Chapter 4 Antigen(Ag

1
 Contents
PartⅠ Introduction
PartⅡ Factors Affecting Immunogenicity
PartⅢ Specificity and Cross-Reaction of Antigens
PartⅣ Classification of Antigens
PartⅤ Important Antigens in Medicine
PartⅥ Superantigen and Adjuvants
 Part Introduction

Ⅰ. Definition
• Antigen(Ag): An antigen is a substance that
can stimulate immune system to produce
a specific immune response, and can react
specifically with the products of the
immune response in vitro or in vivo.
• Products of the immune response:
antibodies and/or effector lymphocytes.
 B cells Antibody
Ag
T cells Effector T cells
 Key points

• Stimulate immune system to produce a

specific immune response.

• React specifically with the products of the

immune response in vitro or in vivo.
Ⅱ. Properties of antigens

1. Immunogenicity
• An ability to stimulate the body to evoke a specific
immune response.
• Immunogens: substances with immunogenicity

2. Immunoreactivity:
• Antigenicity
• An ability to combine with
corresponding Ab or sensitized T lymphocyte.
1.Immunogenicity: to induce the specific immune response.

T T

Ag
B
2. Immunoreactivity: to combine with
corresponding Ab or sensitized T lymphocyte

T T Effector T cell

Ag
B
Ⅲ. Complete antigen and hapten

1. Complete antigen:
Both Immunogenicity and Immunoreactivity.

2. Hapten:
Only Immunoreactivity.
Hapten+carrier complete antigen
Carrier: enhance the immunogenicity of hapten
Ⅳ. Tolerogen and allergen

• Tolerogen: substances to induce specific

tolerance.

• Allergen: substances to induce

hypersensitivity (type I)
Part Factors affecting
immunogenicity

. Factors related to antigens

. Factors related to host
. Methods of immunization
 . Factors related to antigens
1. Foreignness

• According to Burnet, foreignness means

substances which never contact with
embryonic lymphocytes.
 . Factors related to antigens
1. Foreignness: “Non-self”substances and
self components
(1) Xeno-substances: various pathogens and
their products, xeno-protein, etc.
(2) Allo-substances: ABO blood type, HLA,
etc.
(3) Self components:
- release of sequester antigen
- degeneration
2. Physical and chemical properties

(1) Molecular weight:

reasonable large molecule( >10.0 kd)
• more stationary
• more surface structure for lymphocyte to
recognize
(2) Chemical composition and structure
• Proteins >Polysaccharides >Nucleic Acids >Lipids
aromatic ring
ring > linear

(3) Physical nature

Polymer > monomer
Particulate > Soluble
 . Factors related to host

1. Genetic background (Species, Individual)

2. Age, sex and healthy status
 . Pathway of immunization
1. Dosage of antigen
2. Times of injection
3. Ways:
Intracutaneous>subcutaneous>muscle>intravenous
>oral
4. Adjuvant:
Certain substances which can enhance the Ir or
change the type of Ir
• What measures can be taken to increase
the titers of antibody when preparing
antibodies against sheep red blood cells in
mice? Why?
 Part . Specificity and cross
reaction of antigen
Specificity
• Exist in both immunogenecity and
immunoreactivity
• The basis of immunologic diagnosis and
immunologic therapy
 . Antigenic determinant

1. Antigen determinants (epitope) are small

particular chemical groups existing in
antigen which combine with TCR/BCR or Ab.

Polypeptide antigen----5-23 amino acid residues

Polysaccharide antigen----5-7 monosaccharides
Nuclear acid antigen----6-8 nucleotide
2. Antigenic valence: Total number of
determinants which can be bound by
antibody or antigenic receptor of
lymphocytes.
• Most natural antigens are polyvalence
antigen.
• Hapten is monovalence antigen.
. Classification of antigenic determinant

1. According to the site and structure of Ag

determinants

vConformational determinants
vSequential (or linear) determinants
 Conformational determinants

Ø Conformational determinants are

formed by amino acid residues that
aren’t in a sequence but become
spatially juxtaposed in the folded
protein.
Ø They are normally exist on the
surface of antigen molecules.
Ø They are recognized by B cells or
antibody.
 Sequential (or linear) determinants

Ø Epitopes formed by
several adjacent amino
acid residues are called
linear determinants.
Ø They are exist on the
surface of antigen
molecules or inside
molecules.
Ø They are mainly
recognized by T cells,
but some also can be
recognized by B cells.
B
T/B
2. According to types of cells recognizing antigenic
determinants

vT cell determinants (T cell epitopes): TCR

vB cell determinants (B cell epitopes): BCR
Ø Functional determinants
Ø Hidden determinants
 T cell epitope
• Antigenic determinants recognized by T cells
(TCR)
• Composition:
– Peptides
– Sequential determinants(Exist in anywhere of
Ag)
• Processed (APC)
• MHC presentation
• Size
– 8-23 residues
 B cell epitope
• Antigenic determinants Recognized by B cells
BCR and Ab
• Composition:
– Peptide, polysaccharides, nucleic acids
– Conformational determinants or Sequential
determinants (existed on the surface of Ag)
vRecognized directly
vNo APC and MHC
• Size
– 5-15 residues
Comparison T cell epitope and B cell epitope

T cell epitope B cell epitope

Structure linear epitope conformational epitope

or linear epitope
Receptor TCR BCR
Features proteins proteins, polysaccharides
Size 5-23 amino acid residues 5-15 amino acid residues
or 5-7 monosaccharides
or 5-8 nucleotides
Location any part of antigen mostly exist on the surface of
antigen
MHC molecules yes no

APC yes no