hapten
9.9
A very small chemical that makes the body react only when it attaches to a larger protein
- noun
- /ˈhæptən/
- Specialized
:
hapteno
- Scientists often study haptens to understand how they can provoke allergic reactions in the body.
Examples
-
In immunology, haptens are crucial because they can form complexes that trigger antibody production.
-
Is the affibody scaffold also suitable for the generation of binders to nonprotein targets, such as haptens, P-tyrosine peptides, and carbohydrates?
Academic text (2017) -
Haptens are small molecules that can elicit an immune response when they bind to larger proteins.
How Antigenic
Surface Forms
Etymology
Hapten comes from the Greek verb haptein, which means 'to fasten' or 'to attach'. A helpful way to remember it is that a hapten is a very small molecule that must 'attach' to a larger protein before the immune system will notice it, which is why a hapten alone cannot trigger a response.