dictionary help| antigens | medical dictionary |
Substances which are capable, under appropriate conditions, of inducing a specific immune response and of reacting with the products of that response, that is, with specific antibodies or specifically sensitised T-lymphocytes, or both. Antigens may be soluble substances, such as toxins and foreign proteins, or particulates, such as bacteria and tissue cells; however, only the portion of the protein or polysaccharide molecule known as the antigenic determinant (epitopes) combines with antibody or a specific receptor on a lymphocyte.
(12 Dec 1998)
antigen-presenting cell, antigen processing, antigen-responsive cell < Prev | Next > antigens, archaeal, antigens, bacterial
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