| anticomplement immunofluorescence | A technique used to make certain indirect fluorescent antibody techniques more specific and sensitive. Here the fluorescent dye is conjugated to antibody directed at complement and then added to a complement-fixing complex of antigen and patient antibody. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| avidin-biotin immunofluorescence | Holds promise for more sensitive and specific amplification of indirect fluorescent antibody procedures. Antibody to the patient's specific antibodies is labelled with biotin, a compound capable of specifically binding avidin in high concentrations. Fluorescent labelled avidin is then added and fluorescent microscopy is used to detect the presence of the complexes. (05 Mar 2000) |
| micro-immunofluorescence | Several different substrates are arranged in specific locations on a single microscope slide well allowing a rapid, simultaneous indirect fluorescent antibody on each substrate. (05 Mar 2000) |
| immunofluorescence | <technique> A test or technique in which one or other component of an immunological reaction is made fluorescent by coupling with a fluorochrome such as fluorescein, phycoerythrin or rhodamine so that the occurrence of the reaction can be detected as a fluorescing antigen-antibody complex. Used in microscopy to localise small amounts of antigen or specific antibody. (18 Nov 1997) |
| immunofluorescence method | Any method in which a fluorescent-labelled antibody is used to detect the presence or determine the location of the corresponding antigen. (05 Mar 2000) |
| indirect immunofluorescence | <procedure> A method of immunofluorescence staining in which the first antibody, that is directed against the antigen to be localised, is used unlabelled and the location of the first antibody is then detected by use of a fluorescently labelled antiIgG (against IgGs of the species in which the first antibody was raised). The advantage is that there is some amplification and a well characterised goat antirabbit IgG antibody can, for example: be used against a scarce specific antibody raised in rabbits. The same technique can be used for ultrastructural localisation of the first antibody by substituting peroxidase or gold labelled second antibody. (18 Nov 1997) |
| affinity antibody | The measure of the interaction between molecules such as a receptor and its ligand. This interaction is reversible. (05 Mar 2000) |
| agglutinating antibody | 1. An antibody that causes clumping or agglutination of the bacteria or other cells which either stimulated the formation of the agglutinin, or contain immunologically similar, reactive antigen. Synonym: agglutinating antibody, immune agglutinin. 2. A substance, other than a specific agglutinating antibody, that causes organic particles to agglutinate, commonly qualified, e.g., plant agglutinin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anaphylactic antibody | Antibody that has an affinity for certain kinds of cells, in addition to and unrelated to its specific affinity for the antigen that induced it, because of the properties of the Fc portion of the heavy chain. See: heterocytotropic antibody, homocytotropic antibody, cytotropic antibody test. Synonym: anaphylactic antibody, cytophilic antibody. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anti-basement membrane antibody | Autoantibodies to renal glomerular basement membrane antigens. (05 Mar 2000) |
| antibody | An immunoglobulin molecule that has a specific amino acid sequence by virtue of which it interacts only with the antigen that induced its synthesis in cells of the lymphoid series (especially plasma cells) or with antigen closely related to it. Antibodies are classified according to their ode of action as agglutinins, bacteriolysins, haemolysins, opsonins, precipitins, etc. (18 Nov 1997) |
| antibody affinity | A measure of the binding strength between antibody and a simple hapten or antigen determinant. It depends on the closeness of stereochemical fit between antibody combining sites and antigen determinants, on the size of the area of contact between them, and on the distribution of charged and hydrophobic groups. It includes the concept of "avidity," which refers to the strength of the antigen-antibody bond after formation of reversible complexes. (12 Dec 1998) |
| antibody aldolase | <enzyme> Prepared by reactive immuninization to catalyze a wide variety of aldol reactions and decarboxylations Registry number: EC 4.1.2.- Synonym: fab 33f12, aldolase catalytic antibody (26 Jun 1999) |
| antibody-coated bacteria test, urinary | Fluorescent antibody technique for visualizing antibody-bacteria complexes in urine. The presence or absence of antibody-coated bacteria in urine correlates with localization of urinary tract infection in the kidney or bladder, respectively. (12 Dec 1998) |
| antibody combining site | <immunology> In immune network theory, an idiotope, an antigenic site of an antibody that is responsible for that antibody binding to an antigenic determinant (epitope). Also used of the site on a ligand molecule to which a cell surface receptor binds. (18 Nov 1997) |