Light chain

Jump to navigation Jump to search
An antibody molecule. The two heavy chains are colored red and blue and the two light chains green and yellow. See also:[1]

WikiDoc Resources for Light chain

Articles

Most recent articles on Light chain

Most cited articles on Light chain

Review articles on Light chain

Articles on Light chain in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ

Media

Powerpoint slides on Light chain

Images of Light chain

Photos of Light chain

Podcasts & MP3s on Light chain

Videos on Light chain

Evidence Based Medicine

Cochrane Collaboration on Light chain

Bandolier on Light chain

TRIP on Light chain

Clinical Trials

Ongoing Trials on Light chain at Clinical Trials.gov

Trial results on Light chain

Clinical Trials on Light chain at Google

Guidelines / Policies / Govt

US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Light chain

NICE Guidance on Light chain

NHS PRODIGY Guidance

FDA on Light chain

CDC on Light chain

Books

Books on Light chain

News

Light chain in the news

Be alerted to news on Light chain

News trends on Light chain

Commentary

Blogs on Light chain

Definitions

Definitions of Light chain

Patient Resources / Community

Patient resources on Light chain

Discussion groups on Light chain

Patient Handouts on Light chain

Directions to Hospitals Treating Light chain

Risk calculators and risk factors for Light chain

Healthcare Provider Resources

Symptoms of Light chain

Causes & Risk Factors for Light chain

Diagnostic studies for Light chain

Treatment of Light chain

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

CME Programs on Light chain

International

Light chain en Espanol

Light chain en Francais

Business

Light chain in the Marketplace

Patents on Light chain

Experimental / Informatics

List of terms related to Light chain

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [2]


Overview

A light chain is the small polypeptide subunit of an antibody (or immunoglobulin); a typical antibody is composed of two immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy chains and two Ig light chains.

In humans

There are two types of light chain in mammals,

  • lambda (λ) chain (1, 2, 3, and 4)
  • kappa (κ) chain (only one type)

In other animals

Other types of light chains can be found in lower vertebrates, such as the Ig-Light-Iota chain of Chondrichthyes and Teleostei.[1][2]

Camelids are unique among mammals as they have fully functional antibodies which have two heavy chains, but lack the light chains usually paired with each heavy chain.[3] The functional role of this separate repertoire is unknown as yet.

Structure

Only one type of light chain is present in a typical antibody, thus the two light chains of an individual antibody are identical.

Each light chain is composed of two tandem immunoglobulin domains:

  • one constant (IgC) domain
  • one variable domain (IgV) that is important for binding antigen

The approximate length of a light chain protein is from 211 to 217 amino acids.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Janeway CA, Jr.; et al. (2001). Immunobiology (5th ed. ed.). Garland Publishing. (electronic full text via NCBI Bookshelf) ISBN 0-8153-3642-X.
  2. IMGT Index Antibodies (or Immunoglobulins).
  3. Hamers-Casterman C, Atarhouch T, Muyldermans S, Robinson G, Hamers C, Songa E, Bendahman N, Hamers R (1993). "Naturally occurring antibodies devoid of light chains". Nature. 363 (6428): 446–8. PMID 8502296.

External links


Template:WikiDoc Sources