light chain
Americannoun
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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.
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Compare heavy chain
Etymology
Origin of light chain
First recorded in 1960–65
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Roughly a year later, they observed a rise in neurofilament light chain, a marker of injury to the nerve fibers themselves.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2025
The size exclusion chromatography of the antibody light chain #4C214A revealed that the antibody exists as individual monomers and four-subunit tetramers.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 8, 2023
What enzyme is responsible for the random excision of variable gene segments making up an antibody light chain in DNA?
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The heavy chain and the light chain are the two polypeptides that form the antibody.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
Kate pulled the light chain with her gloved hand, holding it deep in the crotch between her thumb and forefinger as though her hand were artificial.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
