Video Transcript
Nonself molecules, such as proteins
on the surfaces of pathogens, stimulate the immune system to produce soluble
immunoglobulin proteins. What term describes the nonself
molecules?
Generally, the immune system does
not recognize proteins on the surfaces of its own cells. These proteins are referred to as
self proteins. A nonself molecule is a foreign
substance or protein on a pathogen, which you might recall is a biological agent
like a virus or bacterium that can cause illness or disease. The specialized cells of our immune
system can recognize these nonself molecules. And once the immune system
identifies a foreign invader, an immune response is activated.
For example, when a B lymphocyte
recognizes a nonself protein, it is activated and starts to produce soluble globular
proteins called antibodies, which are otherwise known as immunoglobulins. The B lymphocyte has specific
antibodies on its surface, which can bind to specific nonself molecules. These nonself molecules are
generally referred to as antigens, and each antibody is usually specific to one
particular antigen.
Now we can answer the question
correctly. The nonself molecules found on the
surface of pathogens that stimulate the immune system to produce soluble
immunoglobulin proteins are called antigens.
