Idiotypes and antiidiotypes

Idiotopes are the binding sites of individual antibodies with different structures that recognize the respective antigen: Immunoglobulin variability can be:
 * specific parts of immunoglobulins,
 * idiotype is the sum of idiotopes.
 * 1) allotypic: refers to the constant part; antibody molecules have interindividual variability,
 * 2) idiotypic: refers to the variable portions H and L; an idiotope is an antigenic determinant (epitope) in the variable part of an antibody,
 * idiotopes produce anti-idiotypic antibodies - a role in the antibody response in the final phase of attenuation of lymphocyte activity,
 * Anti-idiotypic antibodies represent the "internal image" of the antigen in the immune system, and next-generation antibodies can again react with the original antigen → idiotypic network.