Proteins as antibodies

Proteins are big, and linear, and easily bent into special shapes. This means that as an antibody a protein could determine the shape of an antigen, and react to it if the antibody has the complementary shape .

Have a look at this animated antibody. Its "rabbit-eared" shape gives it something with which to grab onto the intruder. The blue red and yellow areas are the locations that specify the antigen shape to be received. They vary alot, but the rest of the structure is pretty much the same across antibodies.

Cup your hands and touch your fingertips together, noticing how especially sensitive they are.

Brandon p. 187 (check)

The charges at the "fingertips" allow the antibody to pull the intruder inside.

Bacteria and viruses are changing all the time. Can our body learn new ways to defeat them?

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