The Antigens

The Antigens, Volume VI is a comprehensive treatise covering all aspects of antigens, including their chemistry and biology as well as their immunologic role and expression. Parasite antigens and their immunogenicity in infected hosts are explored, along with the nature of the antibody-combining site and the phenomenon of immunological tolerance. Comprised of three chapters, this volume begins with a discussion on the dynamic aspects of the function of antibodies, paying particular attention to the structure of immunoglobulins and the folding of their domains; the dynamics of segmental flexibility; the kinetics of antibody-hapten association and the kinetic expression of elementary interaction; and the conformational transitions within the antibody molecule induced by hapten binding. The next chapter focuses on the immunogenicity of parasite antigens in infected hosts, citing such parasites as trypanosomes, Schistosoma mansoni, and Fasciola hepatica. The last chapter deals with immunological tolerance, its induction and duration, and its effect on the specificity of the immune response. This monograph will be of interest to practitioners and researchers in immunology, experimental and clinical medicine, biochemistry, and other disciplines.