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Antibody Structure

Antibody Structure

Overview
Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins (Ig), are essential players of the adaptive immune system. These antigen-binding proteins are produced by B cells and make up 20 percent of the total blood plasma by weight. In mammals, antibodies fall into five different classes, which each elicits a different biological response upon antigen binding.
The Y-Shaped Structure of Antibodies Consists of Four Polypeptide Chains
Antibodies consist of four polypeptide chains: two identical heavy...

Antibody Structure and Classes

Antibody Structure and Classes

Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins, are produced by B cells in response to foreign substances, such as bacteria and viruses. These proteins are critical for recognizing and neutralizing these substances, protecting the body from potential harm.
The basic structure of an antibody consists of four protein chains: two identical heavy chains and two identical light chains. These chains are held together by disulfide bonds and other non-covalent interactions, forming a Y-shaped structure.

Protein Organization

Protein Organization

Proteins are polymers of amino acid residues. They are versatile and responsible for different cellular functions, including DNA replication, molecular transport, catalysis, and structural support. Proteins have a hierarchical structure comprising at least three levels of organization: primary, secondary, and tertiary structure. Some large proteins have a quaternary structure where individual protein subunits are linked together.
The primary structure of a protein is its amino acid sequence....

Protein Folding

Protein Folding

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 10, 2025

Application of I TASSER, trRosetta, UCSF Chimera, HADDOCK server, and HEX loria for De Novo and In Silico Design of Proteins

Application of I TASSER, trRosetta, UCSF Chimera, HADDOCK server, and HEX loria for De Novo and In Silico Design of Proteins

Published on: July 8, 2025

Challenges in antibody structure prediction.

Monica L Fernández-Quintero¹, Janik Kokot¹, Franz Waibl¹

¹Department of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.

|February 12, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Protein structure prediction has advanced significantly with AI, but antibody models may contain inaccuracies affecting biophysical predictions. A new tool, TopModel, helps validate these crucial protein structure models.

Keywords:

Antibodies antibody structure biophysical surface properties protein structure prediction structural inaccuracies

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Characterization of Glycoproteins with the Immunoglobulin Fold by X-Ray Crystallography and Biophysical Techniques

Characterization of Glycoproteins with the Immunoglobulin Fold by X-Ray Crystallography and Biophysical Techniques

Published on: July 5, 2018

Area of Science:

Structural biology
Computational biology
Biophysics

Background:

The Protein Data Bank provides vast structural data, driving protein structure prediction research.
Artificial intelligence, notably AlphaFold2, has revolutionized protein structure prediction using evolutionary information.
Antibodies are key biotherapeutics, requiring accurate structures for property prediction and design.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight advances in protein structure prediction, especially for antibodies.
To raise awareness of potential inaccuracies in protein and antibody structure models.
To introduce a tool for validating antibody structure model quality.

Main Methods:

Review of advances in AI-driven protein structure prediction.
Analysis of potential structural inaccuracies in antibody models (cis-amide bonds, stereochemistry, clashes).
Demonstration of how inaccuracies impact biophysical property predictions like surface hydrophobicity.

Main Results:

AI has greatly improved protein structure prediction accuracy.
Antibody structure models can contain significant inaccuracies.
These inaccuracies negatively affect downstream predictions, such as surface hydrophobicity.

Conclusions:

Careful validation of protein and antibody structure models is essential before further analysis or experimentation.
The TopModel tool is provided to aid in the assessment of antibody structure model quality.
Ensuring model reliability is critical for advancing antibody design and biotherapeutic development.