Canadian Medical Guide > Chemicals and Drugs > Immunologic and Biological Factors > Immunologic Factors > Antigens > Epitopes Terms and Definitions

Epitopes

Medical Definition:	Sites on an antigen that interact with specific antibodies.
Guide Notes:	X ref ANTIGENIC DETERMINANTS: do not confuse with genetic determinants ( = GENES or specific)
Also Called:	Antigenic Specificity
Previously Indexed:	Antigens (1966-1969)

Epitopes Categories.

	Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte - Antigenic determinants recognized and bound by the B-cell receptor. Epitopes recognized by the B-cell receptor are located on the surface of the antigen.
	Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte - Antigenic determinants recognized and bound by the T-cell receptor. Epitopes recognized by the T-cell receptor are often located in the inner, unexposed side of the antigen, and become accessible to the T-cell receptors after proteolytic processing of the antigen.
	Haptens - Small antigenic determinants capable of eliciting an immune response only when coupled to a carrier. Haptens bind to antibodies but by themselves cannot elicit an antibody response.
	Immunodominant Epitopes - Subunits of the antigenic determinant that are most easily recognized by the immune system and thus most influence the specificity of the induced antibody.

Epitopes Medical Definitions and Terms

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