Autoantibodies Essay

Antibodies are involved in the immune response. They're made up of two light polypeptide chains and two heavy polypeptide chains bonded together. Antibodies have a variable region which acts in a similar way to the active site of an enzyme. Each antibody has a variable region that is the complementary shape for a particular antigen and

a. Antibodies allow scientists to target and identify specific disease agents because they bind to antigens to counteract them. The more antigens you have, the more antibodies you have, the more the of the virus/bacteria that there is in you.

Autoimmune disease- any of a large group of diseases characterized by abnormal functioning of the immune system that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against your own tissues (the definition from wordnetweb.pronceton.edu).

An antigen is anything in the body the is non self which could include bacteria, viruses, chemicals or abnormal cell growth.

The immune system depends on the body’s structures to help it function. For instance, the skin acts as the “body’s first line of defense.” If a pathogen finds a breach in the skin barrier, it is the circulatory system that must now signal the immune system of the invader. Shortly after, white blood cells will be notified of the infection and will target and destroy the pathogen.

The immune system is made up of trillions of specialised cells (white blood cells) that detect and destroy pathogens or their toxins. Some white blood cells, which are

To understand autoimmune diseases, the general characteristic of autoimmunity must be addressed. Autoimmunity is defined, in short, as “ misdirected immune response”. A healthy person is equipped with the mechanisms necessary to defend the body from pathogens within the immune system. When autoimmunity is present in an individual, something within the immune system is

Pathogens can quickly change and adjust to escape detection and destruction by the immune system. Therefore, several defense mechanisms have too changed to identify and neutralize pathogens. Disorders of the immune system can cause autoimmune disease, inflammatory diseases, and cancer. Immunodeficiency appears when the immune system is less functioning than normal, causing in recurrent and life threatening infections. Immunodeficiency may be an effect of inherited disease passed down. Autoimmunity happens from a hyperactive immune system attacking normal tissue believing they are foreign organisms. Some familiar autoimmune diseases are hashimoto’s thyroiditis, diabetes mellitus type 1, systemic lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease marked by its effect on various parts of the body, including the joints, skin, blood, and kidneys. It is a condition in which the body's immune system attacks its own cells and tissues, resulting in pain, inflammation, and often damage to organs. Lupus involves the immune system. The immune system makes antibodies that work to protect the body against foreign substances like viruses and bacteria. Such foreign bodies are called antigens. When a person has lupus, his or her body is unable to determine the difference between antigens and the individual's cells and body tissues. As such, the immune system creates antibodies against the individual's own tissues. These antibodies are called autoantibodies. Depending on the type of lupus, a wide range of symptoms may be experienced, from rashes, hair loss, and achy, swollen joints to fever, anemia, and abnormal blood clotting. Though the disease can affect many parts of the body, individuals usually experience symptoms in only a few organs. There is no known cure for lupus. However,

Immunotherapy is a form of medical treatment intended to stimulate or restore the ability of the immune system to fight infection and disease. This can be by inducing, enhancing, or suppressing an immune response. Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as activation immunotherapies, while those that reduce or suppress immune response are suppression immunotherapies. Active immunotherapy has been effective against agents that normally cause acute self-limiting infectious disease. However, a more effective immunotherapy for chronic infectious diseases or cancer requires the use of appropriate target antigens; the

What causes the immune system to malfunction is unknown. Therefore, there is no reliable way to prevent developing an autoimmune disease. There is a possibility that hormones may play a part in stimulating autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases may even have an inherited element because a good number of autoimmune diseases likely run in families. This means that a person is seemingly likely to develop the disease if that person has a close relative with that disease. For a few autoimmune diseases, this familial possibility remains small. (Franz, 2006, Laberge, Davidson, 2007, Schwartz, 2007, Dugdale, 2009, Wrong Diagnosis, 2000).

The adaptive immune response is antigen-specific and requires the recognition of specific “non-self” antigens during a process called antigen presentation. Antigen specificity allows for the generation of responses that are tailored to specific pathogens or pathogen-infected cells. The ability to mount these tailored responses is maintained in the body by "memory cells". Should a pathogen infect the body more than once, these specific memory cells are used to quickly eliminate it. so basically killer T cells will identify antigens present on foreign cells. These antigens are not found in any of the cells inside our body. So T cells will identify them and kill them.

To be able to distinguish among self and non-self molecules, both immune and adaptive immunity depends on the ability of the immune system. Self molecules are known as the components in which the body disguise itself from foreign substances by immune system. Non-self discrimination molecules are known as the foreign molecules. One of its function is the antigen, this substance bind with specific immune receptors and immune response elicit.

Have you ever wondered how your body works? Did you ever think about how your body defends itself from outside invaders? Remember the last time you were sick. Did you know how your body fought and killed the sickness? All these questions can be answered by learning about one of the most important systems in your body, the immune system.

Our immune system is the second most complex system in our body. It is made up of organs, cells and proteins that work together to protect our bodies from harmful bacteria, viruses or other microorganisms that can cause diseases. Usually we don’t notice our immune system defending us against pathogens, but if the pathogen (harmful microorganism) is aggressive or if our body hasn’t ever come into contact with it, we can get sick. The jobs of our immune system are to recognise pathogens, as well as neutralise and remove them from our body. Our immune system also has to fight our own cells if they have changed due to an illness, for example, cancer. (1)