Regulation of the Immune Response by Idiotypic-Antiidiotypic Interactions

Abstract

THE antigen specificity of the antibody is determined by the variable (V) sequences of the hundred or so amino acid residues at the amino-terminal end of each of the heavy (H) and light (L) polypeptide chains of the antibody molecule (Fig. 1); the remaining constant amino acid sequences from the constant (C) domains determine the class of antibodies to which the molecule belongs.Two types of heterogeneity are present among antibody molecules. Heterogeneity I distinguishes about 20 classes of molecules in their C domains (isotypes) and distinguishes within each class a limited number of differences resulting from genetic polymorphism within . . .