Peptide antibodies are produced by the body to fight unusual forms of peptides. Citrulline antibodies attack the amino acid citrulline and are present in up to 80% of people with rheumatoid arthritis. B lymphocyte cells create different types of antibodies to attack specific antigens, and vaccines teach antibodies to destroy new pathogens.
Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins on the surface of B lymphocyte cells that are used by the immune system to fight off pathogens. Peptide antibodies are produced specifically by the body to fight unusual forms of peptides produced by diseased body cells or pathogens. The presence of certain types of peptides in cells causes peptide antibodies to be sent to eliminate them. Researchers use peptide antibodies to detect and identify diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Citrulline antibodies are peptide antibodies that are sent to attack the amino acid citrulline in circular or ring-shaped peptides. The amino acid citrulline is not normally found in the body. It is usually only produced when the body converts the amino acid ortithine into arginine. The presence of persistent citrulline in the peptides causes the formation of a citrulline antibody which is sent to eliminate it.
When someone has unusual joint inflammation or arthritis, their doctor may order a blood test that looks for citrulline antibodies. The citrulline antibody is often called rheumatoid factor. That’s because citrulline antibodies are present in up to 80 percent of people with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that attacks the body’s joints. The level of citrulline antibodies detected in the body tends to correlate with the severity of the disease.
B lymphocyte cells with Y-shaped antibodies are released into the bloodstream or lymphatic fluids of the body in response to an antigenic stimulus. The antigenic stimulus can be a virus, parasite, bacterium, a transplanted organ or other foreign agent. The Y-shaped upper arms of the antibody bind to the antigenic stimulus and either neutralize it or move it to a white blood cell known as a macrophage to be destroyed. In the case of peptide antibodies, the antibody binds to a specific peptide in a pathogen.
The bone marrow creates B lymphocyte cells. They turn into plasma cells that can produce many different types of antibodies. Each antibody is designed to attack a specific type of antigen.
A vaccine for a virus is created by deactivating a pathogen and injecting it into a human body. B lymphocytes detect the deactivated antigens and send out antibodies until they learn which types of antibodies destroy the antigens. In essence, a vaccine protects a person from infection by teaching antibodies how to trap and destroy a new type of microscopic pathogen.
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