antigen

Term: antigen

Literally meaning: “ antibody generator”

Origin: Anc Greek

αντί-/anti- (=prefix meaning opposed to, against, instead)

+ γεννώ/geno(=produce, give birth to)

Coined/History

By Hungarian physician and microbiologist Laszlo Detre (1874-1939)

Source:

1. In memory of László Detre (1874-1939), who coined the term "antigen"]. Ovr Hetil1990 May 20;131(20):1089-90.

2. "Origins of the Terms Antibody ' and 'Antigen'", Scand. J. Immunol., 19, 281-285, 1984 p 281

Definition

Antigen is any substance that can trigger the production of an antibody by the immune system . The part of the antigen molecule to which the antibody binds is called the epitope.