= Paratope
{wiki}
= Antibody binding site
{synonym}
A <paratope> is the recognizing surface on an <antibody>; the <epitope> is the recognized feature on its <antigen>. Contacts depend on spatial arrangement and chemistry, including <hydrogen bonds> and <Van der Waals forces>. Thus a <paratope> is not simply a slot for a <protein primary structure> string. A folded <protein> can bring distant <amino acid residues> into one <epitope>. <Immunobiology: The Immune System in Health and Disease, 5th edition by Charles A. Janeway, Jr. and others/The interaction of the antibody molecule with specific antigen>[Immunobiology, 5th edition, §§3-6, 3-8 and 3-9: paired variable regions, discontinuous epitopes and reversible noncovalent contacts]{ref}
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