Immunoglobulins: structure and functions

Quick Orientation

Section	Objective	Keywords
Definition	Understand the core idea	Immunoglobulins (antibodies), γ-globulin
Structure of Immunoglobulins	See how the components fit together	heavy (H) chains, light (L) chains, H2L2 tetramer
Classes of Immunoglobulins	Learn the main facts and relationships	5 antigenic sites simultaneously
Antibody Diversity and Genetics	Learn the main facts and relationships	Antibody Diversity and Genetics
Clinical Correlation	Connect the mechanism to clinical findings	Multiple myeloma, M band, Bence Jones proteins

Section

Definition

Objective: Understand the core idea
Keywords: Immunoglobulins (antibodies), γ-globulin

Structure of Immunoglobulins

Objective: See how the components fit together
Keywords: heavy (H) chains, light (L) chains, H2L2 tetramer

Classes of Immunoglobulins

Objective: Learn the main facts and relationships
Keywords: 5 antigenic sites simultaneously

Antibody Diversity and Genetics

Objective: Learn the main facts and relationships
Keywords: Antibody Diversity and Genetics

Clinical Correlation

Objective: Connect the mechanism to clinical findings
Keywords: Multiple myeloma, M band, Bence Jones proteins

Definition

Immunoglobulins (antibodies): a specialized group of plasma proteins forming part of the body's defense system, mostly in the γ-globulin fraction of plasma on electrophoresis (though some run with α and β).