Antibody Overview

The recognition of foreign material is the hallmark of the specific adaptive immune response in mammals, of which immunoglobulins are an integral part. Immunoglobulins (Ig) are a group of glycoproteins present in the tissue and fluids of all vertebrates (including mammals, birds, reptiles and cartilaginous fish). Some are on the surface of B lymphocytes (or B-cells) and others, known as antibodies, are free in the blood or lymph. This section of the Absolute Antibody resources aims to act as a basic introduction to antibodies covering the following areas:

  1. A brief history of antibodies
  2. Antibody structure
  3. Antibody isotypes and subtypes
  4. Allotypes
  5. Antibody effector function
    Fc receptors
  6. Other antibody interactions
    FcRn
    Protein A and G
  7. Antibodies as tools
    Research
    Diagnostics
    Therapeutics