ABSTRACT
Antibodies specific for antigenic determinants (idiotopes or Ids) expressed by the variable domains of other Abs are known as anti-Ids (or Ab2). Anti-Idiotypic mimicry has been observed for a wide variety of molecules, ranging from proteins such as insulin to small molecules such as alprenolol. Interest in anti-Ids, and especially those that mimic antigens, stems in part from the fundamental biological and biochemical questions that the mimicry phenomenon raises, and also from the hope that this class of Abs might be useful in research and in clinical medicine. The degree of mimicry can be assessed on functional grounds, such as induction of an immune response or some other cellular response, as might be elicited by a hormone antigen. The degree of mimicry can be assessed on functional grounds, such as induction of an immune response or some other cellular response, as might be elicited by a hormone antigen.
