Читать книгу Immunology - Richard Coico - Страница 119

The binding between antigen and antibodies is discussed in detail in Chapter 6. The interactions of antigen with both B and T cells and subsequent activation events are discussed in Chapters 9 and 10. At this point, it is only important to emphasize that the binding of antigen with antibodies or TCRs does not involve covalent bonds. The noncovalent binding may involve electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonds, and van der Waals forces. Since these interactive forces are relatively weak, the fit between antigen and its complementary site on the antigen receptor must occur over an area large enough to allow the summation of all the possible available interactions. This requirement is the basis for the exquisite specificity observed in immunological interactions.