Sandbox Reserved 1787: Difference between revisions

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===Significance and Background===
===Significance and Background===
IgM is one of multiple types of Ig that exist in humans. IgM presents itself on the surface of a B cell as a B Cell Receptor (BCR). Upon binding of an antigen to the BCR, the B cell will activate, proliferate, and produce other Ig compounds. These include IgG, IgD, IgA, and IgE [https://proteopedia.org/wiki/index.php/Antibody antibodies] which all have different roles in the various forms of imune response. This means that the IgM BCR is a critical step in the beggining of an imune response.  
The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptive_immune_system adaptive immune response] possessed by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertebrate vertebrate] animals owes much of its function to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_cell B cells]. These specialized immune cells produce [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibody antibodies] and Immunoglobulins (Ig), the membrane bound equivalent to antibodies. B cells can produce a variety of Ig compounds including [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunoglobulin_G IgG], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunoglobulin_A IgA], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunoglobulin_E IgE], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunoglobulin_D IgD], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunoglobulin_M IgM]. These antibodies and Ig compounds bind to specific compounds called [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigen antigens]. When an IgM combines with a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-cell_receptor B cell receptor] (BCR) it can then send a signal in the form of a conformational change through the B cell membrane to stimulate the production of more antibodies that recognize that antigen.  


The structure of IgM was found using [https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/electron-microscopy/life-sciences/protein-analysis.html Cryo-EM] to visualize each atom in the protein.  
The structure of the IgM BCR complex was determined by two research groups using [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryogenic_electron_microscopy Cryo EM]. They also determined the structure of IgG.


===History and Discovery===
===History and Discovery===
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