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Epitope 2
Antigen
Epitope 1
Figure 2.2 The portion of an antigen that is recognized by an antibody is
called an epitope, and an antigen may have multiple epitopes.
Antibody
Negative respon
se
Paratope
Ag
Suppression
Ab
1
2
Idiotype
3
P
ositive response
Activation
Figure 2.3 Antibodies are recognized by anti-antibodies by matching their
idiotopes to another antibody's paratopes.
clones depends on its interactions with idiotypically related clones and the antigen;
thereby, the increased number of each clone determines the strength of immune
response. In this aspect, FGIN theory competes with clonal selection theory.
FGIN models concentrate on the interactions among free antibody molecules,
giving little or no attention to the biology of the cells that produced such antibod-
ies; thus, the internal state of B cells and its interaction with other B and T cells is
not considered (Coutinho, 1989).
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