Question

Antibodies are also called as immunoglobulins (Ig). They are represented as H₂L₂. What does ‘H’ and ‘L’ represent?

Answer 1

Antibodies:

1. There are two types of lymphocytes (B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes) that plays a vital role in primary and secondary immune responses.
2. When our body encounters a pathogen (antigen), B-lymphocytes release proteins in the blood. These proteins are called antibodies or immunoglobulins (Ig).
3. Antibodies bind to the antigen and neutralize their effects.
4. Each antibody has a Y-shaped structure with four polypeptide chains. These chains are represented as H₂L₂. Here, ‘H’ represents longer heavy chains and ‘L’ represents smaller light chains.