autoantibody

American  

[aw-toh-an-ti-bod-ee, -an-tee-] / ˌɔ toʊˈæn tɪˌbɒd i, -ˈæn ti- /

noun

Immunology.

plural

autoantibodies

1. an antibody that an organism produces against any of its own tissues, cells, or cell components.

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autoantibody British  

/ ˌɔːtəʊˈæntɪˌbɒdɪ /

noun

1. an antibody reacting with an antigen that is a part of the organism in which the antibody is formed

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autoantibody Scientific  

/ ô′tō-ăn′tĭ-bŏd′ē /

1. An antibody that reacts with the cells, tissues, or native proteins of the individual in which it is produced. Autoimmune diseases are caused by the presence of autoantibodies.

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Etymology

Origin of autoantibody

First recorded in 1905–10; auto- ¹ + antibody

Example Sentences

Quadros’s research has found that a specific autoantibody blocks the transport of folate from mother to fetus during pregnancy and when present after birth, the infant’s brain.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 24, 2025

Altogether, they and Barcelona colleague Francesc Graus have uncovered 11 of the 18 known varieties: a rogue’s gallery with sharply different symptoms depending on the autoantibody responsible.

From Science Magazine • May 15, 2024

In systemic lupus erythematosus, a diffuse autoantibody response to the individual’s own DNA and proteins results in various systemic diseases.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Luckily, the anti-DSG3 B cells are easy to find because they have a highly distinctive marker—basically a version of the anti-DSG3 autoantibody stuck on their surfaces.

From Scientific American • Sep. 20, 2021

What’s unusual about this result is that most autoantibody immune disorders appear in women, as is the case with the chronic disease lupus.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 17, 2020