NOTE

🌱 created from: epitope

epitope_definition

• Definition
  • An epitope, also known as antigenic determinant, is recognized by antibodies, B cells, or T cells.
• Types
  • Epitopes are categorized into conformational epitopes and linear epitopes based on their structure and interaction with the paratope.
• Conformational vs. Linear Epitopes
  • Conformational epitopes are determined by 3-D conformations of discontiguous amino acid residues, whereas linear epitopes by contiguous residues.
• Prevalence
  • 90% of epitopes are conformational.
• T cell epitopes
  • T cell epitopes are peptides presented on the surface of an antigen-presenting cell, bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules.
• MHC Class Peptides
  • MHC class I molecules typically present peptides of 8-11 amino acids, and MHC class II molecules present longer peptides of 13-17 amino acids.