light chain

American  

noun

1. Immunology. either of an identical pair of polypeptides in the antibody molecule that lie parallel to the upper parts of the heavy chain pair and are half the molecular weight.

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light chain Scientific  

1. The smaller of the two types of polypeptide chains in an antibody molecule. A light chain consists of an antigen-binding portion with a variable amino acid sequence, and a constant region with an amino acid sequence that is relatively unchanging. The light chains are attached to the heavy chains so that the variable regions of both lie alongside each other.

2. Compare heavy chain

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Etymology

Origin of light chain

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

These included tau and amyloid beta proteins, neurofilament light chain proteins and glial fibrillary acidic proteins.

From Science Daily

However, the study identified a subgroup of individuals with both impaired kidney function and elevated neurofilament light chain levels who had nearly twice the risk of dementia compared to people with preserved kidney function and the same high biomarker levels.

From Science Daily

Roughly a year later, they observed a rise in neurofilament light chain, a marker of injury to the nerve fibers themselves.

From Science Daily

This protein is called neurofilament light chain, NfL.

From Science Daily

In their investigation, the researchers used a modified version of the antibody light chain.

From Science Daily