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An antigen or immunogen is a molecule that stimulates an immune response. The word originated from the notion that they can stimulate antibody generation. We now know that the immune system does not only consist of antibodies. The modern definition encompasses all substances that can be recognized by the adaptive immune system.


  • Tolerogen - An antigen that invokes a specific immune non-responsiveness due to its molecular form. If its molecular form is changed, a tolerogen can become an immunogen.
  • Allergen - An allergen is a substance that causes the allergic reaction. The (detrimental) reaction may result after exposure via ingestion, inhalation, injection or contact with skin.


Origin of antigensEdit

Antigens can be classified in order of their origins.

Exogenous antigensEdit

Exogenous antigens are antigens that have entered the body from the outside, for example by inhalation, ingestion, or injection. By endocytosis or phagocytosis, these antigens are taken into the antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and processed into fragments. APCs then present the fragments to T helper cells (CD4+) by the use of class II histocompatibility molecules on their surface. Some T cells are specific for the peptide:MHC complex. They become activated and start to secrete cytokines. Cytokines are substances that can activate cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), antibody-secreting B cells, macrophages and other particles.

Endogenous antigensEdit

Endogenous antigens are antigens that have been generated within the cell, as a result of normal cell metabolism, or because of viral or intracellular bacterial infection. The fragments are then presented on the cell surface in the complex with MHC class I molecules. If activated cytotoxic CD8+ T cells recognize them, the T cells begin to secrete different toxins that cause the lysis or apoptosis of the infected cell. In order to keep the cytotoxic cells from killing cells just for presenting self-proteins, self-reactive T cells are deleted from the repertoire as a result of tolerance (also known as negative selection which occurs in the thymus). Only those T cells that do not react to self-peptides that are presented in the thymus in the context of MHC I molecules are allowed to enter the bloodstream.

There is an exception to the exogenous/endogenous antigen paradigm, called cross-presentation.


An autoantigen is usually a normal protein or complex of proteins (and sometimes DNA or RNA) that is recognized by the immune system of patients suffering from a specific autoimmune disease. These antigens should under normal conditions not be the target of the immune system, but due to mainly genetic and environmental factors the normal immunological tolerance for such an antigen has been lost in these patients.

Tumor antigensEdit

Tumor antigens or Neoantigens are those antigens that are presented by MHC I or MHC II molecules on the surface of tumor cells. These antigens can sometimes be presented by tumor cells and never by the normal ones. In this case, they are called tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) and typically result from a tumor specific mutation. More common are antigens that are presented by tumor cells and normal cells, and they are called tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). Cytotoxic T lymphocytes that recognized these antigens may be able to destroy the tumor cells before they proliferate or metastasize.

Tumor antigens can also be on the surface of the tumor in the form of, for example, a mutated receptor, in which case they will be recognized by B cells.

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