What is an antibody?

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Multiple Choice

What is an antibody?

Explanation:
An antibody is a protein produced by the immune system, specifically by B cells, that recognizes and binds to a specific antigen. This binding is highly specific because the antibody’s variable region fits a particular part of the antigen (an epitope). Once attached, antibodies help defend the body by neutralizing pathogens, tagging invaders for attack by other immune cells (opsonization), preventing toxin effects, causing clumping of microbes (agglutination), or activating the complement system to destroy the pathogen. The other items are not antibodies: ascites is fluid buildup in the abdomen, an anticoagulant prevents blood clotting, and an antigen is something that can provoke an immune response but is not the antibody itself.

An antibody is a protein produced by the immune system, specifically by B cells, that recognizes and binds to a specific antigen. This binding is highly specific because the antibody’s variable region fits a particular part of the antigen (an epitope). Once attached, antibodies help defend the body by neutralizing pathogens, tagging invaders for attack by other immune cells (opsonization), preventing toxin effects, causing clumping of microbes (agglutination), or activating the complement system to destroy the pathogen. The other items are not antibodies: ascites is fluid buildup in the abdomen, an anticoagulant prevents blood clotting, and an antigen is something that can provoke an immune response but is not the antibody itself.

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