epitope

Term: epitope

Origin: Anc Greek

επί-/epi(=prefix meaning upon, on)

τόπος/topos(=place, location)

Niels Kaj Jerne (1911-1994)

Coined: in 1960 by Danish immunologist Niels Kaj Jerne (1911–1994) who proposed that an antigen particle carries several epitopes.

Definition:

The surface portion of an antigen which is recognised by immune system (antibodies, B or T cells) and elicit an immune response. The part of an antibody that recognizes the epitope is called a paratope.

Sourses

Jerne, N.K. (1974), "Towards a network theory of the immune System", Ann. Immunol. (Paris) 125C: 373–389