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