Immunologic Factor
antigen Audio
an·ti·gen [ an-ti-juhn, -jen ]
Subclass of:
Biological Factors
Etymology:
Greek anti = an abbreviation for antibody + gen (gennao = produce)
Anything leading to the development of antibodies.
Definitions related to antigens:
  • Any substance recognized by the immune system and inducing an immune reaction.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • Any substance that causes the body to make a specific immune response.
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Any substance that the body sees as harmful or foreign, causing the immune system to form antibodies in defense.
    Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
    Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
  • Any substance, generally a protein, that stimulates the immune system and elicits an immune response. Recognition by the immune system elicits either a T-lymphocyte response, recognizing processed antigens, or a B-lymphocyte response, producing antibodies that bind to unprocessed antigens.
    NCI Thesaurus
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Substances that are recognized by the immune system and induce an immune reaction.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
  • Antigen, substance that is capable of stimulating an immune response, specifically activating lymphocytes, which are the body's infection-fighting white blood cells. In general, two main divisions of antigens are recognized: foreign antigens (or heteroantigens) and autoantigens (or self-antigens)....
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Some terms may have alternate or updated definitions not reflected in this set. The definitions on this page should not be considered complete or up to date.