paratope /para·tope/ (par´ah-tōp) the site on the antibody molecule that attaches to an antigen.
determinant [de-ter´mĭ-nant]
determinant [de-ter´mĭ-nant]
a factor that establishes the nature of an entity or event.
antigenic determinant a site on the surface of an antigen molecule to which a single antibody molecule binds; generally an antigen has several or many different antigenic determinants and reacts with many different antibodies. Called also epitope.
Antigens contain antigenic determinants (epitopes) and antibodies contain antibody combining sites (paratopes). From Copstead and Banasik, 2000.
hidden determinant an antigenic determinant located in an unexposed region of a molecule so that it is prevented from interacting with receptors on lymphocytes, or with antibody molecules, and is unable to induce an immune response; it may appear following stereochemical alterations of molecular structure.
immunogenic determinant the part of an immunogenic molecule that interacts with a helper T cell in triggering antibody production as opposed to the antigenic determinant or hapten, which interacts with B cells.
paratope
the site in the variable region of an antibody or T cell receptor that binds to an epitope of an antigen.
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