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

The CASPR2 autoantibody levels in Sternberg’s blood were borderline, but considering all the evidence, Runge says, the medical team put her on intravenous cortisone.

From Science Magazine • May 15, 2024

In adapting the technique to treat autoimmune disease, the team gave T cells a beacon derived from bits of the anti-DSG3 autoantibody, which leads the killers straight to anti-DSG3 B cells.

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

An antibody that inappropriately marks self-components as foreign is termed an autoantibody.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013