Question

Antibody diversity is an example of:

• A. Gene rearrangement
• B. Domain swapping
• C. Post-translational modification
• D. Proteolytic processing

Hint:

Antibody diversity arises from gene rearrangement, a process in which the variable, diversity, and joining gene segments of the immunoglobulin genes are shuffled and recombined to create unique antibodies.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understand the concept of antibody diversity.
Antibody diversity refers to the wide variety of antibodies produced by the immune system to recognize different antigens. This diversity allows the immune system to effectively defend against various pathogens.

Step 2: Mechanisms contributing to antibody diversity.

• Gene rearrangement: ✅ Correct. Gene rearrangement (V(D)J recombination) is the primary mechanism that generates antibody diversity by recombining gene segments in the immunoglobulin genes, allowing for the creation of antibodies with different specificities.
• Domain swapping: ❌ Domain swapping is not involved in antibody diversity. It pertains to protein interactions but not to the generation of diverse antibodies.
• Post-translational modification: ❌ Post-translational modifications modify the structure of antibodies after synthesis but do not contribute to the diversity of antibodies.
• Proteolytic processing: ❌ Proteolytic processing involves the cleavage of proteins but does not play a significant role in generating antibody diversity.

Step 3: Conclusion.
The mechanism responsible for antibody diversity is gene rearrangement (V(D)J recombination), which enables the immune system to produce a wide array of antibodies with different specificities for diverse antigens.

Correct Answer: Gene rearrangement