Critically, it refers to the strength of the individual bond between the paratope and epitope contact residues. ![]() The other is avidity, which has a different meaning.Īffinity, also known as binding affinity, is the strength of the interaction between the antigen-binding site (paratope) on an antibody and the epitope on an antigen. Affinity is one of two key properties that defines the overall strength of the antibody-antigen interaction. Antibody diversity is achieved via three main mechanisms – V(D)J recombination, junctional diversification, and somatic hypermutation – with the latter producing higher affinity antibodies (affinity maturation) as the adaptive immune response unfolds. Because each B cell must express a unique antibody for an individual to mount an effective immune response, an almost infinite number of antibodies exists. Understanding how affinity and avidity determine antibody performance and how they may be influenced by experimental conditions is important for generating reliable immunoassay results.Īntibodies are expressed on the surface of B cells, one of the major cell types involved in adaptive immunity. ![]() ![]() While they are often used interchangeably, doing so is incorrect since each term has a distinct meaning. Affinity and avidity are terms used to describe the strength of the bond between an antibody and its antigen.
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