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An antigen is a substance whose primary task is to influence the body’s immune response. The involvement of antigens in the functioning of the immune system is crucial because without them, it would not be able to function properly. What are the types and properties of the individual antigens? How do they affect immunity?
What is an antigen?
Defining the concept of an antigen is not the simplest task, as it depends on the context of this definition. Generally speaking, an antigen is a substance that has a diverse chemical structure. They can occur as carbohydrates, proteins, lipids or nucleic acids. Antigens are recognized by the immune system, which then causes the body to produce antibodies. There are two basic properties of antigens:
- immunogenicity – this is the ability to trigger an immune response against yourself.
- antigenicity – it is the ability to bind to immunoglobulins and T-lymphocyte receptors.
The only cells that do not have their antigens are neurons and also the cerebrospinal fluid.
Types of antigens
The classification of antigens depends on the indicated classification criterion. They can be divided according to the way the immune system is activated, the participation of T lymphocytes in the development of the immune response or the number of epitopes on a single antigen molecule.
Classification of antigens according to the way the immune system is activated:
- immunogens – characterized by immunogenicity and antigenicity.
- haptens – these are small molecules that are only antigenic. They do not have the property of inducing an immune response by themselves.
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Classification of antigens due to the participation of T lymphocytes:
- Thymus-dependent antigens – require the participation of T lymphocytes in order to induce an immune response.
- thymus-independent antigens – they do not require the participation of T lymphocytes to induce an immune response.
Classification of antigens according to the number of epitopes
- monovalent antigens – they are monovalent antigens that contain only one epitope and can only bind to one paratope.
- polyvalent antigens – they are multivalent antigens that have many epitopes and can bind to many paratopes.
Antigens can also be divided on the basis of their relationship with the antigens of a given organism, then there are: autoantigens, isoantigens, allonatigens and heteroantigens.
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Antigen and immunity
Antigens, as already mentioned, play a key role in the proper functioning of the immune system. Each pathogen, or pathogen, has its own set of antigens. This means that after penetrating a foreign body, the immune system recognizes a given pathogen and by sending a response, is able to destroy it. Antigens and antibodies that are associated with a given pathogen can be demonstrated by blood laboratory tests.
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Often tests are also carried out from the faeces, for example for the detection of Helicobacter pylori antigens. The stool test is a minimally invasive test, but in the case of identifying antigens, it is also very poorly distributed. It is worth noting that the immune response to a given antigen may be modified in the presence of another antigen. We are then dealing with the so-called the phenomenon of antigenic competition.
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