Preferred Label : antibody diversity;
MeSH definition : The phenomenon of immense variability characteristic of ANTIBODIES. It enables the
IMMUNE SYSTEM to react specifically against the essentially unlimited kinds of ANTIGENS
it encounters. Antibody diversity is accounted for by three main theories: (1) the
Germ Line Theory, which holds that each antibody-producing cell has genes coding for
all possible antibody specificities, but expresses only the one stimulated by antigen;
(2) the Somatic Mutation Theory, which holds that antibody-producing cells contain
only a few genes, which produce antibody diversity by mutation; and (3) the Gene Rearrangement
Theory, which holds that antibody diversity is generated by the rearrangement of IMMUNOGLOBULIN
VARIABLE REGION gene segments during the differentiation of the ANTIBODY-PRODUCING
CELLS.;
MeSH synonym : diversities, antibody; antibody diversities; diversity, antibody;
MeSH hyponym : germ line theory; Germ Line Theories; Theories, Germ Line; Theory, Germ Line;
Origin ID : D000916;
UMLS CUI : C0003259;
Allowable qualifiers
- Record concept(s)
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The phenomenon of immense variability characteristic of ANTIBODIES. It enables the
IMMUNE SYSTEM to react specifically against the essentially unlimited kinds of ANTIGENS
it encounters. Antibody diversity is accounted for by three main theories: (1) the
Germ Line Theory, which holds that each antibody-producing cell has genes coding for
all possible antibody specificities, but expresses only the one stimulated by antigen;
(2) the Somatic Mutation Theory, which holds that antibody-producing cells contain
only a few genes, which produce antibody diversity by mutation; and (3) the Gene Rearrangement
Theory, which holds that antibody diversity is generated by the rearrangement of IMMUNOGLOBULIN
VARIABLE REGION gene segments during the differentiation of the ANTIBODY-PRODUCING
CELLS.
