A foreign molecule, the antigen, is recognized
and firmly bound to a specific region of the antibody
molecule, the antigen-binding site. Here,
the amino acid sequence of the antibody
molecule differs from one molecule to the next
in three hypervariable regions. The result is the
ability to bind a wide spectrum of different antigenic
molecules. The three-dimensional
structure of this region is known precisely, and
important details of the binding process are understood.
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