When immunoglobulin is combined with antigen, they are produced. Immunoglobulin is a very important component of humoral immune system. The immunoglobulin manufactured by B lymphocytes and their plasma cells. They are found in serum and in other fluids and in tissues as well. They can be found in spinal fluid, urine, spleen and lymph nodes.

There are five classes of immunoglobulin which are IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD and IgE. Immunoglobulin can perform two roles in a body.

 

 

One is that they may act as antibodies in fluids functioning to eliminate antigenic determinants. Or they may act as a plasma membrane bound antigen receptors which are on the surface of a B-cell. In both roles the functions are very similar to the structure of the immunoglobulin.

The basic function of immunoglobulin is to bind to one of more related antigens. Antibodies binding by antigen are the primary function of antibodies to protect the host cells. Usually the binding of an antigen to an antibody has no biological effects but the significant biological effects are of the secondary effectors functions of antibodies.

 

 

The ability to take out the effectors function requires the antigen to be bind with antibody.

There are many immunoglobulin functions which are carried out when they are required. Such as the immunoglobulin might bind to a toxin and by doing this it can prevent the toxin from entering the host cells where its biological effects would be activated. Similarly the immunoglobulin might bind to the surface or to any sort of virus and protect the host cell from the disease. The production of the immunoglobulin occurs in many stages by plasma cells or by B-cells.