Types of Antibodies
Antibodies, also called immunoglobulins, are proteins of the immune system, simply put. They are, in fact, figments of the body’s lymphocytes which are involved with duties pertaining humoral immunity. When the body is attacked by pathogens, called antigens, these antibodies react to recognize, seize and destroy the harmful cells before they wreaked havoc.
The structure of antibodies (immunoglobulins) is the shape of a “Y” with domains for grasping or binding to antigens. Broadly speaking, there are five isotypes of antibodies, and each of them is relevant in specific immune response situation. Each class of immunoglobulin can be designated with “Ig”, short for immunoglobulin, plus a letter of the alphabet attached to its name. For example, the five types of antibodies are written as, Ig G, Ig A, Ig M, Ig E, and Ig D.
