Immune response epitope

Idiotypic network. Idiotypic determinants (idiotypes) are unique antigenic epitopes characteristic of the antigen receptors on the surface of T and B cells. They are associated with the variable regions of these receptors. Antibodies produced by B cells as the result of antigenic stimulation can themselves stimulate the production of auto-anti-idiotypic antibodies which have the ability to combine with the B-cell receptor (Ig) and thus can dampen down the immune response. Idiotypes may likewise stimulate the production of T cells specific for idiotypic determinants. Jerne (1974) postulated his... 

Whereas molecular design is a strategy applicable to the chemical level of epitope-paratope interactions, it cannot be used for optimizing the many cellular interactions required for achieving an immune response that leads to infectivity neutralization of a pathogen. As a result, the future development of vaccines will continue to rely more on the empirical testing of the protection afforded by candidate vaccine preparations than on the rational design of biomolecules defined in a reductionist manner by their chemical structure. 

Synthetic haptens mimicking some critical epitopic structures on larger macromolecules are often conjugated to carriers to create an immune response to the larger parent molecule. For instance, short peptide segments can be synthesized from the known sequence of a viral coat protein and coupled to a carrier to induce immunogenicity toward the native virus. This type of synthetic approach to immunogen production has become the basis of much of the current research into the creation of vaccines. 

The mechanism most commonly invoked to explain the association of infection with autoimmune disease is molecular mimicry that is, the concept that antigens (or more properly, epitopes) of the microorganism closely resemble self-antigens.50 The induction of an immune response to the microbial antigen thus results in cross-reactivity with selfantigens and the induction of autoimmunity. Although epitope specific cross-reactivity has been shown in some animal models,48,51 53 molecular mimicry is clearly demonstrated to be the causative mechanism in few, if any, human diseases.3 54,55... 

An epitope is an antigenic determinant of the pathogen. It consists of certain chemical groups that are antigenic, which means that it will elicit a specihc immune response by binding to antibodies. 

---