11/09/2014

Antigen & Immunogen

Introduction
 Immune system : a protection mechanism.
 Key point of immune system : recognition
foreign structures vs self structures.
 Immune response :
◦ Innate immune response
◦ Adaptive immune response

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Immune response

Antigen
 Molekul yang bereaksi dengan antibodi
atau dengan sel T yang tersensitisasi tapi
bisa saja tidak memicu timbulnya respon
imun
 Immunogen
Molekul yang memicu timbulnya respon
imun adaptif, menginduksi pembentukan
antibodi atau menyebabkan sensitisasi sel
T.
 Immunogens are antigens, but not all
antigens are immunogens. 4

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Factor influencing immune response

 Host factors : age, overall health, genetic

capacity.
 Pathogen factors : dose, route of
inoculation, immunogenicity.

Traits of Immunogens
 Macromolecule size
 Chemical composition & molecule
complexity
 Foreigness
 The ability to be processed & presented
with MHC molecules.

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Macromolecule size
 There is not absolute size above which a
substance will be immunogenic
 At least 10 dalton
 The best : > 100.000 dalton
  molecular weight   immunogenicity

Chemical composition &

molecule complexity

 Proteins made up of a
variety amino acids 
powerful immunogen
 Provide enourmous
variety of 3-dimensional
shapes

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Chemical composition & molecule complexity

 Carbohydrate : less immunogenic than protein.

 Most often : glycolipids, or glycoproteins.
(A,B,H blood group antigen : glycolipids, Rh &
Lewis : glycoproteins)
 Pure lipids and nucleic acids, synthetic polymer
(nylon & Teflon) are not immunogenic

Foreignness
 Immune system : able to distinguish
between self and non-self.
 Non-self = immunogenic
 The more distant taxonomically  more
potent immunogen.

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EPITOPES
 Only small part of macromolecule
recognized in the immune
response.
 Epitopes : molecular shapes or
configurations that are recognized
by B or T cells.
 Epitopes may consist of 6-15
amino acids.

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• Epitopes recognized by B cells :

• linear & conformational
epitopes
• Does not necessary to be
degraded
• Protein epitops may be
primary, secondary, tertiary,
quartenary structure
• Carbohidrate : branched
chain

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EPITOPES

 Epitopes recognized by T
cells :
◦ only as a part of complex
formed with MHC proteins
◦ APC must process &
degrade antigen into peptide
◦ Linear epitopes, but not only
surface molecules.

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Haptens
 Non-immunogenic material.
 Only stimulate an immune response if
combined with larger molecules.
 Examples :
◦ In vivo : drug-protein conjugation  penicillin
◦ In vitro : complexed artificially in laboratory
setting ( fluorescein, biotin, digoxigenin and
dinitrophenol.)

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Haptens

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Relationship of Antigens to the host

 Autoantigens : belong to the host
 Alloantigens : from other members of the
host’s species.
 Heteroantigens : from other species
 Heterophile antigens : heteroantigens from
unrelated plant or animals but identical or
closely related  e.g : blood group A and B
antigen related to bacterial polysaccarides.
Anti A is produced after exposure to
pneumococcus.

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Adjuvant
 Is a substance added with immunogen to
increase immune response.
 By producing a local inflammatory
response
 E.g : - aluminium salts
- BCG (Bacille Calmette Guerin)

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sekian

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