The function of antibodies.

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• Antibodies exhibit diverse and often contradictory biological activities, performing crucial roles in health and disease.
• The evolutionary persistence of antibodies suggests a fundamental, yet not fully understood, biological function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the fundamental function of antibodies by examining their structure-function relationship.
• To explore how antibody structure contributes to their broad range of biological activities and evolutionary selection.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of antibody structure to understand cognitive and effector properties.
• Examination of antibody functional repertoires, including virtual, available, and selected repertoires.

Main Results:

• Antibodies possess extensive cognitive and effector repertoires, not fixed functions.
• These repertoires are selected from larger virtual reservoirs, providing a dynamic range of potential activities.
• The adaptive immune system utilizes these repertoires, actualizing functions based on environmental context.

Conclusions:

• Antibody function is characterized by a large repertoire of cognitive and effector capabilities, rather than specific, singular roles.
• This functional flexibility, enabling adaptation to environmental changes and future uncertainties, is proposed as the primary selective advantage driving antibody evolution.