title: The second life of antibodies.
abstract: Antibodies (immunoglobulins, Ig) are used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects and are responsible for antigen-binding and effector functions. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is the major serum immunoglobulin of a healthy human (~75% of the total Ig fraction). The discovery in 1970 of the endogenous tetrapeptide tuftsin (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg, fragment 289-292 of the C(H2)-domain of the heavy (H) chain of IgG), possessing both immunostimulatory and neurotrophic activities, was an impetus for the search for new biologically active peptides of immunoglobulin origin. As a result, fragments of the H-chain of IgG produced as a result of enzymatic cleavage of IgG within the antigen-antibody complex were discovered, synthesized, and studied. These fragments include rigin (341-344), immunorphin (364-373), immunocortin (11-20), and peptide p24 (335-358) and its fragments. In this review the properties of these peptides and their role in regulating the immune response are analyzed.
authors: Branch of Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia. navolotskaya@fibkh.ru.
authors: E V
authors: EV
authors: Navolotskaya
mesh_terms: D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007127:Immunoglobulin Constant Regions / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D007142:Immunoglobulin gamma-Chains / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014405:Tuftsin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D007127:Immunoglobulin Constant Regions; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D007142:Immunoglobulin gamma-Chains; D009842:Oligopeptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C445661:immunorphin; C082551:immunocorticotropin; D001615:beta-Endorphin; D014405:Tuftsin; C031491:rigin