IgG Structure

As seen in the movie, although the entire antibody is composed of individual monomeric units (primary structure), the monomers align themselves in a way that is most favorable (when speaking of interactions: Van der Waals, Hydrogen bonding, etc.) This is called its tertiary structure. The tertiary structure of a protein, in this case an antibody IgG, allows it to bind to only specific molecules, its respective antigen. The antigen binding site is shown, where the light and heavy chains meet (toward the end of the "arms"). These principles lead to the proof of concept that function follows form. Depending on the specific physical conformation of a molecule (in this case the IgG), the function is then assigned. The specific amino acid sequence allows the antibody to conform into a preferred tertiary structure , which will only bind specific antigens that fit precisely.

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Education

Tags:

• IgG
• Structure