Definition
Is a site on an antigen recognized by an antibody or an antigen receptor; epitopes are also called antigenic determinants. A T-cell epitope is a short peptide derived from a protein antigen. It binds to an MHC molecule and is recognized by a particular T cell. B-cell epitopes are antigenic determinants recognized by B cells and are typically discontinuous in the primary structure.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York
About this entry
Cite this entry
(2008). Epitope. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-47648-1_1966
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-47648-1_1966
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-36847-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47648-1
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences