antibody

[an-ti-bod-ee]

noun

plural

antibodies 

1. any of numerous Y -shaped protein molecules produced by B cells as a primary immune defense, each molecule and its clones having a unique binding site that can combine with the complementary site of a foreign antigen, as on a virus or bacterium, thereby disabling the antigen and signaling other immune defenses. Ab

2. antibodies of a particular type collectively.

antibody

/ ˈæntɪˌbɒdɪ /

noun

1. any of various proteins produced in the blood in response to the presence of an antigen. By becoming attached to antigens on infectious organisms antibodies can render them harmless or cause them to be destroyed See also immunoglobulin

antibody

1. Any of numerous proteins produced by B lymphocytes in response to the presence of specific foreign antigens, including microorganisms and toxins. Antibodies consist of two pairs of polypeptide chains, called heavy chains and light chains, that are arranged in a Y-shape. The two tips of the Y are the regions that bind to antigens and deactivate them.

2. Also called immunoglobulin

Word History and Origins

Origin of antibody¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; anti- + body

A Closer Look

Like other vertebrates, humans possess an effective immune system that uses antibodies to fight bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Antibodies are complex, Y-shaped protein molecules. The immune system's B lymphocytes, which are produced by the bone marrow, develop into plasma cells that can generate a huge variety of antibodies, each one capable of combining with and destroying an antigen, a foreign molecule. Antibodies react to very specific characteristics of different antigens, binding them to the top ends of their Y formation. Once the antibody and antigen combine, the antibodies deactivate the antigen or lead it to macrophages(a kind of white blood cell) that ingest and destroy it. High numbers of a particular antibody may persist for months after an invasion, eventually diminishing. However, the B cells can quickly manufacture more of the same antibody if exposure to the antigen recurs. Vaccines work by “training” B cells to recognize and react quickly to potential disease molecules.

Example Sentences

He notes that common tools such as antibodies and nanobodies often bind too tightly to DNA, which can interfere with the cell's own repair systems.

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While an estimated 50 million people worldwide are affected, current treatment options are limited and often provide only partial symptom relief or rely on costly therapies such as monoclonal antibodies.

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Researchers at UC Santa Barbara are exploring a new therapeutic direction that aims to reach and disrupt the uncontrolled expansion of these cysts by using carefully designed monoclonal antibodies -- lab-made proteins commonly used in immunotherapy.

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Instead, it combines zanamivir, a generic flu antiviral, with a human antibody fragment.

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By acting as host to Mr. Fuentes without the antibodies of skepticism, he turned himself into a vector for the propagation of Jew-hatred.

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Related Words

• bacterium 
• bug 
• disease 
• microbe 
• microorganism 
• pathogen 
• virus