Paratope

1. Fab region
2. Fc region
3. Heavy chain
4. Light chain with one variable (V_L) and one constant (C_L) domain
5. Fv region with paratope
6. Hinge regions

A paratope, also called an antigen-binding site, is a part of an antibody which recognizes and binds to an antigen. It is a small region (of 15 to 22 amino acids) of the antibody's Fv region, part of the fragment antigen-binding (Fab region), and contains parts of the antibody's heavy and light chains.^[1] Each arm of the Y shape of an antibody monomer is tipped with a paratope, which is a set of complementarity determining regions.

The part of the antigen to which the paratope binds is called an epitope. This can be mimicked by a mimotope. The figure given on the right hand side depicts the antibody commonly found on a B leukocyte. The engraved inner portions of idiotype (encircled region no.5) is the paratope where the epitope of the antigen binds.

References

↑ Goldsby, Richard; Kindt, TJ; Osborne, BA; Kuby, Janis (2003). "Antigens (Chapter 3)". Immunology (Fifth ed.). New York: W. H. Freeman and Company. pp. 57–75. ISBN 0716749475.

Immunology: lymphocytic adaptive immune system and complement

Lymphoid

Antigens	Antigen Superantigen Allergen Hapten Epitope Linear Conformational Mimotope Antigen presentation/Professional APCs: Dendritic cell Macrophage B cell Immunogen

Antibodies	Antibody Monoclonal antibodies Polyclonal antibodies Autoantibody Microantibody Polyclonal B cell response Allotype Isotype Idiotype Immune complex Paratope

Immunity vs. tolerance	action: Immunity Autoimmunity Alloimmunity Allergy Hypersensitivity Inflammation Cross-reactivity inaction: Tolerance Central Peripheral Clonal anergy Clonal deletion Tolerance in pregnancy Immunodeficiency

Immunogenetics	Affinity maturation (Somatic hypermutation Clonal selection) V(D)J recombination Junctional diversity Immunoglobulin class switching MHC/HLA

Lymphocytes

Substances

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