind specifically to antigens. Each H and L chain contains a variable domain (v region) and a constant domain (c…
| 1,253 words
Key concepts:
Mind Map

Stack overflow
More Library Resources