Antibody: Binding and Neutralizing

Subject: Science and tech

Concept:

Neutralizing antibody

• A neutralizing antibody (NAb) is an antibody that defends a cell from a pathogen or infectious particle by neutralizing any effect it has biologically. Neutralisation renders the particle no longer infectious or pathogenic.
• Neutralizing antibodies are part of the humoral response of the adaptive immune system against viruses, intracellular bacteria and microbial toxin.
• By binding specifically to surface structures (antigen) on an infectious particle, neutralizing antibodies prevent the particle from interacting with its host cells it might infect and destroy.
• Immunity due to neutralizing antibodies is also known as sterilizing immunity, as the immune system eliminated the infectious particle before any infection took place.

 Binding Antibodies:

• Binding antibodies are produced at high levels throughout the life of an infected individual but are characterized by their inability to prevent viral infection. These antibodies identify highly immunogenic and variable regions of the HIV-1 virion.
• Even though they do not prevent viral entry, binding antibodies are useful as diagnostic indicators of whether an individual is infected or not.
• Because of their inability to bind to functional spikes of the pathogens, they are excluded from neutralizing activity. Hence, binding antibodies are also known as non neutralizing antibodies (n-NAb).