∞ generated and posted on 2016.01.12 ∞
Proteins produced by vertebrate animals that function by binding to other molecules, thereby either inactivating those other molecules or tagging them as foreign to the body.
The action of antibodies include neutralization of toxins and viruses, the activation of complement (via the classical pathway), serving as opsonins, precipitating as well as agglutinating antigens, and serving as the initiating signal for antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Antibodies also have numerous medical as well as technological uses, where many of latter can be explored under the heading of serology.