Autoantibody

An autoantibody is an antibody that binds an antigen from the body’s own cells or tissues. It can be harmless, contribute to disease, or serve as a marker of disease.

B cell: A lymphocyte that produces antibodies or develops into a memory cell after activation. Autoantibodies are made by B cells that recognize self-antigens.
Antinuclear antibody test: A blood test that detects antibodies binding to components of cell nuclei. It screens for a broad group of autoantibodies associated with systemic autoimmune diseases.
Systemic lupus erythematosus: A chronic autoimmune disease that can affect skin, joints, kidneys, blood cells, and other organs. Several autoantibodies and immune complexes contribute to its varied manifestations.
Alloantibody: An antibody that recognizes an antigen from another individual of the same species. Unlike an autoantibody, it targets non-self tissue from another person.
Epitope spreading: Expansion of an immune response from an initial target to additional epitopes over time. It can broaden autoantibody profiles as tissue injury exposes new self-antigens.
B-cell receptor: A membrane-bound antibody that lets a B cell recognize a particular antigen. Its self-reactivity can shape whether an antibody-producing cell survives.
Anti-double-stranded DNA antibody: An autoantibody that binds double-stranded DNA and is associated especially with lupus. Its presence can support lupus diagnosis and help assess disease activity.
Graves' disease: An autoimmune disorder in which thyroid-stimulating antibodies commonly cause excess thyroid hormone production. It illustrates an autoantibody that activates rather than destroys its target.
Natural antibody: An antibody produced without known prior exposure to its specific foreign antigen. Natural antibodies can bind self-like structures without defining autoimmune disease.
Preclinical autoimmunity: A period in which autoimmune markers or immune changes precede recognizable disease symptoms. Autoantibodies may appear years before clinical disease, but progression is not inevitable.

Linked from 11 pages